Library Therapeutic Landscape Quality Approaches in Public Libraries: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Consideration of user satisfaction should be the main business in the public libraries business. It serves as evaluating benchmarks on the library performance. Satisfaction is depends, it could be the overall library as a service provider including on user expectation of place, services and facilities. The purpose of this study is to identify the elements of a public library therapeutic landscape quality for measuring the level of library therapeutic satisfaction available in the library of past and present. With a focus on the public library, this study examines user perception of the quality of their therapeutic landscape provided. Using a developed therapeutic landscape quality questionnaire, 30 users were randomly selected to answer. It was analyzed with therapeutic landscape dimension (natural/built environment, social environment and spiritual environment). A 108- item, 5 domain questionnaire excluding the respondent information on the view of library user regarding the library therapeutic landscape quality and satisfaction was developed based on a literature, theories and empirical study. This paper aims to describe the process involved and outcomes in undertaking a pilot study as a preparation for the real data collection which is to study library therapeutic landscape quality and satisfaction among the well established and modern public libraries in Malaysia. Data analyses were conducted with the use of statistical software. Output from the analysis, shows that the instruments are reliable and there is no abnormality on the data.