Public Libraries
Zohreh Riazi; Golnessa Galyani-Moghaddm; Reza Maleki
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Easy access to public libraries is one of the main keys to the successful delivery of public library services. Access to services should be planned in a way that maximizes both ease and convenience for users. One of the most important tasks for city planners is the correct ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: Easy access to public libraries is one of the main keys to the successful delivery of public library services. Access to services should be planned in a way that maximizes both ease and convenience for users. One of the most important tasks for city planners is the correct location of urban elements and services in communities. The present study investigates the establishment of public libraries in Saveh city based on location criteria and subcriteria and suggests optimal areas for the construction of a new public library with the help of a geographic information system Geographic information systems (GIS) are up-to-date and efficient tools for preparing maps and analyzing location data.
Methodology: The research in this study employs meta-analysis for the valuation and weighting of criteria and subcriteria regarding a library's location. Forty studies on location were selected, and the criteria and subcriteria regarding library location were addressed. Based on the results obtained, four main criteria with the highest repetition rate in the studies were selected for analysis: compatibility, ease of access (convenience), desirability and efficiency. Using the scores given to each criterion in the research, together with a hierarchical weighting model (AHP), each of the main criteria was scored employing Expert Choice software.
Findings: From the pairwise comparison of the four criteria, the ease of access criterion has the most importance and weight among the main criteria with a weight of 0.358, followed by the compatibility criterion (weight 0.270), the efficiency criterion (weight 0.247) and the desirability criterion (weight 0.125), respectively. Access to population centers is the most important among the subcriteria of ease of access with a weight of 0.546. In the ease of access component, the two main components of distance and time are important. Two elements--access and the ease of use of urban transportation services--are among the goals of urban planning. When all this is taken into consideration, one finds that locating a library in the central parts of the Saveh city is preferable to locating it in the northwest and southwest parts of the city. One of the main important subcriteria in locating public libraries is proximity to educational institutions (kindergartens, preschools, elementary schools, high schools, etc.). If the place under investigation for locating a library is close to schools, it will have a high level of compatibility; the further away it is, the lower the level of compatibility will be. Once again, centrality is important. A main component among the efficiency subcriteria is the ability to expand. The southwest and northwest parts of the city have the greatest expansion potential, and in this sense, they meet this subcriterion. The middle and central parts of Saveh city have the least potential for expansion. According to the desirability criterion, places and cultural environments should be located in such a way that the people using them get the most enjoyment and use from them. One of the most important components of this criterion is the distance from dangerous areas, which can be divided into the two categories of natural and human environmental hazards. Given this, creating a library in the middle parts of Saveh city has the highest compatibility in terms of desirability; further out, the degree of compatibility decreases.
Discussion: Based on the results obtained for the city of Saveh, Salman Savjoi and Allameh Asgari public libraries are in the incompatible range in terms of comfort, and the other two libraries of Hazrat Wali Asr (A.S.) and Shahid Hasheminejad are in the fully compatible and relatively compatible range, respectively. Then the location of the existing libraries was evaluated according to the location criteria; the compliance status of each library was obtained, and proposed areas for the construction of new libraries in each of the city were identified. At present, the libraries of Salman Savoji and Hazrat Valiasr (AS) of Saveh are located close to each other, while many parts of Saveh do not have libraries, especially Alavi town (Mehr housing), which does not have any libraries at all. After collecting the spatial data of Saveh city and creating a database in the geographic information system environment based on the determined criteria and subcriteria, separate maps were prepared and evaluated, and by summing up the layers and their weight, the compliance status of each the libraries was determined and the final map with suitable locations for the construction of new libraries was prepared.
