EVALUATI ON OF PRODUCTS AND SERVI CES OF A NURSI NG LI BRARY:
USER SATI SFACTI ON
1Sheila Kát ia Cozin2 Rut h Nat alia Ter esa Tur r ini3
Cozin SK, Tur r ini RNT. Evaluat ion of pr oduct s and ser vices of a nur sing libr ar y: user sat isfact ion. Rev Lat ino- am En fer m agem 2 0 0 8 j u lh o- agost o; 1 6 ( 4 ) : 7 5 8 - 6 4 .
The goal of t he st udy w as t o evaluat e t he qualit y of t he ser vices pr ovided by t he libr ar y at t he Nur sing School of t he Univ er sit y of São Paulo. A quest ionnair e ev aluat ing user s’ sat isfact ion w it h t he ser v ice w as em ploy ed, cover ing five qualit y com ponent s: t angibles, r eliabilit y, r esponsiveness, assur ance and em pat hy. The Sat isfact ion
Rat e w as calcu lat ed t h r ou gh t h e degr ee of im por t an ce in r elat ion t o sat isf act ion . Th e an aly sis of t h e open -ended answ er s w as quant i- qualit at iv e. For Reliabilit y and Em pat hy , t he user s show ed dissat isfact ion w it h t he t r ain in g f or b ib liog r ap h ic r esear ch an d t h e lib r ar ian ’s w illin g n ess t o m eet t h e clien t s’ in f or m at ion n eed s, r espect iv ely . Respon siv en ess did n ot f u lly sat isf y t h e u ser s, disagr eein g w it h t h e pr ov ider s. How ev er , bot h
agr eed t hat t he ar chiv es ar e out dat ed. Am ong t he t angible aspect s, equipm ent and noise w er e cr it icized m ost oft en. The r esult s show t hat t he libr ar y offer s good ser v ice qualit y t o it s user s.
DESCRI PTORS: libr ar ies, nur sing; libr ar y m at er ials; consum er sat isfact ion; nur sing
EVALUACI ÓN DE LOS PRODUCTOS Y SERVI CI OS EN UN A BI BLI OTECA DE EN FERMERÍ A:
SATI SFACCI ÓN DEL USUARI O
El est udio t uvo por obj et ivo evaluar la calidad de la at ención en la bibliot eca de la Escuela de Enfer m er ía de la Univ er sidad de São Paulo. Se ut ilizó un cuest ionar io que ev alúa la sat isfacción del usuar io a t r av és de cinco
com ponent es de calidad: t angible, confiable, r ecept ivo, segur idad y em pat ía. La Tasa de Sat isfacción se calculó m ediant e la r azón ent r e el gr ado de im por t ancia y sat isfacción. El análisis de las pr egunt as abier t as fue cuant i-cu alit at iv o. En Con fiabilidad y Em pat ía, los u su ar ios se m ost r ar on insat isfech os con los ent r en am ient os par a
b ú sq u ed a b ib liog r áf ica y sob r e el em p eñ o d el em p lead o p ar a at en d er las n ecesid ad es d e los clien t es. Los u su ar ios n o est u v ier on plen am en t e sat isf ech os con la r ecept iv idad, sin em bar go am bos con cor dar on qu e la bibliogr af ía est aba desact u alizada. Den t r o de los aspect os t an gibles, los equ ipos y el r u ido f u er on los m ás
cr it icados. Los r esult ados dem ost r ar on que la bibliot eca ofr ece ser v icio de calidad a sus usuar ios.
DESCRI PTORES: b i b l i o t eca s d e en f er m er ía ; m a t er i a l es b i b l i o g r á f i co s; sa t i sf a cci ó n d e l o s co n su m i d o r es; en f er m er ía
AVALI AÇÃO DOS PRODUTOS E SERVI ÇOS DE UMA BI BLI OTECA DE EN FERMAGEM:
SATI SFAÇÃO DO USUÁRI O
O est u do t ev e por obj et iv o av aliar a qu alidade do at en dim en t o da bibliot eca da Escola de En f er m agem da Univ er sidade de São Paulo. Ut ilizou- se quest ionár io que av alia a sat isfação do usuár io com o ser v iço at r av és de cinco com ponent es da qualidade: t angibilidade, confiabilidade, r ecept iv idade, segur ança e em pat ia. A t ax a
d e sat isf ação f oi calcu lad a p ela r azão en t r e g r au d e im p or t ân cia e d e sat isf ação. A an álise d as p er g u n t as aber t as foi quant i- qualit at iv a. Em confiabilidade e em pat ia, os usuár ios m ost r ar am - se insat isfeit os quant o aos t r einam ent os de busca bibliogr áfica e ao em penho do funcionár io da bibliot eca em at ender as necessidades de
in for m ação dos clien t es, r espect iv am en t e. A r ecept iv idade n ão sat isfez os u su ár ios plen am en t e, discor dan do dos pr est ador es, por ém , am bos con cor dam qu e o acer v o est á desat u alizado. Equ ipam en t os e r u ídos f or am , dent r e os aspect os t angív eis, os m ais cr it icados. Os r esult ados ev idenciar am que a bibliot eca ofer ece ser v iço
de qualidade aos seus usuár ios.
