Likert scales are used for which purpose?

• A. Measuring circulation counts
• B. Rating system to assess user satisfaction levels
• C. Tracking reference desk visits
• D. Estimating annual budget requirements

Answer: (B)

Likert scales are a way to measure attitudes, opinions, or perceptions by asking people to indicate how much they agree or disagree with a statement. Because they capture the degree of feeling rather than a simple yes/no, they’re ideal for assessing how satisfied users are with a service or experience, which is exactly what a rating system for user satisfaction levels aims to do. The five- or seven-point options (for example, strongly disagree to strongly agree) give nuance beyond a single verdict and let libraries track overall satisfaction and trends across respondents. They aren’t suited for counting concrete events like how many times someone used the reference desk or for estimating budgets, which rely on raw counts or financial figures.