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Among specialized applications of the well-known SERVQUAL scale for measuring perceptions of service quality, the LibQUAL[superscript +[TM]] survey system has found widespread use in assessment of the quality of libraries. Three main dimensions of library quality have been identified: Information Control, Library as Place and Affect of Service. Using data from an application of the LibQUAL[superscript +[TM]] survey, we investigate the relative difficulty of answering questions in each of these three areas, estimate the importance of each dimension in contributing to overall satisfaction with the library, and study differences in responses between user groups. We determine that Affect of Service (AS), similar to empathy in the general scale, is the most difficult dimension to evaluate. This is unfortunate because we find that AS is also the most important dimension in determining overall satisfaction with the library. We find that user characteristics are relevant in influencing both response rates and ratings of the AS scale items. In a follow up experiment to the LibQUAL survey we study the effect of user characteristics, such as type of user (student or faculty) and experience (length of association) on Affect of Service ratings. We determine that there is an interaction effect with experience moderating the impact of user type on perceptions of AS. Similar results are found in the case of another university service, a computer help desk. Our findings have implications for the administration and interpretation of LibQUAL surveys. The results also have implications for front line library staff members who should be mindful to provide individual, caring attention to undergraduates who are not favorably disposed towards their library services until they are both experienced and familiar with the library. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Objective This study examines discontinuation of psychotherapy from a consumer decision-making perspective. Two plausible predictors, the level of illness and rate of progress from where the patient started, were examined as predictors of treatment discontinuation. Method Using data from 139 patients (45.5% women; mean age = 32.18 years) participating in a 12-week transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy program for anxiety, weekly assessments of anxiety severity were examined to investigate the extent to which level of anxiety and rate of improvement predicted treatment discontinuation. Results Support was found for a significant interaction effect wherein at higher anxiety levels, rate of progress was less associated with discontinuation than at lower anxiety levels. Conclusion Faster rates of anxiety reduction are associated with greater likelihood of discontinuation when the client is at a lower level of anxiety, whereas rate of improvement is less associated with discontinuation if there remains continued impairment and room for improvement. As such, clinicians should monitor rates of improvement throughout treatment to help identify and evaluate patients at increased risk of premature discontinuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]