Communicating Success in an Urban Public Library: Identifying Value Alignments between Hoboken Public Library and Hoboken Library Cardholders

Abstract

This capstone project sought to help Hoboken Public Library (HPL) determine whether their existing services and programming were appropriately meeting the expectations of their cardholders. The study was grounded in a conceptual framework of expectation confirmation theory and relied on a sequential, mixed methods approach to answer its four research questions. Themes identified during interviews with key members of the HPL staff became the basis for an electronic survey that was deployed to all cardholders 18 years of age or older. In the final round of analysis, cardholder survey responses were compared with interview responses from the HPL staff to identify overlaps, as well as gaps, in the staff’s assessment of the library’s offerings. Findings from the study suggest that cardholders and the HPL team recognize the library’s collection and staff as two of its greatest mechanisms for providing value to the Hoboken community. This report includes four recommendations designed to help the HPL team capitalize on the library’s existing strengths, explore opportunities for continuous quality improvement, and increase cardholder engagement.