Personal and cultural values as factors in user satisfaction: A comparative study of users of library services

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the extent to which the personal and cultural values of American and international students are a factor in their satisfaction with library services. The researcher explored conceptual linkages between cultural and personal values, as well as the effects of values on customer satisfaction.; The sample of the present study numbered 435 American and international graduate students. They were all enrolled in the GSPIA at the University of Pittsburgh. Descriptive data were frequently collected through a questionnaire survey.; Thus, two levels were measured in the present study: cultural values and user satisfaction. There were three sections to the instrument utilized in the study. The first included items designed to collect demographic data relevant to the study. The second contained questions which addressed personal and cultural values. The third section represented the user's opinions of library services and how satisfied she/he was with them.; In measuring cultural and personal values the researcher used Al-Weqaiy's (1998) approach, in which he used the list of value (LOV) scale (Kahle, 1983), while the SERVQUAL scale (Zeitghaml, Parasuraman, & Berry, 1990) was used to measure the customer's expectations and perceptions of library services.; With the personal correlation of personal values for international and American students, there was a significant positive correlation between personal values, service quality and satisfaction. Also, it showed that a significant positive correlation existed between power distance, service quality and satisfaction.; Analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaire indicated that there was no significant relationship between geographic area and any of the eight personal values of the present study.; It is worth mentioning that only Japanese students showed less satisfaction with US library services. The researcher relates this to two major factors. First, the Japanese students' high expectations. Second the Japanese are coming from a more developed and technologically enhanced background compared to other international students included in the study.; A set of recommendations and suggestions for further research were also included.