Public Libraries
Golnessa Galyani-Moghaddm; Farideh Osareh; Rahmat Fattahi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Utilizing the experience of leading countries in the field of public libraries can create beneficial developments in the field of public libraries in Iran. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing European Union programs related to public libraries ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: Utilizing the experience of leading countries in the field of public libraries can create beneficial developments in the field of public libraries in Iran. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing European Union programs related to public libraries in Iran from the perspective of Iranian public library professionals. This research is part of the commitments related to the Jean Monnet International Joint Project conducted by Allameh Tabataba'i University. The project titled “European Union Plans and Experiences for Public Libraries: Applicability for Iran." The proposal of the project was submitted by Allameh Tabataba’i University to the European Union’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency in the form of a Jean Monnet Programmed grant proposal. In September 2019 it was judged and announced as the sole grant winner from Iran. This project was the first joint project with the European Union in the Knowledge and Information Science disciplines in Iran. The topics studied in this research, which are based on the review of specialized texts that were identified and compiled, include changes in public library structure, organization, policies and management, library collections and selection of resources, as well as clientele and needs assessment and training.Methodology: In this survey study, 378 librarians in public libraries across the country were selected through stratified random sampling and were asked to respond to a researcher-designed questionnaire after confirming the content validity and reliability. The dimensions of the questionnaire, which was identified and compiled based on a review of specialized texts, include five areas: 1. Structure, organization, policies and management, 2. Collection and selection of resources, 3. Clientel and needs assessment, 4. Services and dissemination of information, and 5. was training. First, the questionnaire was distributed among 25 librarians and professors of Knowledge and Information Science and who were familiar with the issues of public libraries in Iran and amendments were made to it.In order to identify the main factors or structures of the questionnaire, the components related to the use of EU programs were identified using exploratory factor analysis methods. The Varimax rotation method has also been used to ensure the independence of the agents. To confirm the adequacy of the sample, KMO index (Kaiser-Mir-Olkin test) and Bartlett test were used to identify the correlation between items. In order to evaluate the fitness of the measurement model, three criteria of Cronbach's alpha coefficients, combined reliability and explained mean variance were used. In this study, the Fornell-Locker index was used to evaluate the divergent validity.Findings: In this study, 60.7% of the respondents were women and 39.3% were men. Up to (.96 %) of the respondents had a postgraduate education and were at least 31 years old. The distribution of participants in terms of work experience was in the categories of 5-10 years and 25-16 years. Iranian librarians believed that to a large extent it was possible to implement programs similar to those of the EU public libraries. Findings showed that the greatest possibility of implementing new programs related to services and information dissemination, and training. Multiple analysis of variance test showed that there was no significant difference in the scores of different domains according to age, sex and education.Discussion: It can be concluded that changes to such matters as public library collection and selection of resources, as well as clientele and needs assessment and training, services and dissemination of information are applicable in Iran. In this study, services and information dissemination obtained the highest average scores related to public libraries, which shows the growing importance of information and the need to save cost and time for users.
Zahra Tarizadeh; Golnessa Galyani-Moghaddm; Ali Jalali Dizaji
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze “back-of-the-book” indexes published by Allameh Tabataba'i University Press from the beginning (1984) through 2017, based on the ISO 999 standard and the indexing evaluation checklist recommended by the American Society for ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze “back-of-the-book” indexes published by Allameh Tabataba'i University Press from the beginning (1984) through 2017, based on the ISO 999 standard and the indexing evaluation checklist recommended by the American Society for Indexing. For librarian, in evaluating a book, having an index is one of the important criteria and indicators often prepared by the author or indexer.
The index is important because it is a systematic guide to the contents of any type of writing (such as books, journals, newspapers, databases, etc.) in which the main entries are arranged in a specific order with reference to location in the original text. In fact, the index can be called as a link between the producer and the user of information, which helps the user to easily and quickly access the required knowledge. Indexes are not the goals themselves, but a tool to help users find the information they need to solve their problems. The index entries direct users to information in the original text that may be useful.
It should be noted, however, that publishers of books and their policies also play an important role in shaping the final indexes. On the other hand, it is usually expected at least academic publishers should pay attention to this. In this research, books published by Allameh Tabatabai University Press as an academic publisher have been selected.
Methodology: This is an applied research and quantitative-descriptive and correlation study. The data were collected using two checklists and by direct observation of the books and their own indexes. The population of the study was all books published by the Allameh Tabataba'i University Press in any subject through the end of 2017. In this study, content validity method has been used to assess the validity of the evaluation checklist. No sampling has been done and all books published by Allameh Tabatabai University Press have been studied
Findings: Allameh Tabatabai University Press has published its first book, entitled "Literature and Writing" in 1984. Also, there were one book title in English and one book title in Arabic. Out of 427 titles of the studied books, about 1.4% (6 titles of books) are of reference books and 421 titles, about 98.59% are non-reference books. Out of 80 indexed books, compiled books with 56.25% (45 titles) constitute the largest volume of the statistical population. Translated books also make up 43.75% (35 book titles) of books containing indexes.
Discussion: The findings of this study showed that out of 427 books assessed, 80 (19%) had back-of-the book indexes and 347 titles (81%) had no indexes. This means the most books published by Allameh Tabataba'i University Press lack indexes. According to the results, it can be concluded that the books published by Allameh Tabatabai University Press generally are not in a good condition in terms of the back-of-the book indexes, and this publisher did not pay much attention to the back-of-the book indexes for the published books. For the books having indexes, 65/70%of the indexes were compatible with the checklist of American Society for Indexing and 78/52% of the indexes were compatible with the ISO 999 standard. If we consider the 50% point as a medium, it can be said that the rate of compatibility of indexes with both standards stands above the average for the criteria used. But since compliance with ISO 999 is nearly 12/82 percent higher than that of the checklist by American Society for Indexing, it can be argued that compliance with ISO 999 is in a better position. The article provides original information about the “back-of-the-book” indexes published by Allameh Tabataba'i University Press from 1984 through 2017.
