The Role of the Architecture and Space of Public Libraries in Fulfilling User Satisfaction

User satisfaction is a main factor in the stability and acceptance as well as continuation of public library and its services in the age of many alternatives at hand for accessing needed data and information. Many factors are at work in the creation and promotion of user satisfaction in public libraries. The architecture and space of public libraries are effective in user satisfaction. They act as main motivators in attracting users and encouraging them to use the provided services as many related studies in the field show. The possible effect of the space and architecture of public libraries in Iranian context have not been investigated yet. In this survey, the role of architecture and space of public libraries in user satisfaction was studied and explained in the context of Iran.

In this descriptive-analytical survey, out of 1500 active users in 23 Kermamshah Public Libraries, a sample of 375 users was selected in 2018 by using stratified random sampling with Cochran formula. Study instrument was a paper-and pencil questionnaire. It included 4 factors or components (consisting of inner and outside library architecture, physical space and facilities, supportive space and facilities, and removing acoustic disturbance as an obstacle to reading), 6 subcomponents and 39 questions or items in a 5-pointed Likert-type scale that its reliability and formal validity were achieved by Chronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. 346 complete questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS 23 and data underwent descriptive and inferential statistical procedures for testing study hypotheses and generalization of results. .

Out of subjects, 224 and 122 users were male and female, respectively. The descriptive indicators on the study variables had the scale higher than the moderate level (=3), with removing the acoustic disturbance as the highest scored variable and designing the supportive space and facilities as the least sored one. Data analysis and study findings indicated that there is a significant relationship between the architecture of public libraries and their users' satisfaction (t(n=346,df=345) = 17.945, p<.01) There is a significant relationship between physical factors and users' satisfaction (z(n=346) = -2.363, p<.05). However, there is not a significant relationship between removing acoustic disturbance and user satisfaction (z(n=346) = -.292, p>.01). The relationship between designing supportive spaces and users' satisfaction was significant, too (t(n=346,df=345)= 14.434, p<.01). In overall, the results showed that public library users consider library space and its architecture (including all studied subcomponent) as main and influential factors in fulfilling their needs and achieving their satisfaction.

It can be said that libraries are not success without having a satisfactory space and architecture. As the building of a library, including public libraries is not an administrative and formal space, but a public service and potentially attractive one, its appropriate space and attractive architecture can be beneficial to its service promotion and development for users with many other alternatives at hand that may select one or more among them. For attracting and satisfying public library's users, it is needed that library managers and administrators take public library internal and external architecture and space into account for providing better services and more satisfaction. These two factors are effective in library socialization as heavily affect the sense of users when coming into and using library services. In addition, the obstacles to user satisfaction in designing Iranian public libraries need to be investigated in further research projects. User satisfaction remains a main element in absorbing users for the public libraries and using their widely-ranged services as possible.