The Gap analysis and ranking of service quality dimensions and Libraries of Shahid Sadoghi University of medical science by LibQual and Analytical Hierarchy Process methods

Measuring the service quality in organizations is the necessary background for planning to improve the quality of their services. Quality services in the medical libraries has the fundamental role in achieving to community goals in the field of public health.The present study is done with the aim of gap analysis and ranking of service quality dimensions and also ranking of Medical Science Libraries of Shahid Sadooghi University. This research was a survey study and its population was included 3339 people of Shahid Sadooghi University of medical science library users in the second half of 1391, that the number of 379 users have been selected by means of sampling method. Sample size was determined by Morgan table. Data were collected by libqual questionnaire; also 10 questionnaires that each included four “matrix of paired comparisons” was distributed among 10 library specialists. Formal validity of questionnaire was confirmed by the number of national and international professors and experts. the reliability of “libqual” questionnaire and "Matrix of paired comparisons” questionnaire was confirmed by calculating “Cronbach’s alpha coefficient” for each dimensions of library service above 70 percent and “rate incompatibility” less than 1/., respectively. Analysis of data obtained from libqual questionnaire is done by means of spss software in both descriptive statistics (percent of average and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Friedman test); also analysis of data obtained from "Matrix of paired comparisons" is done by means of expert choice software. data obtained from the “Libqual questionnaire” indicated that the libraries in all aspects related to "impact service" dimension can meet the minimum expectations of users that show their librarians have been modestly successful from the human dimension of service performance, while in some aspects related to dimensions “information access " and " library as a place" cannot meet minimum expectations of users. While none of the libraries surveyed cannot provide the ideal service for users. Also data obtained from the “matrix of paired comparisons" indicated that according to the experts, the “impact service” dimension and medicine – pharmacology library had the topmost rank among the service quality dimensions and libraries, respectively. as the library and information science experts believe that the impact service dimension is the most important dimension in the relation of improving the quality of library services, medical librarians indicated that they have been modestly successful from the point of user servicing and can meet the minimum expectations of users in comparison with the other dimensions.