Users' Evaluation of Information Services in University Archives

Abstract

In a situation where the recognition of archival services remains minimal, an evaluation of archival information services by users could provide a better understanding of users` practical needs and present helpful information for improved services. A service evaluation by users using questionnaires was conducted in university archives, which can similarly categorize their user groups and have frequent interactions with the users for the provision of services. Questionnaires suitable for the evaluation of university archives were developed based on the review of the evaluation tools in archival information services. From April to October 2015, 113 users` evaluation results were collected from 13 university archives. As a result of goodness of fit tests, the users` service evaluation items were categorized into four parts: Use Results, Provision of Information on Archives, Accessibility to Archives, and Interaction. For those four parts, evaluation by descriptive statistics, T-test, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted. Users evaluated Interaction parts highly while they were less satisfied with Provision of Information on Archives. T-test results showed that university archives with search engines and with electronic records management systems were evaluated higher than archives without such technology. In the regression analysis, the Interaction and Provision of Information on Archives parts were found to have an influence on the Use Results part.