THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON USER SATISFACTION: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The objective of the study is to examine the impact of service quality dimensions on user satisfaction of the public library in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire had been developed and distributed among 150 respondents who are taking public library services from Barisal and Patuakhali district. Random sampling method was applied to collect primary data. Several hypotheses have been extracted from the conceptual framework and are tested using multiple regression analysis. Findings of the study showed that service quality dimensions have a certain degree of relationship with public library user satisfaction. It is also shown that tangibles are the most dominant predictors among four (4) significant predictors which mostly lead to public library user satisfaction. Besides, results also show empathy, and the assurance dimension plays a significant role in user satisfaction. Therefore, these findings will beneficial for those who are solely responsible for public library management and can get an idea to improve the overall service quality of public libraries to provide a high degree of satisfaction. KEYWORDS: SERVQUAL, Tangibles, Responsiveness, Reliability, Assurance, Empathy, Satisfaction