The comparison tables below show the current questions and the revised questions to be included in the revised instrument. The questions are organized by dimension and category.
Library Use
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| How often do you use resources on library premises? | On average, I visit this library in person: |
| [NEW QUESTION] | On average, I interact with librarians and/or library staff (in-person, phone, email, chat, or other): |
| How often do you access library resources through a library Webpage? | On average, I use library resources (e.g. eJournals, eBooks, databases) online: |
| How often do you use YahooTM, GoogleTM, or non-library gateways for information? | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Response scale:
Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Once a year | Never |
Response scale:
Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Quarterly | Yearly | Never |
Service Quality (formerly “Affect of Service”)
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| Employees who instill confidence in users | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Giving users individual attention | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Employees who are consistently courteous | Librarians and/or library staff are consistently courteous to me |
| Readiness to respond to users’ questions | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Employees who have the knowledge to answer user questions | Librarians and/or library staff have the knowledge to answer my questions |
| Employees who deal with users in a caring fashion | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Employees who understand the needs of their users | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Willingness to help users | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Dependability in handling users’ service problems | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Response scale:
My minimum service level is | My desired service level is | Perceived service performance is |
Response scale:
How is your library’s current level of service? | How important is this to you? |
Collections & Information Access (formerly “Information Control”)
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| Making electronic resources accessible from my home or office | Access to the library’s online resources from wherever I work or study |
| A library Web site enabling me to location information on my own | A library website that enables me to easily find the information I need |
| The printed library materials I need for my work | The printed materials (e.g. physical books, journals, etc.) I need |
| The electronic information resources I need | The online materials (e.g. eJounals, eBooks, databases) I need |
| Modern equipment that lets me easily access needed information | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Easy-to-use access tools that allow me to find things on my own | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Making information easily accessible for independent use | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Response scale:
My minimum service level is | My desired service level is | Perceived service performance is |
Response scale:
How is your library’s current level of service? | How important is this to you? |
Library Spaces (formerly “Library as Place”)
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| Library space that inspires study and learning | Library spaces that inspire me |
| Quiet spaces for individual activities | Quiet spaces for my individual work |
| A comfortable and inviting location | Comfortable and well-equipped spaces for working on my laptop |
| A getaway for study, learning, or research | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| Community space for group learning and group study | Sufficient spaces for group study, collaboration, or teaching |
| Response scale:
My minimum service level is | My desired service level is | Perceived service performance is |
Response scale:
How is your library’s current level of service? | How important is this to you? |
Skills Development (formerly “Information Literacy Outcomes”)
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| The library helps me stay abreast of developments in my field(s) of interest | Helping me pursue and/or advance my research |
| The library aids my advancement in my academic discipline or work | Helping me stay up to date in my field(s) or area(s) of interest |
| The library enables me to be more efficient in my academic pursuits or work | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| The library helps me distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy information | Helping me distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy information |
| The library provides me with the information skills I need in my work or study | Providing the training I need to improve my skills in finding, evaluating, presenting, and/or organizing information |
| Response scale:
1–9 (Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree) |
Response scale:
How is your library’s current level of service? | How important is this to you? |
General Satisfaction
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| In general, I am satisfied with the way in which I am treated at the library | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| In general, I am satisfied with library support for my learning, research, and/or teaching needs | [DELETE QUESTION] |
| How would you rate the overall quality of the service provided by the library? | How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the library? |
| Response scale:
1–9 (Extremely Poor–Extremely Good) |
Response scale:
1–9 (Low–High) |
Demographic Questions
| LibQUAL | REVISED LibQUAL |
| The library that you use most often (institutions customize their branches) | The library I use most often* |
| Age: Under 18 | 18–22 | 23–30 | 31–45 | 46–65 | Over 65 | My age is: Under 18 | 18–22 | 23–30 | 31–45 | 46–65 | Over 65 |
| Sex: Male | Female | (Optional) I identify my gender as: Female | Male | Non-binary | I prefer not to say | Other |
| Discipline: Institutions customize their discipline but they must map to a reporting value | My department [or discipline]* |
| Position: (Select the ONE option that best describes you.) | The role that best describes how I spend the majority of my time:* |
| Full or part-time student? | [Moved to after role question and only appears if one of the student positions is selected] |
| Please enter any comments about library services in the box below: | (Optional) Is there anything else you’d like to share about your library’s services?** |
*Moved to first screen of survey
**Moved to after the core questions
To bring more value to the core question responses, the revised LibQUAL version adds several demographic questions, allowing LibQUAL customers to filter and analyze data based on these demographic characteristics. These options are only presented to students and are optional for customers to add to their survey and for respondents to answer. Customers may also choose to replace these questions with a student ID number, which may be valuable for institutions with robust student analytics systems. The additional demographic characteristics in the revised LibQUAL version include:
- I identify as being differently-abled
- I identify my race/ethnicity as:
- English is my first language
- My GPA is:
- I receive financial aid
- I work full-time or part-time, in addition to being a student
- One or both of my parents completed an undergraduate degree
- I am enrolled as a distance-learning student