DESCRI TORES: bibliot ecas de en fer m agem ; acer v o de bibliot eca; sat isfação dos con su m idor es; en fer m agem
1 Ar t icle t aken fr om scient ific init iat ion st udy, funded by t he São Paulo St at e Resear ch Suppor t Foundat ion, FAPESP, Brazil, nº 04/ 06549- 5. Honor able Ment ion
at 13t h SI I CUSP; 2 Mast er ´ s st udent , e- m ail: sheilakat ia@hot m ail.com ; 3 Ph.D. in Public Healt h, Facult y, e- m ail: r t ur r ini@usp.br. Univer sit y São Paulo School
of Nur sing, Br azil.
I NTRODUCTI ON
T
h e i n c r e a s i n g s e a r c h f o r h i g h - q u a l i t y se r v i ce p u sh e s co m p a n i e s t o i m p r o v e t h e i r w o r km et hods in or der t o valuat e t heir pr oduct s in or der t o
gr ant t hem a bet t er im age in t he m ar ket . I nfor m at ion
services, including libraries, are exam ples of a m arket
w it h a high r ot at ion of user s and dat a, w hich need t o
r e n e w r e g u l a r l y i n o r d e r t o b e u p - t o - d a t e w i t h
t echnological advances, and also t o sat isfy t heir client s.
Since “ ser v ice is an act or per for m ance t hat
benefit s client s t hr ough a desir ed change in – or on
behalf of – t he ser v ice r eceiv er ”( 1), t he focus of t he
r en ew al of lib r ar ies ar e t h e u ser s, r ep r esen t ed b y
t h eir op in ion ab ou t t h e ser v ice p r ov id ed , f r om t h e
availabilit y of infor m at ion in t he var ious dat abases t o
t he perform ance of t he professional pr oviding ser vices
t her e. At univ er sit y libr ar ies, concer ns about qualit y
are even higher, because t he users need t he inform at ion
f o r t h e i r e d u c a t i o n a l , r e s e a r c h a n d e x t e n s i o n
pr ocesses. The const ant ev aluat ion of t he ser v ice is
indispensable t o adapt and updat e t he pr oduct s and
services at t he speed dem anded by t he client s.
For an effect ive r esponse t o t he dem ands and
specificit ies of t he com m unit y libr ar ies’ m anagem ent
and w or k pr act ices should be r eor ganized( 2), w it h t he
i n d i sp e n sa b l e cr e a t i o n a n d a p p l i ca t i o n o f q u a l i t y
in dicat or s accor din g t o t h e pr of ile of t h e u ser s an d
t h ei r ex p ect at ion s ab ou t t h e ser v ice an d p r od u ct s
of f er ed( 3 ).
Th e c l i e n t s ’ e x p e c t a t i o n s a r e t h e t r u e
st andar ds t o evaluat e t he qualit y of t he ser vice( 4). The
r esu lt s ob t ain ed b y t w o r esear ch er s( 4 ) sh ow ed t h at
t h e clien t s ev alu at ed t h e q u alit y of t h e ser v ice b y
com par ing w hat t hey ex pect w it h w hat t hey r eceiv e.
Th e cl i e n t s’ e x p e ct a t i o n s o f t h e se r v i ce s ca n b e
different iat ed in t w o levels: a desired level, reflect ing
t he ser vice t he client expect s t o r eceive ( t he r elat ion
of w hat can be w it h w hat should be) , and an adequat e
l e v e l , w h i ch p o i n t s t o w h a t t h e cl i e n t co n si d e r s
a cce p t a b l e . W h e n t h e r e i s a sm a l l o r i n e x i st e n t
d i s c r e p a n c y b e t w e e n t h e s e l e v e l s , s e r v i c e
per f or m an ce is sat isf act or y.
I n t h e p a st y ea r s, t h e I n t eg r a t ed Li b r a r y
Syst em of t he Univer sit y of São Paulo ( SI Bi/ USP) has
st r i v en f o r q u a l i t y t h r o u g h co n st a n t t ech n o l o g i ca l
r enew al. I n 2001, t he fir st st r at egic planning for t he
im plem ent at ion of a new m anagem ent m odel for t he
SI Bi / USP w a s p r e se n t e d , t h e Qu a l i t y Asse ssm e n t
Pr og r am ( PAQ) , w h ose ob j ect iv e w as t o d ev elop a
con t in u ou s m et h od olog y t o ev alu at e t h e q u alit y of
pr odu ct s an d ser v ices offer ed t o SI Bi/ USP clien t s( 5 ).
Th er ef or e, p eop le r esp on sib le f or t h e PAQ cr eat ed
a n i n s t r u m e n t b a s e d o n a m o d e l u s e d f o r t h e
evaluat ion of ser v ice qualit y, t he SERVQUAL( 6).
SERVQUAL i s a sca l e t h a t m e a su r e s t h e
con su m er s’ per cept ion abou t t h e qu alit y of ser v ices
i n f i v e Ga p s ( Fi g u r e 1 ) , w h i ch sh o w t h e cr i t e r i a
consider ed by t he consum er s in t heir final j udgm ent
ab ou t t h e q u alit y of ser v ices, m ak in g it easier f or
ser v ice m an ag er s t o u n d er st an d t h e p r ob lem s t h at
m ay possibly hinder t he full sat isfact ion of t he client s.
