benchmark services and facilities that were not quantifiable was becoming essential. This article describes the library’s journey in using LibQUAL+® and LibQUAL+ Lite® as instruments to strengthen the use of data in strategic decision making for services and programs. The LibQUAL+® Journey In 2003 Glasgow University Library became a participant in LibQUAL+® as part of the Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) consortium and since then we have participated annually, with the exception of 2007. The results have been published on the library website, presented as papers to the University’s Library Committee, and used by Customer Services staff for service assessment and planning each year. The 2003 LibQUAL+® results revealed that users perceived the provision of information resources, and access to these resources, to be far from adequate. This was especially true of postgraduates and staff members who recorded five and three (respectively) negative Service Adequacy Gap scores (SAGS)3 in the Information Control dimension (then Access to Information & Personal Control). Surprisingly, only postgraduates recorded negative SAGS in the Library as Place dimension. However, the low perception scores indicated that the environment was not a “quiet haven for study.” The environment was uninspiring, uncomfortable, uninviting, and lacked sufficient group study facilities. The comments from the “comments box” mirrored the scores from other core questions: inadequate e-journal provision, difficulty accessing e-resources, and difficulty navigating the website. Comments on staff covered both negative and positive aspects with the comments about the physical environment and facilities ranging from bad to abysmal. Although the results confirmed what we already suspected, benchmarking with the consortium and peers revealed that we were not alone. There were other libraries in the same position. Library as Place The University Library decided to focus on improving the Library as Place and began implementing a number of changes to the physical space of the library. In 2004, the refurbishment program, which had come to a standstill in 2002, was reinstated beginning with Levels 6 and 7 of the original 1968 building. The improvement process that the library developed was incremental because of the limited capital resources available each year. There was initially a concern about RLI 271 14 LibQUAL+® and the “Library as Place” at the University of Glasgow ( C O N T I N U E D ) AUGUST 2010 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC