Original Article
Scientometrics
Fatemeh Makkizadeh; Mohammad tavakolizadehravari; Farzaneh Saadat
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Periodical publications are one of the resources through which users reach the scientific publications and scientific productions from different groups of researchers. Among documents and publication resources, the periodical publications are considered the most important resources ...
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Background and Objectives: Periodical publications are one of the resources through which users reach the scientific publications and scientific productions from different groups of researchers. Among documents and publication resources, the periodical publications are considered the most important resources for scientific information due to their speed of publishing and the effective role they play in the transmission of information. The level of production and quality of publications are among the indicators of the scientific and cultural growth in any society (Fat'habadi, Kamari and Sharifi, 2015). Publications play a role in continuous education and improvement in research and distribution of scientific activities (Sieger, 2003). The European Union Commission has confirmed this and believes that scientific publications have a dual role in the validation and dissemination and this is important in archiving knowledge and to guarantee permanent access to it (European Commission, 2006). To value scientific publications equals their continuous assessment, taking care production of knowledge and science; and dissemination and sharing of that knowledge. Nowadays, scientometrics has been defined as a method to measure science, which defines the achievements of an intellectual realm and even predicts possible lines for further progress through examination and discovery of system and structure of science field by using quantitative means. One could assess the distribution of frequency as well as the evaluation of scientific entities such as publications through the application of the techniques and laws available in Scientometrics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between citation indices and classification of publications in the field of infertility through Bradford method.Methodology:This descriptive correlation study was done by Scientometrics survey. The sources of data collection were all ranking reports of infertility journals from Thomson Reuters (JCR) and Scopus (SCImago) in the period 2014-2012. Infertility journals in the PubMed database form the research community. In order to collect data in the first stage, the list of indexed journals in the field of infertility was extracted from the PubMed database. The indexing of journals in PubMed database was reviewed through the website of the National Library of Medicine of America. In this study, Bradford Law was applied to include a number of proper journals. As a result, 92 journals were selected according to Bradford Law: the first category (4 journals), the second category (16 journals), and the third category (72 journals). Then, the values of STR, H- index, from the SCImago and impact factor from the JCR database were extracted. The extracted values were taken as the basis for analyzing and studying the relationship between the indices. Excel and SPSS software were used to analyze the data while Pearson correlation test and linear regression were used due to the quantitative nature of research variables.Findings: The results of the fitting distribution of specialized journals in the field of infertility according to Bradford Law showed that the number of publications of each category has increased with a constant coefficient compared with its previous category. This constant coefficient indicates that the distribution of journals in these three categories is consistent with the distribution of Bradford. According to the research findings, the impact factor, SJR with H- index of infertility journals is positively correlated with Bradford's frequent distribution of these journals.Discussion: In general, according to the results of this study, the selection of publications with each of the evaluations of the SCImago and JCR and the law Bradford in the field of infertility is possible due to the correlation between them, although there was a very little difference between this correlation from the publications of the first category to all journals. Given the disadvantages of the impact factor, as well as the differing rankings of the journals and the number of indexed publications in the bases, along with other studies; these indicators can be a good benchmark for top journals. Along with the present study, Myers and Young (2017) showed that neither of the indicators of evaluation of the journals are superior to each other, but indicators such as the H index are more effective in evaluation of management and business journals. In general, the present study, along with other studies, confirmed the features of empirical rules (in the present study, Bradford) such as categorization and generalization (Tavakolizadeh and Soheili, 2015). According to the results, researchers and authors of infertility field can use the impact factor, SJR, Bradford law and H- Index to select appropriate journals in their specialized field. It is also proposed to do similar research on the relationship between indices in other journals and the comparative evaluation of other citation metrics of journals at different fields.
Original Article
parvin najafpour moghadam; Zohreh Cheraghi; Farhad Ahmadi asl
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The need for cognition and epistemological beliefs are two cognitive, epistemological and unique characteristics that exist on different levels in individuals and can affect their information behavior. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between ...
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Background and Objectives: The need for cognition and epistemological beliefs are two cognitive, epistemological and unique characteristics that exist on different levels in individuals and can affect their information behavior. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between epistemological beliefs along with the need for cognition in the students of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and their information behavior as well as investigating the relationship between the first two variables. Methodology:The present study is descriptive and applied in terms of survey method. The statistical population of this study are all the students studying at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in all academic levels. The total population was 13,400, which according to the Krejcie-Morgan table, 380 people were selected as a sample using stratified random sampling method. The data collection tools in this study were three questionnaires that were provided to the subjects. The first questionnaire consists of 18 questions test of need for recognithin. This questionnaire was designed in the form of a 5-point Likert scale by Cassiopo, Petty and Cao (1984). The epistemological beliefs scale with 28 items in the 5-point Likert scale was used to measure epistemic beliefs, and the Mokhtari & Davarpanah information behavior questionnaire (Mokhtari & Davarpanah, 2012) was used to evaluate users' information behavior. This questionnaire has 35 items that are designed in a 5-point Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha reliability test showed that all three questionnaires have good reliability. In the present study, SPSS software version 23 was used for descriptive and inferential statistics analysis and Amos software version 23 was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings: There are a few presuppositions for using path analysis method which are: 1) normal data; 2) Existence of appropriate correlation between variables; Therefore, using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and calculating the elongation and skewness of the data, the natural distribution of the data was investigated, which shows that the significance level in the variables of need for recognition, epistemological belief and information behavior is more than 0.05, which guarantees the normal distribution of data. In the next step, due to the normality of the data, Pearson correlation test was used to measure the relationship between the studied variables. The results of this test showed that there is a good correlation between the variables. Therefore, by confirming the normality of the data and the existence of an appropriate correlation between the variables, path analysis was used to analyze the variables. In reviewing the research hypotheses, the findings showed that the need for recognition has a positive and significant effect on information behavior (p <0.001; t = 2.169; β = 0.20) of students. In addition to these findings, it was confirmed that the epistemological beliefs also have a significant positive effect on students' information behavior (p <0.001; t = 2.094; β = 0.30). Based on the findings of this study, a two-way effect (correlation) between the variables of need for recognition and epistemological belief (p <0.001; r = 0.68) has been obtained, which indicates a positive and significant relationship. In the proposed model, the figures obtained from the model fit indices indicate the appropriate fit of the model. Discussion: Considering the research results and confirming the relationship between research variables, it can be argued that with the growth and development of epistemological beliefs and the need for recognition in students, we can hope that they would be effectively more engaged in cognitive processes to do academic work and homework and do not trust unreliable sources. Students who have high-level of epistemological beliefs, and who believe in complexity, uncertainty, and the need to acquire knowledge from reliable sources, show these mental beliefs in a tendency to engage with complex information and spend more time and energy on obtaining reliable and first-hand information. They become more successful in the information and decision-making processes, which in turn, will increase and consolidate their mental beliefs about knowledge and information, and this effective cycle will continue throughout their lives. The findings of this study can be effectively used in the process of planning curricula in universities (and even earlier in high school). In this regard, it is suggested to design topics for teaching cognitive skills and problem solving for different disciplines. On the other hand, professors and educators can help increase the level of need for recognition and epistemological beliefs by holding workshops on critical thinking and problem-solving methods.
Original Article
Public Libraries
Mohammad-Taghi Nazarpour; Saied Norouzian-Maleki; Ghanbar Ahmadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Libraries are vital academic facilities. Academic libraries store and provide access to physical books and other sources of information. Though satisfaction and well-being of users is increasingly being considered in relation to academic library, there is little information ...
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Background and Objectives: Libraries are vital academic facilities. Academic libraries store and provide access to physical books and other sources of information. Though satisfaction and well-being of users is increasingly being considered in relation to academic library, there is little information regarding the productivity and well-being of students within the context of the library building. The libraries’ resources and indoor environment are intended to promote learning. The central library is known for being a source of information, offering services to disseminate that information and provide reference materials to the users. With the advent of the digital age, storing and retrieving reference materials has extended from the physical to the digital realm, reducing the need for visiting the facility in person to retrieve information. However, despite remote access to library services and collections, the physical space occupied by users remains important. The present research was conducted to compare the effective criteria to improve the usersʼ satisfaction of central libraries of comprehensive universities affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in the cities of Tehran and Ahvaz. It also aims to answer the research question, “what indoor environmental factors affect users’ abilities to study in libraries?” These questions demand further examination of the relationship between academic libraries and their users. In summation, the research focuses primarily on design principles in libraries and their interior environments, and how the design of indoor spaces could be improved to enhance users’ satisfaction.
Methodology:The methodology employed in the present research covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches. As a methodology, it involves philosophical assumptions that guide the direction of the collection and analysis of data. The use of quantitative and qualitative approaches in combination provides a better understanding of research problem. According to the research purpose, it is an applied research. Additionally, this study is evidence-based, and so relies on information gathered from previously conducted research, case studies, and observations. Some gathered sources report findings on those indoor environmental factors and architectural characteristics of the library that have significant effects on users’ preferences. From the gathered sources, priorities are given to architectural characteristics on a case-by-case basis. In this stage, once all the sources are identified, or as the number of sources continues to increase, classifications, as well as subsequent divisions, are established. These classifications are based on the indoor environmental factors that affect users.
The research population has consisted of all users of central libraries of University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University and Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in 2019-2020. Using cluster sampling method, about 370 questionnaires were distributed among the users and 255 completely filled questionnaires were collected and analyzed using SPSS v.22.0 for windows. The required data was collected using the users’ satisfaction on academic library questionnaire. The test results indicated that the reliability and validity of the questionnaire surveys were satisfactory. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate significant differences in the influential factors among the three-study group.
Findings: The result of data analysis showed that students tend to visit academic libraries at a greater frequency if the spaces meet their preferences and needs. The physical components have the highest proportional number of sources that offer how a space can be improved. The majority of the participants indicate that lighting is another important factor in the indoor environment and serves as a visually appealing design and function. Additionally, the flexible furniture can be designed to be easily movable, so that groups of students can create their own designated spot for socializing, studying, and collaborating from the greater space. Also, the brightness and shades of colours are more significant than the choice of colours. It is believed that a colourful environment is more effective in conducing productivity than a colourless one. Mute and cool colour re best because of the control over both colours and brightness. Furthermore, mean and standard deviation of overall score of users’ satisfactions in University of Tehran, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, and Shahid Beheshti University’s Central Libraries were 3.93±1.03, 3.85±0.88, and 3.15±1.18, respectively. Also, the results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference among the overall scores of satisfactions in the three groups of library users (p<0.001).
Discussion: The current study suggests a means by which the different factors of a library’s physical space could be compared and ranked. Based on the research findings, user-centric design of the academic library’s interior environment can be considered as a means to enhance the environment within which learning takes place. In addition, library design would provide educational spaces, media spaces, group and individual study settings in order to increase access to educational activities, social events, group meetings, and book clubs to enhance the library’s attractiveness and satisfaction. New library building projects, as well as extensions to existing libraries, can use this research to evaluate design principles to determine the benefits with regard to occupancy and use.
Original Article
Amin Zare; ُSorraya Zangeneh; Sara Bahraminia; Mahmoud Moradi
Abstract
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, ...
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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.
Original Article
Scientometrics
Abolfazl Asadnia; Mozaffar CheshmehSohrabi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Library and Information Science, as one of the systems of knowledge that claims to classify the sciences, and the topics of classification and classification are among the most basic concepts taught in this field, itself suffers from a kind of intellectual fragmentation and ...