The analy sis of t he consum er s’ answ er s allow ed t he
r esear ch er s( 7 ) t o iden t if y dim en sion s of sat isf act ion :
Respon siv en ess ( w illin gn ess t o h elp t h e clien t s an d
pr ov ide ser v ice qu ick ly ) ; Assu r an ce ( t h e k n ow ledge
an d cou r t esy of t h e em ploy ees, an d t h eir abilit y t o
c o n v e y t r u s t a n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ) ; Ta n g i b l e s
( appear ance of t he phy sical facilit ies and per sonnel) ;
Reliabilit y ( abilit y t o per for m t h e ser v ice accu r at ely,
a c c o r d i n g t o w h a t w a s p r o m i s e d ) a n d Em p a t h y
( indiv idual at t ent ion giv en t o client s) .
G
Gaapp22 Gap between the
provision of service and the external communications with the clients. Gap between the
service specifications and provision of
service
Gap between the perceptions of management and the service specifications Gap between the
expected service and received service
Gap between the consumer’s expectations and
management’s expectations
Word of mouth Communications
Service specifications
External communication
to consumers
Personal needs
Past experiences
Management Perceptions of
consumer expectations
Service Delivery Expected service
Perceived service
G Gaapp33 G Gaapp55
Client
Service provider
G Gaapp44 G
Gaapp11
Source: Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry LL. A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. J Marketing. 1985;49:41-50. (Reprinted with the authorization of Journal of Marketing, published by the American Marketing Association)
Figur e 1 – A m odel pr oposed t o r epr esent t he gaps in
t h e clien t - com pan y r elat ion sh ip
Th e u se o f t h i s scal e i n t h e ev al u at i o n o f
l i b r a r y se r v i ce s f i r st h a p p e n e d i n a st u d y( 8 ) t h a t
g en er a t ed t h e p a p er Ser v i ce Qu a l i t y i n Aca d em i c
Libr ar ies, and pr ovided suggest ions for t he evaluat ion
o f l i b r a r y s e r v i c e s , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e a c a d e m i c
com m u n it y.
Th e ev alu at ion of t h e ser v ices p r ov id ed b y
t he libr ar y per m it s a r ev iew of ser v ice goals, how it
w o r k s a n d t h e m a n a g e m e n t m o d e l , p u sh i n g t h e
evolut ion process of self- crit icism and prom ot ing, w it h
it s r esult s, t he solut ion of t he pr oblem s ident ified in
t h e in st it u t ion t h r ou g h t h e t est im on ies of all t h ose
MATERI AL AND METHOD
Th is is a cr oss- sect ion al, d escr ip t iv e st u d y.
Th e pr oj ect w as appr ov ed by t h e Et h ics Com m it t ee
at t he Universit y of São Paulo School of Nursing ( EE/
USP) and t he Resear ch Com m ission of t he EE/ USP.
Th e st u d y p op u lat ion con sist ed of in t er n al
user s ( facult y, graduat e and under graduat e st udent s,
s p e c i a l i z a t i o n s t u d e n t s a n d a s s o r t e d EE/ U S P
em p l o y ees) a n d ex t er n a l u ser s ( f a cu l t y, g r a d u a t e
st udent s, specializat ion st udent s, st udent s fr om ot her
sch ools, h ealt h car e pr of ession als, am on g ot h er s) of
t h e Wa n d a d e Ag u i a r Ho r t a l i b r a r y a t EE/ USP. A
pr opor t ional r andom sam ple w as ex t r act ed fr om t he
f acu l t y, u n d er g r ad u at e st u d en t s an d st r i ct o sen su
graduat e st udent s of t he EE/ USP, in or der t o guarant ee
t hat t he sm allest cat egor y w ould include at least 30
subj ect s. Ther efor e, t he final sam ple w as com posed
o f 3 1 f a c u l t y, 8 2 g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s a n d 1 2 7
under gr aduat e st udent s. The am ount of 30 individuals
w as i n t en t i o n al l y set f o r t h e f o l l o w i n g cat eg o r i es:
s p e c i a l i z a t i o n s t u d e n t s , EE/ US P e m p l o y e e s a n d
ex t er nal user s. Ten librar y em ploy ees pr esent at t he
t i m e o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n a l s o r e c e i v e d t h e
quest ionnair es. Collect ion st ar t ed in Decem ber, 2004
and ended in May, 2005.
Tw o hundr ed t hir t y - t w o quest ionnair es w er e
answ er ed, 129 fr om under gr aduat e st udent s, 26 fr om
facult y, 31 fr om graduat e st udent s ( st r ict o sensu) , 12
f r o m s p e c i a l i z a t i o n s t u d e n t s , 1 9 f r o m EEU S P
e m p l o y e e s a n d 1 5 f r o m e x t e r n a l u s e r s , w h i c h
r epr esent ed 70.3% of t he init ially det er m ined sam ple,
ex clu din g t h e libr ar y em ploy ees.
