A study on service quality gap in remote service delivery with mobile devices among academic libraries in Hong Kong

Abstract

Many libraries have developed their own mobile library services (MLS)in these days. However, only a few pieces of research had been conducted on the service quality evaluation of MLS, especially in Hong Kong. This is an exploratory study conducted to design a framework for evaluating the service quality of MLS, and give suggestions to improve the quality of MLS provided by the University of Hong Kong Libraries.

The literature review was focused on the connecting area between service quality gap, mobile learning and library service. A mixed research method was employed and both quantitative and qualitative surveys were conducted to evaluate the users’ expectations and perceptions of MLS. Six interviews with purposefully selected high usage library users were conducted to explore the criteria that could be adapted to MLS evaluation. An evaluation framework, which including three service quality dimensions and seven key criteria, was developed based on the interview result and literature review.

After that, the framework was used to develop a questionnaire with twenty-three core items, which could be used to evaluate the users’ expectations and perceptions of MLS. Twenty-seven completed questionnaires were received from the HKUL’s MLS users by the end of data collection period. Some service quality gaps had been revealed after analyzing the data, followed by four suggestions were given for closing the gaps.

Based on the framework of this study, an MLS evaluation model was proposed. The findings of this study will provide an insight to MLS evaluation. The developed model is quite comprehensive and might be useful for those interested in MLS quality.