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Background and Objectives: Library and Information Science, as one of the systems of knowledge that claims to classify the sciences, and the topics of classification and classification are among the most basic concepts taught in this field, itself suffers from a kind of intellectual fragmentation and is faced with the question of what rank and position it is among other systems of knowledge? Is it known as a scientific discipline? Is it a technical field? In order to achieve a proper understanding of the status of Library and Information Science (LIS) in the tree of science, the present study investigate LIS among the knowledge systems and how to put it in the tree of knowledge. A review of existing research showed that the position of the field of LIS among the knowledge systems is in an aura of ambiguity and it is necessary to be re-examined and explored.Methodology: The present study is descriptive in nature because it describes the current situation and has used two methods of library and survey. In the library section, to answer the question of whether LIS is a science or not, the concepts of science, philosophy of information science, classification, and factors of separation of sciences are discussed. In the survey section, to determine how to appoint LIS in knowledge systems, the position of the field in universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Iran in the schools that offer it and then its subject tree at five public databases (Emerald, Scopus, Wiley, ScienceDirect, and Springer) were surveyed.Findings: The results of the literature review showed that Library and Information Science can be considered as a scientific discipline. Findings related to the position of the field of Library and Information Science in the colleges offering this field showed that there is no consistent policy in any of the studied countries. In the United States, the field is offered in a wide range of colleges, in the United Kingdom mostly in the arts and humanities colleges, in South Africa more in the humanities faculties, and in Iran more in the faculties of educational sciences. In only one case in Iran LIS have a separate faculty at the University of Tehran, this type of approach can be seen in the Emerald Database Tree, which places LIS in the main categories of its Thematic Tree. Interestingly, in none of the countries surveyed is LIS in the faculties of the sub-departments of life sciences and health sciences. This is another proof of the claim that this LIS has a human nature and should be included in the tree of knowledge under the humanities and social sciences. However, it cannot be denied that in some countries there was a limited number of this field in engineering schools, which in itself requires further study. The results of the study of universities are based on the fact that Library and Information Science are in the group of social sciences and humanities and a subset of educational sciences. The results of the study of scientific databases also showed that only in Emerald, LIS is considered as one of the main branches in the classification of sciences. This field is located in Wiley under the category of educational sciences and in ScienceDirect database under the sub-branch of social sciences. Also, in Scopus and Springer databases, LIS is not placed in the subject tree. In general, the results indicate the appointment of LIS to the category of humanities and social sciences, and the faculty of Educational Sciences.Discussion: Only by knowing and having a suitable position among the sciences, a discipline can excel and reach the desired position. In general, the location of LIS in the studied countries in different faculties in the fields of basic sciences, engineering, art and humanities, and social sciences indicates that it is interdisciplinary. Except for the Emerald database, which places the field of Library and information science in the main categories of its subject tree. The approach of the databases that do not place Library and information science in the main categories has been to place this field in the group of humanities and social sciences and the subgroup of educational sciences or social sciences.
Original Article
Mohsen Haji Zeinolabedini; ali jalali dizaji; farzane davashi; mehdi rahmani
Abstract
AbstractBackground and Objectives: Taxonomy is a hierarchical list of subject categories similar to classification schemes and thesauruses used to organize the World Wide Web. Using taxonomy, fast and systematic access to web resources is provided. The purpose of this study is to identify taxonomic features ...
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AbstractBackground and Objectives: Taxonomy is a hierarchical list of subject categories similar to classification schemes and thesauruses used to organize the World Wide Web. Using taxonomy, fast and systematic access to web resources is provided. The purpose of this study is to identify taxonomic features and provide a proposed model for use in Iran.Methodology: The present study was applied in terms of purpose and in terms of data collection method was survey research using Delphi technique. After studying and reviewing the texts, taxonomic features were extracted and a questionnaire was designed based on them. The statistical population of the study included librarians and information specialists who were selected through purposive sampling. The research was conducted in two stages; First, taxonomic features were extracted from some databases and information sources, and in the second stage, using Delphi method; the opinion of librarianship and information experts about taxonomy was assessed. Formal validity method was used to determine the validity. According to the Delphi technique, the opinions of expert groups were obtained in two stages and in each stage, the same response was applied by them, which will be a reason for the reliability of the research tool.Findings: Expansion criterion was the first criterion that was examined. This criterion includes six sub-criteria, which are: taxonomy construction approach, type of combination of terms and categories, number of taxonomic levels, suitable format to support inputs and outputs, various forms of taxonomy and integration of taxonomy with other tools. The pre-homogeneity and post-homogeneity characteristics also obtained the highest percentage and rank (71.41%) for the type of combination of terms and categories, which can be concluded that in taxonomy, as thematic guidelines for creating categories Terms use the pre-coordinated method, but sometimes it is possible to use the post-coordinated method to combine categories and search for them simultaneously and side by side, like search engines, using Boolean operators. Another important feature of taxonomy is the ability to input and output in various formats, which XML format with the highest percentage and rank (71.44%) is recommended due to its simplicity and ease of use. Multilingual support in taxonomy helps manage documents in different languages and organizes them using taxonomy. Due to the fact that in Iran most of the resources are in English, Persian and Arabic, the use of these three languages to support the sources is recommended and English has obtained the highest percentage and rank (38.46%). The use of prefabricated taxonomy is another sub-criterion of taxonomy development that has been proposed in this research. Based on the results obtained from the research, the form of multiple hierarchies is known as the best form for creating taxonomy due to creating more connection between different concepts in taxonomic content with the highest percentage and rank (35.71%) and of course it can be used to create conceptual categories. Findings show that the integration of taxonomy with search tools such as search engines and the like with the highest percentage and rank (23.07%) was the most important for the participants in the Delphi panel. Regulatory criteria and its sub-criteria are among the other important features that can be considered for taxonomy. The taxonomy retention criteria include adaptability to changes, the ability to manage new changes and retain previous change history, reclassify categories automatically after changes, and the ability to add new details and notes to taxonomy. The research findings indicate that the expansion and restructuring of taxonomic content after the changes had the highest percentage and rank (100%). In any taxonomy, appropriate and practical software and hardware must be used. Finally, according to the study of different patterns of taxonomy and the characteristics obtained from the results of this study, a model was proposed that includes the following five main steps: planning, identification and determination of concepts within taxonomy, taxonomic planning, Taxonomy review, and taxonomy management and maintenance.Discussion: According to the results of the present study and research backgrounds, it can be concluded that the features used for taxonomy each have the capabilities, capabilities and strengths and weaknesses related to Are themselves and cannot be simply attributed to taxonomy. As the results of the research show, most of the features suggested for taxonomy in each option were multiple or a combination of several features or attributes. In addition, considering that in this study taxonomy was considered both in general and in particular, it can be concluded that some of the features that we enumerated for taxonomy can only be used in a specific taxonomy, such as a specific subject. , Or be used in the field of work of an organization or the products of a store and not be used in taxonomy for another purpose.