Th e q u est ion n air e u sed f or d at a collect ion
w as elabor at ed fr om a pr e- exist ent quest ionnair e used
by SI Bi/ USP in it s PAQ. This inst r um ent consist ed of
Lik er t - st y le q u est ion s cov er in g t h e f iv e d im en sion s
o f q u al i t y : t an g i b l es ( p h y si cal p r esen t at i o n o f t h e
en v ir on m en t ( T1 ) , eq u ip m en t ( T2 ) , com m u n icat ion
m at er ial ( T3) ) , r eliabilit y ( em ployees t hat inspir e t r ust
( C1 ) , s e c u r i t y a n d r e l i a b i l i t y o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n
pr ov ided ( C2 ) , secur it y and r eliabilit y in t r aining for
inform at ion access ( C3) , reliable or ient at ion about t he
s e l e c t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n s o u r c e s ( C4 ) , r e l i a b l e
i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e l i b r a r y w e b s i t e ( C5 ) ) ,
r e s p o n s i v e n e s s ( p r o v i d i n g s e r v i c e s w i t h i n t h e
pr om ised t im e fr am e ( R1 ) , qu ick n ess in t h e len din g
ser v ice ( R2) , flex ibilit y in t he lending pr ocess am ong
t he USP libr ar ies ( R3) , quick ness in t he r epr ogr aphic
ser v ice ( R4 ) , pr ov ision of copies of docum ent s fr om
ot her libraries ( com m ut ing) w it hin an accept able t im e
f r am e ( R5 ) , q u i ck n ess/ ag i l i t y i n t h e acq u i si t i on of
book s, j our nals and ot her publicat ions ( R6) , updat ed
archives ( R7) , efficiency in t he safekeeping of m at erial
an d or g an izat ion of t h e ar ch iv es ( R8 ) , p r ov ision of
online ser vices ( R9) , adequat e w or king hour s ( R10) ) ,
assur ance ( em ploy ees t hat w er e qualified t o answ er
quest ions ( A1) , accessible and polit e em ployees ( A2) ,
e m p l o y e e s t h a t k n o w h o w t o u se t h e e l e ct r o n i c
in f or m at ion sou r ces ( A3 ) , sk illf u l u se of eq u ip m en t
( A4) ) and em pat hy ( at t ent iv e ser v ice ( E1) , effor t s t o
see t o t he infor m at ion needs ( E2) , individual at t ent ion
( E3) , ease of com m unicat ion w it h t he em ployee ( E4) ,
em ployee’s at t it ude ( E5) ) , evaluat ed accor ding t o t he
Degr ee of I m por t ance and t he Degr ee of Sat isfact ion.
Since t he inst r um ent w as also applied t o t he
lib r ar y em p loy ees ( p r ov id er s) , t h e r esu lt s ob t ain ed
f r om Gap f , n am ed as su ch b y t h e au t h or s of t h is
pr oj ect , could be associat ed t o r epr esent t he ser v ice
pr ov ider s’ per cept ion abou t t h eir ow n per f or m an ce,
u n der st an din g t h at t h e Degr ee of I m por t an ce t h ese
em ploy ees at t r ibut ed t o t he ser v ice w ould r epr esent
w hat t hey consider im por t ant as t he ser vice st andar ds
and t hat t he Degr ee of Sat isfact ion w ould r epr esent
t h eir per f or m an ce as pr ov ider s.
Open - en ded qu est ion s w er e in clu ded in t h e
quest ionnair e t o v alidat e t he r espondent s’ opinion in
r elat ion t o f iv e pr e- con ceiv ed dim en sion s of qu alit y
and t he need t o appr ehend specific infor m at ion about
t h e libr ar y.
Sa t i sf a ct i o n o f t h e cl i e n t a n d t h e se r v i ce
pr ov ider w as calcu lat ed as in dicat ed by t h e au t h or s
r esponsible for t he scale( 4):
Re l a t i v e sa t i sf a ct i o n r a t e ( TSR) = ( Va l u e
a t t r i b u t e d t o s a t i s f a c t i o n ¸ Va l u e a t t r i b u t e d t o
im por t ance) × 100.
The difference of the TSR obtained for the user
up to full satisfaction (100% - TSR) corresponds to Gap
5, and the difference of the TSR obtained for the service
provider up t o full sat isfact ion ( 100% ) corresponds t o
Gap f. Both gaps can be positive values (the service does
not fully sat isfy t he expect at ions) , equal t o 100% ( t he
service satisfies the expectations) or negative (satisfaction
with the service is higher than expected).
