Explaining user satisfaction with academic libraries: strategic implications

Abstract

Competitive pressures, information availability, rising costs, and an increasingly aware and selective student population mandate that academic libraries become more user focused. This calls for a better understanding of the specific needs of library users in order to provide the appropriate type and level of service that meets those needs. This study proposes and tests a five-factor model to explain user satisfaction with academic libraries. Students availing the services of three academic libraries in Erie, Pennsylvania, were surveyed over a period of three semesters. The model explained 64 percent of the variation in the dependent variable. Strategic implications of the proposed model are discussed.