Original Article
Saiede khalilian; Mitra Pashootanizadeh
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The library is a repository of knowledge and a dynamic social institution, an indispensable resource center for reliable information and meant to preserve the recorded knowledge of man for use.one of the public library missions is helping young adults in accomplishing ...
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: The library is a repository of knowledge and a dynamic social institution, an indispensable resource center for reliable information and meant to preserve the recorded knowledge of man for use.one of the public library missions is helping young adults in accomplishing an effective transition from childhood to adulthood through offering access to information resources, as well as making an environment that satisfies the specific needs of young adults for intellectual, emotional, and social development .Use of public library services has become an imperative concern in recent times. There is no doubt that library services and various media influence the degree in which the services are used and it has been found to be an important factor that affects the use or non-use of library services. Therefore, the objective of this project was to identify the effect of library services and various media to attract teenagers into the public libraries in Isfahan cities.
Methodology: The current research was an applied study in terms of the purpose and in terms of collecting information "descriptive- survey”; it was conducted through a survey. Before finalizing the questionnaire, its content validity was established by review of faculty members of library and information science at the University of Isfahan. Further, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed via “Cronbach's Alpha” in the pilot test with 0.920 in variable library services and 0.727 in variable various media. The research population consisted of library members of the Iran public libraries foundation in the city of Isfahan, who were aged between 12 to 16 years old. A total of 920 individuals who met the inclusion criteria were members of the public libraries in Isfahan. Sample participants were chosen by stratified random sampling. Also, according to Cochran’s sampling size formula, the sample size was calculated, 270 persons. The return rate of the questionnaires was 85.93% and a total of 232 questionnaires were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.
Findings: Findings indicate that based on advice teens in regard to the various library services on attracting teenagers into the public library the "answering the research questions students" and “Make fun the library space “To arrange in rank, the first and second placed and then "Storytelling and Drama" was in the last place. Based on advice teens in regard to the various media on attracting teenagers into the public library the "television" was most effective media to attract teenagers to the library and the "newspaper" was in the last place, and there is a direct relationship between use of public libraries during a month and viewing TV during a day. Also, public library usage among teenagers is unrelated gender, age, GPA and mother's job, however public library use is related to parents’ education, father's job, area location life and type of school.
Discussion: It found that the young adults well understand the necessity of public libraries, therefore, the public libraries can play an important role in the young adults’ life and it is necessary that they improve their services and it is necessary for the public libraries’ managers and authorities to use strategies for information, diversification, and innovations in these services. Since the " answering the research questions students" were the most important reasons for using public libraries by the young people, these factors must be improved in the libraries to both increases the service level of libraries and encourage the young people to attend the libraries. Considering the existence of abundant educational resources and their high cost, and the families’ problem for buying these resources, public libraries are considered as a suitable place for providing the resources. Furthermore, more cooperation between libraries and schools is essentials. Librarians can select the appropriate books and resources with the help of teachers. Also, creating a suitable environment for studying in the library and other facilities such as computers and Internet would cause that more young people come and use public libraries. Moreover, the result indicated that the area location life (socioeconomic and cultural status) has some effect on the use of libraries by young people, Therefore, it is necessary for the public libraries to regard special facilities for the socioeconomically and culturally disadvantaged students so that through which the library can attract these young people to the library, for example, to provide facilities for borrowing more books, Free membership and etc. Regarding the impact of cultural status of families on using the public libraries, schools and other social institutions must institutionalize the culture of studying and reading books altogether to families. In addition, it is essential for mass media to have purposeful and continuous activities to improve the families’ knowledge level and the culture of study and to provide the programs for achieving these purposes. Since the “TV" was the most important media for attract young adult to public libraries, therefore the use of TV to advertise the services of the public library should also increase and encourage the young people to attend the libraries.
Original Article
somaieh rajabzadeh; mahmood ekrami; Faramarz soheili; Hamid ahmadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The researchers and their researches need to be evaluated to recognize each one's strengths and weaknesses. Then, it is possible to invest and make scientific policies on long term and short-term goals in this field. So far, several indices have been presented for evaluating ...
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Background and Objectives: The researchers and their researches need to be evaluated to recognize each one's strengths and weaknesses. Then, it is possible to invest and make scientific policies on long term and short-term goals in this field. So far, several indices have been presented for evaluating researchers, each of which merely emphasizes a particular aspect of evaluation, and each has its own deficiencies. Recently, a model has been proposed by Cuellar et al. (2016) titled "Scholarly capital model", which examines the various aspects of the scholarly activities of a researcher. They define the model of scholarly influence as "the ability of a researcher to include his thoughts in the works of other researchers" or "the extent to which a researcher influences his own research field". The purpose of this research was to evaluate the researches in the field of distance education indexed on the WOS database using the scholarly capital model.
Methodology: The present study is an applied study that has been conducted by social network analysis. The research population consists all the documents published in the field of distance education. The results of search strategy retrieved 31607 records. The co-authorship symmetric matrices was extracted. Subsequently, using the UCINET software, the centrality indices were calculated. After analyzing all the indices using Amos and Lisrel software, we examined and tested the research hypotheses and fitted the model.
