Abstract:
University libraries play a prominent role in the information society through providing quality
information effectively and efficiently to the scholarly community. The astronomical proliferation of
Information Technology has made information easily accessible for anyone from anywhere while
eliminating the need to physically visiting a library to seek information. In this digital era, it is
inevitable for university libraries to adapt to technological changes and deliver innovative services to
satisfy technically-competent user needs. It is important that the library management identify the
most influential factors that could enhance the satisfactory level of undergraduates towards the
library. In the current study the students‟ satisfaction was assessed by means of a proposed research
model whereby the dimensions of Library services, resources and staff were incorporated. Further,
the simultaneous effects of these variables on satisfaction were also investigated. Data were collected
by a questionnaire-based survey performed among 442 Science undergraduates of University of
Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and the model was tested using path analysis with multiple regression
techniques. Findings indicated that Library services, Library resources and Library staff were strong
determinants of the undergraduate satisfaction. Moreover, Library facilities (including all
independent variables) accounted for 41.1% of the variance of students‟ satisfaction. Based on the
results it is recommended that the library management should focus on developing and tailoring
Library facilities such as services, resources and staff in order to enhance the level of undergraduate
satisfaction towards the library.
Keywords: Undergraduates; Facilities; University; Satisfaction; Sri Lanka
