Service Quality in Academic Library: University Students' Perspectives
Margaret Orech Msamula1
Citation : Margaret Orech Msamula, Service Quality in Academic Library: University Students' Perspectives International Journal of Managerial Studies and Research 2015 , 3(8) : 23-33
Changes in operating environments provides positive and negative outcomes to organizations
including academic libraries. The application of 'business thinking' to management of academic libraries is
vital for academic libraries to adapt the changing needs of library users. It is vital for academic libraries to
continually evaluate and upgrade the quality of offerings to its users. Therefore, understanding of the areas and
reasons for misalliance between delivered offerings against expected offerings is crucial to academic libraries
so as to improve quality of delivered offerings. At perceptions level, study examined quality of offered library
services by academic library to satisfaction of university students.
Adapted from service quality model; responsiveness, assurance, tangibles and reliability elements of service
quality were examined. This descriptive case study had 158 business students at undergraduate level as its
respondent. Structured self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. Data were
quantitatively analyzed using a statistical tool. Study results indicated that students as library users were
satisfied by 61% with quality of delivered offerings of the academic library. However, findings suggested that
students were more satisfied with responsiveness, reliability and tangible aspects than assurance aspect in
service delivery by academic library at the university