Findings: The results indicate the direct and significant effect of the social influence on the ideational influence, and the hypothesis is confirmed according to the path coefficient of 0.95 and the t-statistic of 45.9 at the significance level of 0.05. In the research model, K2 has degrees of freedom (df) of 3.97, which is less than 5. Also, the root mean square error of the approximation is 0.032 and less than 0.08. Given that the incremental growth index, normed fit index, non-normed fit index and comparative fit index are higher than 0.90, then the model shows acceptable fit and is therefore confirmed. The results also show the direct and inevitable significant effect of the social influence on the venue influence, and the hypothesis is confirmed with a path coefficient of 0.70 and a T-value of 27.12 at the 0.05 level. In the research model, the K2 value has df of 92.4 and less than 5. Also, the root mean square error of the approximation was 0.016 and less than 0.08. Given that the incremental fitness index, normed fit index, non-normed fit index, and comparative fit index are all higher than 0.90, then the model is acceptable and validated. The results of the third hypothesis of the research and the structural relationships between the variables of the research model - using structural equation modeling - indicate the direct and inevitable significant effect of the venue influence on the ideational influence, with a path coefficient of 0.84 and a T-value of 5.93 at the 0.05 level (because (t) is outside the range of 1.96 to -1.96). In the research model, the K2 value is 0.063 and less than 5. Also, the root mean square error of the approximation is 0.033, which is less than 0.08. Given that the incremental growth index, normed fit index, non-normed fit index, and comparative fit index are more than 0.90, then the model shows an acceptable fit.
Discussion: The results of data analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between the variables of this research. This relationship can be due to the fact that researchers with stronger social interactions can contribute better than other researchers to the field and may increase the quality of the works. Also, they are in a better position in terms of co-authorship and its indices. Furthermore, social influence has a positive and significant effect on the ideational influence. The existence of such a relationship can be explained by the fact that researchers who have stronger social interactions can work better with other researchers and may consequently increase the quality of the works; hence, they are in a better position in terms of co-authorship and its indices. The results also show that there is a significant relationship between social influence and venue influence. In other words, higher researchers with higher social influences have better venue influences. The confirmation of the relationship between the social influence and the venue influence is also largely justifiable, since a significant portion of the validity of each journal comes from scholars who send their research papers to those journals, and if the quality of these studies is rich and appropriate, they absorb citations and thus increase the credibility of the journal
Original Article
Mehdi Ahmadian; Nader Razeghi; Hasanali Aghajani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Iran has always attempted to promote its scientific position in the region and the world, and this has frequently been considered in Iran's outlook and comprehensive scientific plan. Therefore, the country should focus on this end, and according to the current capabilities, ...
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Background and Objectives: Iran has always attempted to promote its scientific position in the region and the world, and this has frequently been considered in Iran's outlook and comprehensive scientific plan. Therefore, the country should focus on this end, and according to the current capabilities, has initiated significant efforts and has achieved some success in this regard. Iran's scientific progress has been remarkable in recent years. In 1996, Iran had only 829 articles in the Scopus database, but in 2014, this number reached as high as 40000. Accordingly, Iran's impact on world science has expanded. Reviewing Iranian scientists’ works indexed in scientific citation databases from 1996 to 2014 indicates a significant rise in Iranians’ scientific production. According to Merat et al. (2009), during recent years, in line with the rapid growth of universities and research centers, the number of scientific articles has grown remarkably. Observing these research articles is very significant for the country's scientific progress (Merat et al., 2009). Each country's scientific production indexed in valid international databases reflects a significant part of that country's scientific activities at the international level. Thus, to assess scientific activities, research administrators of the country have always considered having a clear image of this status. Consequently, using ISI, Scopus, and SCImago databases’ data, the present study aims to review the rate of Iran’s scientific production from 1996 to 2015, and the projection of this trend up to 2030. The present article attempts to answer the following questions:- What is Iran’s regional and world rank and position in terms of scientific article production over the past two decades (1996-2015)? - Given the trend of scientific article production during these years, and also the trend of the past, how will the rate of scientific articles’ production and growth in the upcoming years (up to 2030)?Methodology: In the present article, Excel and Eviews software are used to analyze the data and to make predictions. In this study, using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), Iran's scientific production up to 2030 is projected. The research data were gathered from ISI and Scopus databases, as well as the SCImago website, which uses Scopus data to evaluate journals and countries’ scientific ranks. Choosing the section related to these databases’ addresses, the main collection of documents related to Iran's scientific production in various scientific fields, as well as all scientific production from 1996 to 2015 were extracted.Box and Jenkins have made new tools of estimation, which are technically known as the ARIMA methodology. In these models, only dependent and residual variable interruptions are used. Therefore, ARIMA models are sometimes called non-theoretical models because they are not obtained from economic theories. ARIMA model is a summarized form of vector patterns, and if sufficient data is provided, it can estimate time series as accurately as vector patterns. Unlike econometric models that use economic theories and statistical data, time-series models only use statistical data. The time-series models that only relate the current values of a variable to its past values and the current and past error values are called single-variable time-series. These models include autoregressive processes (AR), moving average process (MA), autoregressive moving average (ARMA), and autoregressive integrated moving average process (ARIMA). The mathematical structure of the ARIMA (p,d,q) model is as follows: Where θ are the parameters of the moving average, p is the order of the autoregressive model, q is the order of the moving-average model, d is the degree of differencing, L is the lag operator, {Yt} are the observed values, and α is time-series mean. The string error Ut is assumed to be a random variable with a normal distribution, zero mean, and α2 variance. Generally, modeling stages in time series based on Box-Jenkins repeated trend, include four stages of experimental identification of the model structure, estimation of the unknown parameters of the model, recognition of the model's fitting, and prediction with the selected model.Findings: Based on the statistics of the valid citation databases, the research findings show that despite fluctuations in Iran's scientific production from 1996 to 2015, overall, the country's position over these years has been favorable and above the global average. Discussion: Analyzing the data, it is projected that Iran's scientific production will be about 44713 articles at the end of 2030. This means that Iran's scientific production will grow 13% by 2030 compared to 2015, and this is an insignificant growth compared to an increase of approximately 48 times between 1996 and 2015. To improve this trend and to increase the country's scientific production, it is essential to adopt a coherent plan and a long-term policy to maintain the country's scientific acceleration and achieve a favorable position in the world.
Original Article
Masoumeh Moslemi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Countless users with lots of problems daily refer to libraries with hope of guidance and counseling. Librarians are responsible not only for delivering the books but determining the appropriate books which could fulfill users’ needs. Librarians who are equipped ...