For t he TSR analysis, t he use of m edians w as
chosen, so t hat t he cent r al m easur em ent w ould not
b e s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d b y e x t r e m e v a l u e s , a n d
b ecau se t h e sat isf act ion of som e u ser s w as h ig h er
t h a n t h e i r e x p e c t a t i o n s , w h i c h c o u l d o f f s e t t h e
sa t i sf a ct i o n a v e r a g e . I n t e r g r o u p co m p a r i so n w a s
done w it h t he variance analysis t est , and a significance
level of 5% w as adopt ed. For t he analysis of t he
open-ended quest ions, t he cent ral t hem e w as ident ified w it h
a l a t e r r e c o d i n g o f t h e a n s w e r s t o a l l o w f o r a
RESULTS AND DI SCUSSI ON
Under gr aduat e st udent s w er e t he user s m ost
oft en pr esent at t he librar y, since t hey ar e at school
ever y day, and because t hey need t o dev elop st udy,
ev alu at ion , sem in ar an d ot h er act iv it ies d em an d ed
by t he Nur sing cour se. The opposit e sit uat ion occur r ed
w it h ex t er nal user s, since t hese seek t he ser v ice for
y r o g e t a
C Daily Weekly Bi-weekly Monthly Rarely Neverused Total
n % n % n % n % n % n % n %
1 e t a u d a r g r e d n
U styear 7 20.6 19 55.9 4 11.8 1 2.9 3 8.8 - - 34 14.6
2 e t a u d a r g r e d n
U nd year 6 21.4 17 60.7 3 10.7 2 7.1 - - - - 28 12.1
3 e t a u d a r g r e d n
U rdyear 7 20.6 18 52.9 4 11.8 2 5.9 3 8.8 - - 34 14.6
4 e t a u d a r g r e d n
U thyear 2 6.1 20 60.6 6 18.2 5 15.2 - - - - 33 14.2
r o s s e f o r
P - - 8 30.8 7 26.9 7 26.9 4 15.4 - - 26 11.2
e t a u d a r
G 2 6.5 12 38.7 5 16.1 7 22.6 4 12.9 1 3.2 31 13.4
n o it a z il a i c e p
S - - 5 41.7 - - 4 33.3 2 16.7 1 8.3 12 5.2
e e y o l p m e P S U E
E 3 15.8 - - 2 10.5 - - 7 36.8 7 36.8 19 8.2
r e s u l a n r e t x
E 2 13.3 2 13.3 - - 2 13.3 9 60.0 - - 15 6.5
l a t o
T 29 12.5 101 43.5 31 13.4 30 12.9 32 13.8 9 3.9 232 100
specific research. Weekly ut ilizat ion was t he frequency
m odalit y m ost r espondent s m ent ioned m ost oft en.
The use of t he libr ar y by gr aduat e st udent s
w as in ex pr essiv e. Th e r esear ch act iv it ies per f or m ed
by t h is gr ou p dem an d a h igh er fr equ en cy of libr ar y
u se. How ev er, t h is r esu lt cou ld be at t r ibu t ed t o t h e
av ailab ilit y an d ease t o access elect r on ically - st or ed
in f or m at ion .
0 0,05 0,1 0,15 0,2 0,25 0,3
R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10
Gap 5 Gap f
Table 1 – Dist r ibut ion of t he r espondent s, in cat egor ies, accor ding t o t he fr equency of use of t he Wanda de
Aguiar Hor t a libr ar y ( EEUSP) , São Paulo, 2005
A m o n g t h e d i m e n s i o n s o f q u a l i t y,
Re s p o n s i v e n e s s ( Fi g u r e 2 ) s h o w e d t h e h i g h e s t
differ en ce of fu ll sat isfact ion w it h t h e ser v ice: Eigh t
ou t of t en in dicat or s of t h is dim en sion pr esen t ed a
Gap 5 of 25% . Alt hough t his result does not represent
a significant difference bet w een w hat is perceived and
w h a t i s e x p e ct e d f r o m t h e se r v i ce , i t st a n d s o u t
because r esponsiv eness is highlight ed as t he second
m ost im por t ant dim ension for ser v ice qualit y( 9).
Figur e 2 – Dist r ibut ion of t he values for Gap 5 and f
accor ding t o t he r esponsiveness indicat or ( R) . Wanda
de Aguiar Hor t a Libr ar y ( EEUSP) , São Paulo, 2005
Th e ar ch iv es d eser v e p r ior it y t o f u lly m eet
t he user’s expect at ions, since t he indicat or up- t o- dat e
ar chiv es ( R7 ) pr esen t ed a 2 5% Gap, for bot h user s
an d em ploy ees, besides obt ain in g a h igh f r equ en cy
of op en - en d ed an sw er s, in d icat in g t h e ex ist en ce of
o u t d a t e d t o p i cs i n t h e a r ch i v e s. I n t h e i n d i ca t o r
Pr ovision of online ser vices ( R9) , t he 25% Gap not es
t he need t o offer m or e ser vices t o t he user s, such as
r equest s for copies of ar t icles.
The differ ence obser v ed in indicat or s R7, R9
an d Ef f i ci en cy i n t h e saf ek eep i n g o f m at er i al an d
or g an izat ion of t h e ar ch iv es ( R8 ) , as ev alu at ed b y
t h e p r o v i d e r s, sh o w s t h a t t h e y a ck n o w l e d g e t h e
im por t an ce of st or in g t h e m at er ial, in dispen sable t o
find a giv en t ex t or book , and t his ser v ice deser v es
m or e at t en t ion . A m isp laced t ex t or b ook m ay b e
c o n s i d e r e d l o s t , a n d t h i s a c t i v i t y r e f l e c t s t h e
or ganizat ion of t he ser v ice dir ect ly.
