• Characteristics of users
  1. What is your purpose in visiting the NDL? How often do you come?
  2. Which libraries do you use most?
  3. Are you a registered user?
• Degree of satisfaction and needs for improvements in our services
  1. How do you rate your degree of satisfaction in general?
  2. How do you rate your degree of satisfaction with each of the services specified below? What improvements to the NDL services would you like to see most?
• Conclusion

1. How do you rate your degree of satisfaction in general?

In the Tokyo Main Library, nearly 90% of the respondents answered "satisfied" or "fairly satisfied." In all three facilities, the ratio of "satisfied" and "fairly satisfied" increased compared with the previous survey.

Figure 5. User satisfaction degree in general

2.How do you rate your degree of satisfaction with each of the services specified below? What improvements to the NDL services would you like to see most?

The NDL has applied the method of customer satisfaction survey often utilized in private companies in order to clarify problems from survey results and has worked at improving our operations and services.

Figure 6 to 8 are each composed of four areas with axes divided by lines representing the average score of all services. Of these areas, we should deal with the services in the lower right area as a priority, which have a lower satisfaction degree and higher needs for improvements.

The ILCL has no outstanding service in this lower right area. Though open-access materials of "Children’s Library" and "Meet the World" gained a high degree of satisfaction, need for improvements is also high, indicating that users have great expectations.

The collections held in the Tokyo Main Library also gain a high degree of satisfaction but also high needs for improvement, reflecting users’ great hopes of the NDL, as the sole national library in Japan that collects domestic and foreign publications and information under the Legal Deposit System and by other methods. Keeping in mind that the collections held by the NDL are the accumulation of Japanese culture, we intend to develop our collections.

In the meantime, services to which we should give priority for improvement in the Tokyo Main Library and the Kansai-kan are mainly related to the copying services. User satisfaction degree of such services has improved as a result of our past efforts. We need to continue efforts to make improvements in the copying services within the various limitations including copyright and preservation.

Figure 6. User satisfaction degree multiplies needs for improvements with each service at the
Tokyo Main Library

Figure 7. User satisfaction degree and needs for improvements with each service at the
Kansai-kan

Figure 8. User satisfaction degree and needs for improvements with each service at the
ILCL

The NDL will take into account the issues and user needs identified through this survey to improve our operations and services. We also continue to conduct alternately a survey for on-site users and a survey for remote users. The next survey will be conducted in FY2008 targeting remote users including both individuals and libraries/related institutions in Japan. We appreciate your cooperation.