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Background and Objectives: Countless users with lots of problems daily refer to libraries with hope of guidance and counseling. Librarians are responsible not only for delivering the books but determining the appropriate books which could fulfill users’ needs. Librarians who are equipped with sufficient Health Information Literacy could help users better. As a result, providing users’ satisfaction leads them become permanent users and encourage other potential members to attend library. Health Information Literacy can study through various lasers. The current research studies Librarians Health Information Literacy in terms of empathy, communication, health and family skills. At the current time, people's tendency to use internet to reach more information in short time has highly boosted. Although to arrive at healthy information with high speed internet is too satisfactory, but great attention should be given to the authenticity of sites, source and people who provide this information. Two major services of libraries are to provide internet services and electronic resources. It should be highlighted that librarians are the best counselor and guide of users with high Health Information Literacy who could provide users with useful sites. It should be notified that previous researches on Health Information Literacy are focused on hygiene information but present study’s concentration is behavioral and skills of life. This study aims to survey the status of public librarians' Health Information Literacy in relation to clients.
Methodology: Regarding variables normality, one-sample T-Test is applied to determine the answers. The obtained results indicate desirability of Librarians' Health Information Literacy status in empathy, communication, health and family skills. The obtained average in all skills was higher than average criterion 3. Health Information Literacy of librarians in following cases; “knowing honor to service the clients” to other empathy indicators, “respectful appropriate behavior with all clients” to other indicators of communication skills, “trying to prevent perilous behaviors” to other indicators of health skills and finally “acceptance responsibility in their acts” to other indicators of family was higher.
Findings: Regarding variables normality, one-sample T-Test is applied to determine the answers. The obtained results indicate desirability of Librarians' Health Information Literacy status in empathy, communication, health and family skills. The obtained average in all skills was higher than average criterion 3. Health Information Literacy of librarians in following cases; “knowing honor to service the clients” to other empathy indicators, “respectful appropriate behavior with all clients” to other indicators of communication skills, “trying to prevent perilous behaviors” to other indicators of health skills and finally “acceptance responsibility in their acts” to other indicators of family was higher.
Discussion: The present study is quite useful and beneficial because it highlights the role of librarians in providing health information services to clients. Using Health Information Literacy measurement, authorities of the public libraries can promote the literacy of health information of librarians. High communication skills of librarians result in attracting people to reading books in multifarious ways. Librarians should able to communicate with schools and universities properly, hold study circles to create variety in libraries’ environment and have good communication skills. The results indicate that health information literacy of librarians is higher than average in terms of communication skills. Both Health Information Literacy and hygienic skills are significant and interrelated. The prior’s significance lies in empathy and communication skills and the latter’s in providing better services. Since different people from different social classes refer to libraries, it is necessary for librarians to have plentiful health and hygiene information to provide and maintain the health of libraries. Certainly the cleanliness and beauty of the library have deserving effect on the users' exhilaration. The results of the study demonstrate that librarians' Health Information Literacy is in desirable level in health and family skills.
It should be notified that with the introduction of new tools and software technology to the libraries, the librarian’s literacy level has extensively boosted. Having tried to learn new information technologies, librarians can introduce health-related databases to users by holding various training courses in libraries. In spite of librarians’ higher Health Information Literacy, the entrance of technologically advanced utensils and electronic resources to libraries create anxiety filled environments. Therefore, librarians need to promote their skills in different fields especially in health information to avoid physical and mental damages. Librarians could make libraries a certain, safe and trusted place through secrecy maintenance, affability and reliability and providing necessary facilities for easy accessibility to health information required for users. Authorities could also have determinant role in the augment of librarians' Health Information Literacy. They could carry out this task by; purchasing and sending various sources of health, psychology and hygiene for libraries; purchasing health related databases to librarians and users; holding different conferences about Health Information Literacy for librarians; holding educational courses for all librarians in city; making them familiar with tools and new technological soft wares; holding study circles among librarians in city; creating communicative relationship among librarians and professionals like physicians and psychiatrists and finally establishing a provincial counseling center to lead librarians settle their own and members problems
Original Article
Oranus Tajedini; Marzieh Baniasadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The general structure of human knowledge has a similar biological progress to living creatures. Through history, scientific ideas have lost their simplicity and appropriateness and become more complex. Adopting biological progress, scientific ideas go through some sort of such ...
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Background and Objectives: The general structure of human knowledge has a similar biological progress to living creatures. Through history, scientific ideas have lost their simplicity and appropriateness and become more complex. Adopting biological progress, scientific ideas go through some sort of such biological progress (birth to death) during their progress. Thus, such biological behavior could be seen in the scientific community; that is a scientific idea with a new perspective is put forward and the scientific community responds to that idea in different patterns so that the new idea is either accepted and goes through a development process or ignored after a little while so that it may appear again in another time. Scientific publishing are perceived to be fully reflecting the level of technical and specialized knowledge and information and are assumed to have a fundamental role in the complex system of scientific and technical exchanges and sharing the generated knowledge among different nations. For this mission, publishing scientific works, especially in form articles and journals, is one of the most important factors that responsible assessment agencies use for analysis of the level of generated knowledge. Through the development process of scientific systems, therefore, the world has reached a condition that the knowledge of any country has become the language and means for bolding out itself in the world in terms of science, such that it would become isolated and have nothing to say without such means, according to in Salehi and Rahimi, 2010 as cited in Abdekhoda, Mohammadi, Bigdeli, 2006). Considering the above mentioned and that all sciences, including information and knowledge studies, are constantly changing, the main concern of this study is whether we can analyze and assess the path that scientific ideas go through within their biological process in time using biological rules based on comprehensiveness, evolution, variety, and actions and reactions (Abraham, 2007 as cited in Zarei 2014) which are described as follows: Comprehensiveness means extensiveness and inclusion in which all subject areas in information and knowledge studies are categorized based on the subject categorization outline in this science (2014). Evolution means the gradual alteration of subject areas in proportion to time and evolutionary speciation (Groom, Meffe, Carroll, 2006). Dictionary of Bibliometric defines variety as a synonym for dispersion which describes the normal findings in a subject matter. Action and reaction mean identification and determination of subject areas and their interaction with the environment; that is the effect of the environment on subject areas and vice versa which is known as the information ecology or the known biological patterns and tenets (Vigneswaran et al., 2007).