I n t h e d i m e n s i o n A s s u r a n c e , o n l y t h e
in dicat or s Em p loy ees w h o w er e q u alif ied t o an sw er
quest ions ( A1) , and Em ployees w ho know how t o use
t h e elect r on ic in for m at ion sou r ces ( A3 ) gen er at ed a
Gap 5 of 25% am ong t he user s, bot h r elat ed t o t he
t echnical capacit y of t he pr ov ider s. I n or der t o hav e
t he user s evaluat e t he qualit y of t he ar chive, som eone
n eeds t o in t r odu ce t h em t o t h e r esou r ces av ailable
f or bibliogr aph ic r esear ch an d h ow t h ey can obt ain
t he m at erial t hey need. The users w ere fully sat isfied
w it h t h e in d icat or Accessib le an d p olit e em p loy ees
( A2) , differ ent fr om t he em ployees, w her e a Gap f of
1 2 . 5 % w a s i d en t i f i ed . Th e em p l o y ees a t t r i b u t e a
d eg r ee of im p or t an ce t o t h is d im en sion t h at is n ot
For Tan g ib les, t h e u ser s an d t h e p r ov id er s
consensually det erm ined t hat t he indicat or Equipm ent s
( T2) has a Gap of 25% t o full sat isfact ion. Even t hough
Pa r a su r a m a n co n si d e r s t h i s d i m e n si o n t h e l e a st
im por t ant for t he qualit y of ser v ice( 9), as a r esult of
t e ch n o l o g i ca l a d v a n ce s, co m p u t e r s h a v e b e co m e
i n d i s p e n s a b l e f o r g o o d i n f o r m a t i o n s e r v i c e s i n
lib r ar ies. Accor d in g t o t h e p r ov id er s, t h e in d icat or
com m unicat ion m at er ial ( T3) , a v aluable r esour ce t o
adv er t ise t he ser v ices pr ov ided, also obt ained a Gap
f of 25% .
Alt h ou g h u ser s ar e sat isf ied w it h in d icat or
T3 , t h e r esu lt s of t h e op en - en d ed q u est ion s sh ow
t h a t t h e p r o v i d e r s k n o w t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e
com m u n icat ion m at er ial b et t er t h an t h e u ser s. For
t h e op en - en d ed q u est ion ab ou t t h e in t er est of som e
sor t of t r ain in g in cap acit at in g cou r ses f or t h e u ser ,
8 9 . 4 % o f t h e r e s p o n d e n t s m e n t i o n e d t r a i n i n g
p r o g r a m s r e l a t e d t o b i b l i o g r a p h i c r e s e a r c h , a
cou r se t h at is cu r r en t ly of f er ed by t h e lib r ar y. Th is
i s a n e v i d e n t f a i l u r e i n t h e a d v e r t i se m e n t o f t h e
co u r se s.
Th e s a m e w a s o b s e r v e d i n t h e a n s w e r s
ab o u t i n t er est i n so m e so r t o f ser v i ce t h e l i b r ar y
d o e s n o t o f f e r y e t , w h e r e 4 1 . 1 % o f a f f i r m a t i v e
a n s w e r s m e n t i o n e d t h e d e s i r e f o r c o u r s e s
h a b i t u a l l y o f f e r e d b y t h e l i b r a r y. Fo r t h e s a m e
q u est ion , 1 1 . 8 % ex p licit ly su g g est t h at t h e lib r ar y
sh o u l d a d v er t i se i t s ser v i ces.
The individual life hist or y of t he pr ovider s and
t he encour agem ent t hey r eceiv e dur ing t heir w or k ing
h o u r s a r e f a ct o r s t h a t ca n i n f l u e n ce t h e cl i e n t s’
ev alu at ion of a ser v ice, sin ce t h e beh av ior an d t h e
at t it udes of t he em ploy ee can int er fer e negat iv ely in
p r o f essi o n a l a ct i v i t y, esp eci a l l y w h en t h e w o r k i s
art iculat ed by int eract ion and com m unicat ion w it h t he
clien t s. Besid es p r of ession al m ot iv at ion , t h is cou ld
explain t he result obt ained for t he indicat or Effor t s t o
see t o t h e n ecessi t i es o f i n f o r m a t i o n ( E2 ) o f t h e
dim ension Em pat hy, in w hich t he users show ed a Gap
5 of 25% . For t he indicat or em ployee’s at t it ude ( E5) ,
a Gap f v alue of 25% show s t hat t he pr ov ider s can
i m p r o v e t h ei r i n t er p er so n al r el at i o n sh i p , al t h o u g h
u se r s d o n o t p e r ce i v e t h i s g a p i n t h e p r o v i d e r s’
p er f o r m an ce.
I n a st udy w her e SERVQUAL w as used, it w as
obser ved t hat t he key dim ension for client per cept ion
about an evaluat ed ser v ice is Reliabilit y , since t his is
t he client ’s guarant ee t hat t he request ed services w ill
be done cor r ect ly and pr ecisely( 10). I n t his dim ension,
t he only indicat or t hat did not obt ain full sat isfact ion
am on g t h e u ser s w as Secu r it y an d r eliabilit y in t h e
t r aining for infor m at ion access ( C3 ) .
