Surveying for sustainability : service quality in a subscription library

Abstract

This project assessed the service quality of a subscription library for lesbians by means of a user survey. The results of the survey provided some strategic direction to the library, which had been experiencing a drop in usage over the last three years. In addition, the survey data is intended to inform a future marketing project and membership drive. The framework for the study was developed through a new model of service quality called the Layers Model of Service Quality Dependency (LMSQD). This model overcomes some of the problems with service quality assessment evident in the research literature, and forms the basis of an importance-weighted SERVPERF instrument. This instrument is combined with a Consumer Surplus measure to provide an indication of the financial return made to library members. Thus, the project not only tests the new LMSQD, but also provides the first example of Consumer Surplus analysis applied to a subscription library. As a result of the survey, a set of conclusions is formed about the economic benefit of belonging to the library, and a set of recommendations is made for improving the quality and increasing the sustainability of the service.