As Busha and Harter (1980: 8) have argued, the main proportion of researches related to library and information science are applied in nature and the evidence for such conclusion can be found by analyzing reports of such researches (as cited in Zarei 2014). This paper is no exception to this, i.e. it is applied and conducted by taking a quantitative approach and a bibliometric-content analysis method. Analysis of the content grounded on this presumption, the lexicon used in the interviews, observations, and documents may be categorized into areas which share a common vocabulary, meanings, and concepts (Krippendorff, 1980).
Researchers in the field of Information and Knowledge Studies (former Library and Information Science) since the beginning until 2017 who have been profiled in the Web of Science constitute the population of this study. There were totally 374 articles. The researcher started to collect subject vocabulary from titles, abstracts, and keywords in March 2017. It is worth mentioning that no sampling was performed since all the above-mentioned articles were analyzed.
Subject Categorization Model of Zarei (2014) was used as the instrument for analysis of the data collected from Web of Science profiled until 2015. Instrument reliability was established by five specialists in the field of Knowledge and Information Science and the Cronbach's alpha was calculated as 0.889. Articles used for the research were used as the units of analysis and Wordstat v. 7.0, Excel 2013 and SPSS v. 20 were used to analyze the data and respond to research questions.
Methodology: According to the collected the data, the highest subject comprehensiveness in the studied population was as follows based on the frequency: 1) user studies with 59 frequencies (15.78%); 2) library and information and communication technology with 54 frequencies (14.44%); 3) libraries and data centers with 47 frequencies (12.57%). In the subject category of user studies outside Iran with Rana (2011), Sugimoto et al. (2011) and Cavalk (2013), where there is similar emphasis on study of the needs of users and user studies, comparison of the data of this paper with data outside Iran revealed that user studies have become the subject of interest for researchers in recent years. User studies include sub-subject categories, such as satisfaction measurement, information requirements, reference interview, information seeking behavior, study habits, web using abilities, user interface and information literacy of users. High comprehensiveness of user studies is explained by the high proportion of focus on the user comment-based researchers and the high importance given to it by the Library and Information Science community in Iran. Library and Information and Communication is the second sub-category that has the highest frequency and concordance with findings of Niazi (2001), Afghahi (2007), Horri (2002), Salk (2009), Vaziripour Keshmiri, Sedehi, and Saberi (2012), Erfanmanesh, Didgah, and Omidvar (2010), and Rana (2011), which indicates the crucial and supplementary role of information and communication technology in Knowledge and Information Science because it has gone through a revolution since information and communication technology has entered thereto..
Findings: According to the findings of this paper, the lowest subject comprehensiveness was user services with 3 frequencies (0.8%) and ranked 14th which is contrary to the findings of Yontar and Yalvac (2000), therefore, it is concluded that user services studies have decreased over time. It is recommended that researchers pay more attention to this area since it is conceived as one of the most important issues in the library profession.
The intended data were extracted according to the data in Table 2 in order to measure the subject evolution of the articles under study. Findings indicated that Basics of knowledge and Information Science subject category in 2000-2008 with 8 average score, User Studies in 2008-2015 with 6.75 and Knowledge Management in 2008-2015 with 55.44 average scores had the highest evolution. No evolution was seen in Information Ethics, Technical Services or Organization of Knowledge and Storage and Restoration of Information subject categories. Fall of evolution was observed in Education of Knowledge and Information Science and Publishing and Distribution Industry subject categories.
Basics of Knowledge and Information Science subject category is in line with Abdulaye (2002) and Sugimoto et al. (2011) indicating the importance of this category as the basis of Knowledge and Information Science and thus the researched conducted in this area. User Studies subject category was in line with Cavalk (2013) which emphasizes the equal focus on studying user needs and user studies. Contrary to Babalhavaeji et al. (2014) no subject variety was seen in Education of Knowledge and Information Science subject category which indicates a weak point and, in fact, the lack of attention to training professionals and theoretical and practical teachings by researchers which may lead to future challenges in Iran in this regard.
Discussion: Interactions of research community until 2015 was categorized into two groups based on the obtained data, as shown in table 2. 533 subject categories had interaction with another subject category. 487 subject categories had interaction with information and communication and 46 had interaction with other subject categories. Interactions of subjects of Iranian research articles profiled in Website of Science with information and communication technology was investigated separately because this subject area has had an influential role in the course of reforms and development of Knowledge and Information Science. It should be notified that with the introduction of new tools and software technology to the libraries, the librarian’s literacy level has extensively boosted. Having tried to learn new information technologies, librarians can introduce health-related databases to users by holding various training courses in libraries. In spite of librarians’ higher Health Information Literacy, the entrance of technologically advanced utensils and electronic resources to libraries create anxiety filled environments. Therefore, librarians need to promote their skills in different fields especially in health information to avoid physical and mental damages. Librarians could make libraries a certain, safe and trusted place through secrecy maintenance, affability and reliability and providing necessary facilities for easy accessibility to health information required for users. Authorities could also have determinant role in the augment of librarians' Health Information Literacy. They could carry out this task by; purchasing and sending various sources of health, psychology and hygiene for libraries; purchasing health related databases to librarians and users; holding different conferences about Health Information Literacy for librarians; holding educational courses for all librarians in city; making them familiar with tools and new technological soft wares; holding study circles among librarians in city; creating communicative relationship among librarians and professionals like physicians and psychiatrists and finally establishing a provincial counseling center to lead librarians settle their own and members problems.
Original Article
Firoozeh Zare-Farashbandi; Elham Koohkan; Gholamreza Rajabi; Saeed Yousofian
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Cancer in children includes cases of cancer diagnosed in patients under 15 years old. In Iran, Cancer is the second cause of death for children under 14 and is the cause of 4% of deaths in children under 5 and 13% of deaths in children between 5 and 10 years old. In Isfahan ...
