Transforming the University Library One Step at a Time: A Ten Year LibQUAL\u2009+\u2009Review

Abstract

Abstract University libraries are going through a period of enormous transformation and have been for some time. This study considers ten years of both incremental and transformational change at the University of Limerick (UL) Library in Ireland. In the last decade library services, staffing, collections, and spaces underwent great changes, in line with international trends. Retrospective analysis of LibQUAL\u2009+\u2009survey data from 2007 to 2016 was conducted to explore how users responded to these changes and to their gradually transforming library. This study outlines the many changes that occurred in the library over the course of ten years and found that satisfaction levels steadily increased in tandem through a systematic step-by-step approach to driving continuous improvement and managing change. The data tells a compelling story of a library where staffing, services, collections, and spaces transformed and where readers’ perceptions of the quality of library services significantly improved.