Background and Objectives: Today, research and doing scientific investigations are considered the basis of the progress of societies, and spending money on research is actually an investment. Science begins with research. Organizations serve the human community with the power of science, and human beings, as the third and strongest side of this structure, have an undeniable impact on advancing the goals of the organization and society. The development of human knowledge over previous decades has been done through both education and research. The findings of the previous generation have been passed on to the present generation through education. At the same time, the new generation has produced knowledge for the next generation by conducting various types of research. The process of producing knowledge requires knowledge of research methods as well as the development of relevant skills. Creative, knowledgeable, and capable human resources strengthen the structure of the organization and contribute to the development of society and the improvement of services. Therefore, considering the importance of research, the present study was conducted to investigate the factors related to the tendency of librarians working in public libraries in Kermanshah province to research.
Methodology:In this research, a survey method was used. The statistical population of all librarians working in public libraries of Kermanshah province is under the supervision of the Public Libraries of the country, which was examined as a census of the whole society. Out of 170 librarians, 139 participated to research by completing the researcher-made questionnaire with the reliability of ٨/٩١ in the scale of Alpha-Cronbach. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23. The tests used in this study, were the Clemogrov Smirnov (KS) test, the independent T-test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient, which were used to examine the correlation between the variables. The regression coefficients and the regression line equation were also obtained for the research variables.
Findings: The findings illustrated that there is a significant correlation between motivation variables, management strategies, individual and professional abilities, career advancement, level of education, and salary increase with the tendency of librarians to do research. There was no significant correlation between age and years of service with the level of a research orientation of librarians in public libraries. There was no significant difference between men and women, as well as the field of study of librarians working in public libraries in Kermanshah province. Among the variables related to the tendency of librarians to research, the motivation variable was the most important (38%), the variable of individual and specialized abilities (25%) and the variable of management policies (23%), and the tendency of librarians to do research was the next variable. The two variables of career advancement and salary increase were removed from the regression equation.
Discussion: The tendency to do research at the beginning and to a large extent goes back to the individual (variable motivation) that is developed by acquiring individual and specialized skills and abilities. However, in order for research activities to continue, growth and strengthening require the planning and support of senior and decision-making managers and officials in libraries and information centers (management policies). In general, and considering the relationship between research variables, it can be concluded that educated librarians in the field of librarianship with a high level of education (master's degree and above) who have sufficient internal motivation and are familiar with research techniques and specific and valuable personal skills (variable of individual and professional abilities), if the organization's research policies are supportive and career advancement and salary increases are not considered at a low level, they would have a strong desire to do research. The results of this study suggest that the tendency to research returns to the individual at the beginning and to a large extent (variable motivation with the highest predictive power) but to grow and strengthen the need for planning and support of high-ranking officials and decision-makers. The recipient has in libraries and information centers (management lines). In this regard, it is recommended that librarians who are interested in research and conduct research activities be encouraged (not necessarily financially). Consider courses and courses to strengthen and develop research skills.