Th e p r o v i d e r s st i l l n e e d t o i m p r o v e t h e i r
t r aining st r at egies, so t hat t hey can convey m or e t r ust
t o t he users. Because of t he Gaps f of t he providers,
it w as obser v ed t hat t he r eliable infor m at ion on t he
l i b r a r y ’ s w e b si t e ( C5 ) n e e d s t o b e i m p r o v e d a n d
d e p e n d s o n f r e q u e n t e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e l i b r a r y ’ s
w ebpage by t he pr ovider s t hem selves, so t hat updat es
can be ex ecu t ed.
W h e n t h e TS R a v e r a g e s a m o n g t h e
cat egor ies of r espondent s ar e com par ed by t he ANOVA
t est , st at ist ically significant differ ences ar e obser v ed
in t h e d im en sion Resp on siv en ess f or t h e in d icat or s
R2 ( p = 0 . 0 4 0 ) , R3 ( p = 0 . 0 0 5 ) , R6 ( p = 0 . 0 3 1 ) , R7
( p = 0 . 0 0 6 ) a n d R1 0 ( p = 0 . 0 1 1 ) ; i n t h e d i m e n si o n
Assur ance, only for A3 ( p= 0 . 0 4 7 ) ; in t he dim ension
Tan g ib les, f or T1 ( p = 0 . 0 1 4 ) ; an d in t h e d im en sion
Em p at h y , f or E1 ( p = 0 . 0 1 3 ) , E2 ( p = 0 . 0 0 4 ) an d E5
( p= 0 . 0 4 0 ) .
Fo r t h e ca t e g o r y i n d i ca t i o n o f b o o k s f o r
a c q u i s i t i o n , i t w a s n o t i c e d t h a t , e x c e p t f o r t h e
p r of essor s, t h e lib r ar y u ser s d o n ot in d icat e b ook s
for acquisit ion, probably because t his possibilit y is not
ad v er t ised . Besid es r eq u est in g t h e p u r ch ase of t h e
b ook s t h at com p r ise t h e list of r ef er en ces f or t h e
cour ses, t he facult ies ar e r egular ly ask ed t o indicat e
book s w hen t he libr ar y r eceiv es gr ant s t o enlar ge it s
ar ch i v es.
I n t he quest ion about out dat ed t opics in t he
ar ch iv es, a lit t le m or e t h an h alf of t h e r espon den t s
m en t ion ed at least on e ou t dat ed t opic, h igh ligh t in g
t h em es f r om t h e Nu r sin g ar ea it self. Th is r esu lt is
con t r o v er sial f or a sp ecialized lib r ar y, b u t p ossib le
b ecau se of t h e b u d g et ar y d if f icu lt ies of t h e p u b lic
school. Technological advances in healt hcar e dem and
fr equent acquisit ions of book s and, due t o t heir high
cost s, st udent s r esor t t o book loans m or e and m or e
f r eq u en t ly.
Su g g est ion s ab ou t t h e lib r ar y f acilit ies an d
w hat t hey w ould change in t he libr ar y m ainly point ed
t o aspect s relat ed t o t he environm ent , library facilit ies
an d eq u ip m en t . I n t h e “ en v ir on m en t an d f acilit ies”
n o i s e , e n l a r g e m e n t o f t h e p h y s i c a l s p a c e a n d
im pr ov em ent s in t he com for t of t he spaces dest ined
t o st udying. I n “ equipm ent ” , t he am ount and condit ion
o f t h e co m p u t e r s f o r r e se a r ch w a s e m p h a si z e d ,
su ppor t in g t h e dif f er en ce in t h e in dicat or T2 of t h e
dim ension Tangibles ( Gap 5 of 25% ) by at least half
of t he user s.
Regar din g w h at t h e r espon den t u ser s m ost
lik e or m ost dislik e in t he libr ar y, opinions diver ged.
“ Env ir onm ent and facilit ies”, “ ar chiv es” and “ ser v ice”
w e r e m o s t o f t e n m e n t i o n e d p o s i t i v e l y, w h i l e
“ ar ch i v es”, “ n o i se ” an d “ ser v i ce” w er e m o st o f t en
m e n t i o n e d a s r e a s o n s f o r d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n . W h e n
r efer r ing t o t he dim ension Em pat hy, t he indicat or s of
ser v i ce p r esen t ed Ga p eq u a l o r l o w er t h a n 2 5 % ,
i n d i ca t i n g t h a t , i n t h e o p en - en d ed q u est i o n s, t h e
r esp on d en t s ex p r ess t h eir op in ion s b et t er. An ot h er
cont roversy resides in t he fact t hat “ envir onm ent and
f a c i l i t i e s ” h a v e r e c e i v e d a h i g h e r q u a n t i t a t i v e
am o u n t o f su g g est i o n s f o r ch an g e. User s t en d t o
o v e r l y v a l u a t e t h e p h y s i c a l a s p e c t s o f t h e
en v ir on m en t , ev en t h ou g h com f or t is essen t ial f or
i n t el l ect u a l a ct i v i t i es.
