A Study on the user satisfaction of Information Sources and Services of the University Libraries in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The library plays an integral role of the University for Information sources, services, teaching, learning, and research works. The effectiveness of these sources and services is more beneficial for academic development and country development as well. The objectives of this study were to identify what kind of sources and services are used by the users, how these sources and services are supported to enhance their information needs and the situation of user satisfaction of these library resources. A mixed research methodology was employed as the overarching research approach, with the case research method serving as the research strategy. Primary data for this study were gathered using the questionnaire method. The research sample comprised 15 users of state university libraries in Sri Lanka. A simple random sampling technique was utilized to select a subset of 20 users from each university, resulting in a total sample size of 300 users. The collected data were then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This study revealed that 33.7% of the users visit once a week, with 11.3% of them making daily visits. Users displayed a high level of awareness, with 90.3% being aware of the lending service, while 65% were knowledgeable about resource renewal. Interestingly, respondents demonstrated limited awareness of online information resources and E-services offered by the library. Nonetheless, user satisfaction with these resources and services was notably satisfactory. To address these limitations, it is crucial to implement continuous user training and promote the popularity of the aforementioned services and sources.