Using LibQUAL+™ to improve services to libraries A report on academic libraries of Iran experience

Purpose - This paper aims to urge the new culture of assessment of the quality of library services among Iran academic libraries and to assess the overall services quality of libraries from the users' perspectives based on the LibQUAL model. Design/methodology/approach - In this survey researchers used the LibQUAL model to assess service quality in the central libraries in engineering and technical governmental universities in Tehran city. For gathering data of libraries users, researchers used the LibQUAL questionnaire in a non-electronic format and translated into Farsi. Findings - It was found that library users were dissatisfied with their library building. But these libraries performed very well in the information control dimension. Furthermore, the examination of users' expectations showed that the proposition "Employees who are consistently courteous" was most important, and "Employees who instill confidence in users" had less importance. Originality/value - Using the LibQUAL Survey has helped the university libraries in Iran to better serve their main user groups, and for the first time researchers used the non-electronic format of LibQUAL questionnaire in the survey.