The bet t er educat ed t he client s ar e, t he less
sensit iv e t hey ar e t o t he t angible dim ensions( 4). The
t an gible dim en sion does n ot conv in ce t h e u ser, bu t
fact or s lik e cleanliness, good v ent ilat ion and light ing,
w h en p r esen t an d ad eq u at e, aid in t h e d ecision of
ch oice or pu r ch ase.
FI NAL CONSI DERATI ONS
Th e s e d a t a a c c o m p l i s h e d t h e g o a l o f
evaluat ing user sat isfact ion regarding t he services and
pr oduct s of t he “ Wanda de Aguiar Hor t a” librar y, by
u n d er st an d i n g i t s cl i en t s’ d i r ect p er cep t i o n o f t h e
ser vices/ pr oduct s pr ovided, as w ell as t he im pr ession
t hey hav e of t he pr ov ider s. The r esult s show ed t hat ,
d esp it e t h e g ap s ob ser v ed in som e in d icat or s, t h e
libr ar y offer s good ser v ice qualit y t o it s user s, since
88% of t he r espondent s evaluat ed t he ser vice as good
o r e x c e l l e n t . Th e g a p s f o f t h e p r o v i d e r s w e r e
i m p o r t an t t o i d en t i f y g ap s t h at m ay b e i m p r o v ed
t h r o u g h i n i t i at i v es t ak en b y t h e ser v i ce p r o v i d er s
t hem selves, and also t hose t hat need t o be discussed
at h igh er decision - m ak in g lev els.
The ident ificat ion of under gr aduat e st udent s
as t he m ain library users show s t hat t heir needs should
be consider ed w hen pur chasing book s. On t he ot her
h a n d , t h e l e ss f r e q u e n t l i b r a r y u se b y g r a d u a t e
st u d en t s d eser v es f u r t h er in v est ig at ion . Sin ce t h is
gr oup needs t o per for m sy st em at ic lit er at ur e r ev iew s
t o dev elop pr oj ect s, it is im por t ant t o k now w het her
t h e n o n - u se o f t h e l i b r a r y h a p p e n s b e ca u se t h e
ar chiv es and t he ser v ices pr ov ided ar e insufficient ; if
t h e e l e ct r o n i c se a r ch e s a n d v i r t u a l l i b r a r i e s a r e
m eet ing t he st udent ’s libr ar y needs, or if t he gr aduat e
st u den t s ar e n ot dedicat in g t h em selv es t o st u dy in g
as r equir ed by gr aduat e pr ogr am s. I n any case, since
m a n y g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s d i d n o t a n s w e r t h e
i n st r u m en t , t h e am o u n t o f d at a i s i n su f f i ci en t f o r
f u r t h er con sider at ion s.
I n st i t u t i o n a l co m m u n i ca t i o n ( a d v e r t i si n g ,
p r om ot ion an d an n ou n cem en t of ser v ices) , ev en in
public ser v ices, also affect s t he client ’s ex pect at ions
d i r e ct l y, a s se e n i n t h e a n a l y si s o f t h e a n sw e r s
obt ained w it h t he open- ended quest ions, w her e sever al
r espon den t s cit e t h e n eed t o adv er t ise t h e ser v ices
and pr oduct s offer ed by t he librar y. On t he ot her hand,
o t h e r s r e f e r t o t h e n e g a t i v e i n f l u e n ce i n e f f i ci e n t
advert ising can exert on client sat isfact ion. Therefore,
in v est in g in in st it u t ion al com m u n icat ion can b e an
efficient st r at egy t o im pr ove t he qualit y of t he libr ar y
ev alu at ed .
The analy sis of t he gaps 5 show ed t hat t he
f ollow in g asp ect s d eser v e m or e at t en t ion f r om t h e
libr ar y w it h a view t o m eet ing user s’ needs: updat ing
t h e a r ch i v es, t h e co m m u n i ca t i o n sy st em a n d t h e
e q u i p m e n t , a d v e r t i si n g t h e se r v i ce s a n d t r a i n i n g
p r o g r a m s , b e h a v i o r o f u s e r s a n d p r o v i d e r s i n
m aint aining of silence w it hin t he libr ar y envir onm ent ,
and accessibilit y for t he pr ov ider s.
The open- ended quest ions w er e im por t ant t o
v al i d at e so m e i n d i cat o r s o f t h e Li k er t scal e. Th ey
r evealed t hat user s also w ant ed ext ended w or k hour s
o f t h e l i b r ar y an d m o r e ef f i ci en cy i n r ep r o g r ap h i c
ser v i ces.
Aft er ev aluat ing t he r esult s obt ained by t his
r esea r ch , t h e Wa n d a d e Ag u i a r Ho r t a l i b r a r y w a s
co n si d er ed t o p r o v i d e ser v i ces w i t h g o o d q u a l i t y,
sat isfying m ost of it s user s and t he ser vice pr ovider s
t hem selves, pr esent ing only a few punct ual pr oblem s
t hat w ill ser v e as par am et er s t o im pr ov e it s ser v ices
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