Since ARL’s decision to sunset the LibQUAL service-quality assessment tool at the end of 2025, the Association has explored several options for the future of the LibQUAL product. To allow those who wish to continue using LibQUAL the ability to do so, ARL will release a standalone application capable of running LibQUAL surveys as an open-source product, freely available for any person or entity that wants to use it.
While ARL staff are working to assemble a clean application and sufficient documentation, this product will be provided as is, and ARL will not provide ongoing support or updates to the software. This will be a pared-down version of the LibQUAL platform in that it will not include a notebook of results (results will be available in a file that can be analyzed in other software applications). The rest of the survey will largely function as it has in the past, including the option to run the full version or LibQUAL Lite. If you prefer to use only the LibQUAL questions and not the application, the questions will be available for you to enter into the survey tool of your choice. To avoid concerns about data privacy, no historical data will be included in the application, only the ability to run surveys.
ARL anticipates the application will be available in early 2026. More information about the LibQUAL application and its open-source license will be provided as the end of 2025 approaches.
ARL encourages any LibQUAL users who wish to preserve their data to visit the LibQUAL website and download their historical data by December 31, 2025. If you are unsure how to do that, please email libqual@arl.org for assistance. Access to both the LibQUAL site and all historical data will be removed after December 31, 2025.
ARL is incredibly grateful to the library assessment community and the many users of the LibQUAL service over the years. That gratitude is what led ARL to decide to put the tool back in the hands of those who helped build it.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities, federal government agencies, and large public institutions in Canada and the US. ARL champions research libraries and archives, develops visionary leaders, and shapes policy for the equitable advancement of knowledge.
