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User’s Satisfaction towards Library Facilities in Malaysia
1.0 Introduction
Alibrary can be considered
a store – a house of
knowledge. In dictionaries
the word “library” has been culture and recreation in the local
defined as “a building
or room containing a
collection of books”. A public library is a
place that is open to the poor and rich
alike. There are mainly two sections in
a library - the lending section and the
reference section. Any member can
borrow books from the lending section.
Non-members too can use the reference
section; they are allowed to enter the
section free of charge.
Public library exists to satisfy users. In
this context, users’ satisfaction refers to
how users judge the services of public
libraries. Indeed, it refers to whether
users of public libraries get the desired
information resources, facilities and
services expected to be provided by the
public libraries. Hence, in recent times,
evaluating users’ satisfaction with the
information resources, facilities and
services of public libraries has become
a major concern and an integral part
among library and information science
practitioners (Ogunsola, 2004). This is
because the ultimate aim of all libraries
as a service-oriented organisation is to
satisfy the needs of its clients. Thus,
users’ satisfaction with the information
resources, facilities and services
provided by the libraries whether public
or academic has become the melting
pot of the present day librarianship and
information science (Saliu, 2002; Asemi et.
al., 2010; Iwhiwhu and Okorodudu, 2012).
However, Datin Paduka Shahaneem
Hanoum, chairman of the Council of
Public State Libraries Directors, said the
lack of qualified staff at state and district
libraries had limited their activities. This
report shows that the public library is
facing a problem in terms of qualified
staff to deliver quality service to the
public library users. The reliability and
responsiveness dimension of service
quality rely on personnel or staff of
the public library. The attitude and the
mentality of public library staff needs to
change in order to make these institutions
more proactive as a centre of education,
community. The physical space and the
facilities in public libraries need to change Reliability is the ability to perform the
and improve; the information resources,
users’ comfort and satisfaction are also
the main reasons to support this plan.
The collection of reading materials in
public libraries needs to be more of quality
to encourage people to love reading. Many
depend on public library to get reading
materials such as books that they are
unable to own themselves. According to
Datuk Zawiyah Baba, the former director
of National Library, the collections of
books in public libraries are in very poor
condition; the main factors that contribute
to this situation are the lack of priority by
the authorities and insufficient of funds to
support public libraries.
2.0 User’s
Satisfaction towards
Public Library
The satisfaction can be seen in several
aspects such as the quality of services
provided by the library, the physical
condition of the location and the
facilities. Besides, the information or
the collections of the library are also the
most important things in maintaining
the user’s satisfaction towards public
library. Important aspects include how
customers experience the physical
environment, the accessibility of
materials, the collections and technology,
how customers are treated by staff in
every contact (face-to-face as well as
online and telephone) with the library,
and the availability of products and
programmes the customers want and
need (Suki, 2013).
Parasuraman et al. (1988) conceptualised
and measured service quality with
customer-based approach. In the review
of literature, there are seven dimensions
Vol.50 No.1 2015
used to identify the user’s satisfaction.
The seven elements are reliability,
responsiveness, assurance, access,
empathy, tangible and communication.
2.1 Reliability
promised service both dependably and
accurately. It is the level of the service
delivered by librarians, in relation to the
standard of expectations delivered to
library visitors dependably and accurately
(Nejati and Nejati, 2008). It includes:
- Giving correct answers to reference
questions.
- Making relevant information
available.
- Keeping records consistent with
actual holdings/status.
- Making sure that due dates are
available and accurate.
2.2 Responsiveness
Responsiveness is the willingness to help
users and to provide prompt service. This
refers to the delivery of the service as it
relates to dependability and accuracy. It
includes:
- Timeliness in delivering needed
information.
- Making new information available.
- Checking in new journals and
newspapers promptly.
- Re-shelving books quickly.
2.3 Assurance
Assurance represents knowledge and
courtesy of employees, and the degree of
trust and confidence that the customer
feels when the librarian is competent
to provide the service (Suki, 2013). It
includes:
- Valuing all requests for information
equally and conveying the importance
of an inquiry to the client.
- Clean and neat appearance of staff.
- Thorough understanding of the
collection.
- Familiarity with the workings of
equipment and technology.
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