Fostering humanization in academic libraries

The role of libraries in contributing to the humanisation of higher education, through proximity services, is discussed; and a user satisfaction study carried out on the subject in the libraries of the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon (Portugal) is presented. A survey was applied to 100 users of a higher education library in Portugal, over 3 years (including the COVID-19 years). Having selected the parameters involved in the humanization of services, the results, measured on a Likert scale from 1 (dissatisfied) to 4 (very satisfied), reveal improvements in user satisfaction with the quality of the collections, the personalized reference services, and the training & support offered. Challenges identified include adapting information resources to users' needs, promoting community inclusion, ensuring equitable and quality care, and providing training in advanced research skills. Higher education libraries play a fundamental role in higher education humanization, providing proximity services that contribute to developing students' autonomy and confidence. The positive satisfaction indicators suggest that humanization in higher education can be successfully achieved with the contribution of these services.