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The purpose of this study was to investigate the gap between library users' expected and perceived library services and to examine the role of library services in developing user satisfaction and loyalty. A quantitative research design using a questionnaire was used to investigate the research objectives. Undergraduate students were selected as the population from the Information Technology University. The questionnaire was adopted from previous literature. It was pilot tested with 50 undergraduate students and found reliable. Data was collected from 304 respondents and were analyzed using SPSS (v.20) software. The study found that library users expected a high level of service in three categories, i.e., Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as a Place, as all mean scores were higher than 7 when rated against a scale from 1 to 9. The participants reported that they were likely to consult the library and recommend it to others. The structural equation model confirmed that better services will increase users' satisfaction with the library resources and services and will lead to winning users' loyalty. The findings from the study provided useful insight into the determinants of user satisfaction and loyalty and could be useful for other academic libraries seeking ways to increase user loyalty and user satisfaction with library resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquiring material in public libraries is a core library activity to fulfill the unique needs of the reader's community. The present study aims to explore the trends of monograph acquisition in public libraries. The population consists of the four major public libraries of Lahore. A case study approach has been used to achieve the objectives of the study. Research is based on primarily the personal visits of the researcher to the acquisition departments of these libraries in order to collect data. Structured interviews were carried out with acquisition librarians to investigate the process of purchasing. The analysis of data reveals that a high ratio of Urdu language books has been purchased during the last decade, literature and religion being the major purchase area, whereas, art and architecture, pure sciences, and languages are the most neglected. The findings further revealed that the studied libraries have primarily been using traditional and informal techniques for acquiring material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Short Message Service (SMS) has become a cheap and popular source of communication in today''s society. The present study examines the mobile phone text messaging patterns of 96 university librarians from 29 public and private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire. Results indicate that university librarians use SMS tools, but do not prefer this technology as a means of communication through phone or e-mail. A majority of librarians use SMS to connect with friends/relatives or for entertainment purposes. They rarely use SMS to communicate with library users, professional colleagues, or administration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic resources and services in Pakistani university libraries on the basis of users'' satisfaction. A survey method was employed to conduct the research. Using convenience sampling, eight university libraries; four each from Islamabad and Lahore including two from the public sector and two from the private sector having IT applications, were included in the users survey. The total population (i.e., 40,236) of library users was very large; therefore, a reasonable, manageable and convenient sample of 800 library users, including 100 users each from the eight libraries was selected. A semi structured questionnaire was designed to collect data, while a five-point Likert Scale from 1 (Dissatisfied) to 5 (Extremely satisfied) was used to measure the satisfaction level of the respondent. The study concluded that Pakistani university libraries are offering effective electronic resources and services to their users. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]