This article deals with the management of noise in an academic library by outlining an evidence-based approach taken over seven years by the University of Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. The objective of this study was to measure the impact on library users of noise management interventions implemented from 2007 to 2014 through retrospective analysis of LibQUAL+® survey data. The data indicate that readers' perceptions of the provision of quiet space in the library greatly improved in that period. The study provides evidence showing the effectiveness of interventions, such as the development of a noise policy, zoning, rearranging of furniture, removal of service points from reader spaces, and structural improvements. There is evidence to indicate that the creation of a separate graduate reading room may be an effective noise management intervention not previously identified in the literature. Academic libraries struggling with noise problems and those with low scores on the LibQUAL+® quiet space question may find some helpful interventions that have an underlying evidence base to indicate their effectiveness when dealing with noise and the provision of quiet space.

Four librarians from Irish university libraries completed the U.K. Future Leaders Programme (FLP) in 2010. In this article they recount their experience and assess the effect of the programme on their professional practice and the value for their institutions. The programme is explored in the context of the Irish higher education environment, which is facing significant challenges due to the demise of the Celtic Tiger economy. A brief review of the literature relating to structured programmes to prepare librarians for senior positions, is presented. The structure and content of the FLP and the learning methodologies, theories, tools and techniques used throughout are discussed. The article suggests that the programme has real value for both individuals and institutions and that it can play a significant role in succession planning and the leadership development of librarians.Engaging with leadership development in Irish academic libraries: some reflections of the Future Leaders Programme (FLP) February 2011The Australian Library Journal Engaging with leadership development in Irish academic libraries: some reflections of the Future Leaders Programme (FLP)

University libraries are going through a period of enormous transformation, and have been for some time. This study considers ten years of both incremental and transformational change at the University of Limerick (UL) Library in Ireland. In the last decade library services, staffing, collections and spaces underwent great changes, in line with international trends. Retrospective analysis of LibQUAL+ survey data from 2007 to 2016 was conducted to explore how users responded to these changes and to their gradually transforming library. This study outlines the many changes that occurred in the library over the course of ten years and found that satisfaction levels steadily increased in tandem through a systematic step-by-step approach to driving continuous improvement and managing change. The data tells a compelling story of a library where staffing, services, collections and spaces transformed and where readers' perceptions of the quality of library services significantly improved.

This article reviews the Irish university experience of LibQUAL, drawing from interviews with administrators and library directors in the seven Irish universities together with data from the Irish LibQUAL notebooks generated from 2009 to 2012. Of the seven Irish universities, three find it very useful, run it regularly and have integrated it into their planning activities. Two found LibQUAL to be very useful in an occasional sense and two found LibQUAL to be less useful for their needs. The results from all LibQUAL notebooks indicate common poor perceptions about library buildings amongst users. However Irish users' expectations of library buildings appear to be higher than elsewhere. The approaches to analysis, interpretation and response to the results varied from library to library. While most institutions reported implementing changes as part of their LibQUAL action plans, attitudes around whether LibQUAL was a catalyst for change in their libraries varied. The majority of those interviewed described themselves as somewhat satisfied, as opposed to very satisfied, with the tool. At a national level, LibQUAL has repositioned the importance of the physical library environment within strategic planning and has placed the customer firmly at the center of Irish university library development . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

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