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Background and Objectives: Cancer in children includes cases of cancer diagnosed in patients under 15 years old. In Iran, Cancer is the second cause of death for children under 14 and is the cause of 4% of deaths in children under 5 and 13% of deaths in children between 5 and 10 years old. In Isfahan province, a total of 600 children have been currently diagnosed with cancer which has increased to 729 cases since the start of this project in April 2018. Since family is the main and primary source of support for children, it is necessary to remember that any care provided by family members of children suffering from cancer is affected by their access to credible and suitable information. Therefore, the first condition for proper decision-making by these children’s families is access to accurate information and optimal use of this information. Patients require information that is timely, relevant, and easily understandable. The information needs of patients suffering from different conditions are also different. Furthermore, attention to the information needs of parents of young patients is as important as attention to the information needs of adult patients because young children are incapable of searching for relevant information and providing necessary self-care and these responsibilities are instead shouldered by their families. The reason for selecting this condition in the current study was the prevalence of cancer especially in the Isfahan region. The statistics provided by Isfahan’s Seyed-Al-Shohada (Omid) hospital also confirm this prevalence. Since the number of studies on this topic is small in Iran and since children are themselves unable to access information relevant to their condition which means access of their families to relevant information can play an important role in the control and treatment of their condition, the current study aimed to identify and prioritize the information needs of families of children with cancer visiting Isfahan’s Seyed-Al-Shohada (Omid) hospital to improve sharing health information and therefore facilitate their treatment.
Methodology: This is an applied study conducted using a survey approach. The study population consisted of the families of all 729 children suffering from cancer visiting Isfahan’s Seyed-Al-Shohada (Omid) hospital between April and September 2018. Based on the Cochran equation, the sample size of 244 was selected using purposeful noncertified sampling from volunteers meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included being family members with at least one child with cancer and a desire to participate in the study while the inclusion criteria were refusal to continue participating in the study. The data-gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with two parts. The first part included 15 items related to demographic information and the second part contained 4 components and 48 items identified based on 35 interviews with families of children suffering from cancer which were scored based on a 5-degree Likert scale (1=very low, 2=low, 3=medium, 4=high, 5=very high). Among these items, the first component included 19 items, the second 15 items, the third one was 7 items, and the final and fourth components included 7 items. The formal and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by oncologists and experts on information-seeking behavior. The questionnaire’s reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient which was equal to 0.96 for the entire questionnaire, 0.95 for the first component, 0.93 for the second component, 0.91 for the third component, and 0.84 for the last component. Questionnaires were distributed and retrieved during face-to-face meetings. An informed consent form was signed by all participants and they were assured of the confidentiality of the information. An ethics code for the study was also acquired from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data was analyzed using SPSS software with descriptive statistics (average and standard deviation) and analytical statistics (ANOVA with repeated observations, and LSD follow-up test).
Findings: To identify important information needs of patients’ families, a cutoff line of 0.75 of the total score (3.75 out of 5) was used. Based on this criterion, 33 items among the total of 48 items were identified as prioritized information needs of families, and 15 items were eliminated. The ANOVA test with repetition showed that there is a significant difference between the average information need scores of families in different components (P<0.001). The LSD follow-up test showed that the average score of the fourth component (social, financial, and spiritual support) was significantly higher than the second (providing information about cancer by medical staff) and third (healthcare and consultation facilities and equipment) components (P<0.001) while the average score of these two components was significantly higher than the first component (Access, retrieval and sharing of health information) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the average scores of the second and third components (P=0.10). Therefore, among the components of health information needs of families of cancer patients, the highest priority belonged to the fourth component (social, financial, and spiritual support), second (providing information about cancer by medical staff), and third (healthcare and consultation facilities and equipment) components had the next priority and the first component (Access, retrieval and sharing of health information) had the lowest priority. Furthermore, the average total score of health information needs for families of children with cancer was calculated to be 72.7 with a standard deviation of 16.1 from a total score of 100. The most important item in the first component of health information needs was “providing sufficient information to family members before and after surgery”; the most important item of the second component was “knowledge on treatment’s success chance”. Furthermore, the most important items for the third and fourth components were “access to physicians and medical staff for further questions” and “spiritual support of family members”, respectively.
Discussion: The results of the current study showed that the health information needs of families of children suffering from cancer are related to the health information needs of families of such children worldwide as well as the health information needs of families of sick children. However, there were some differences in the prioritization of health information needs which can be due to cultural, social, financial, and spiritual factors, type of disease, and children’s age group. The highest priority of families in the current study was financial, social, and spiritual support which can be due to– the financial difference between Iran with other countries. Furthermore, the component of access, retrieval, and sharing of the information has the lowest priority for the families and they prefer to gain their information from the medical staff. This difference can be due to differences in literacy levels compared to other countries and should be taken note of by the healthcare authorities. Finally, constant and regular assessment of health information needs of parents can help healthcare providers in providing timely and relevant information thus reducing the stress and anxiety of families, as well as improving their participation in self-case and homecare. On the other hand, low health literacy among family members and their reliance on information provided by medical staff means that clinical librarians can use access to various information sources to provide services to parents of children suffering from chronic conditions such as cancer, improve their information seeking skills and health literacy and play an indirect role in reducing the medical and healthcare costs of families and the country as a whole. Therefore, we suggest identifying and prioritizing the health information needs of families in other parts of the country and comparing the results to the results of the current study to acquire an overview of the health information needs of families of children with cancer in Iran. This information can then help policymakers and healthcare authorities in future planning and policymaking.
Original Article
Mohsen Nowkarizi; Mohammad Ghaneie; Azam Sanatjoo
Abstract
Background and Objectives: : Information technology is one of the most important management tools that affect a variety of organizations, including the library, in our era. This part of the information industry is rapidly expanding, but with proper management and precise planning via it, one may provide ...
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Background and Objectives: : Information technology is one of the most important management tools that affect a variety of organizations, including the library, in our era. This part of the information industry is rapidly expanding, but with proper management and precise planning via it, one may provide the library with much added value. In order to prepare a strategic plan for the use of information technology in libraries, we should examine the governing model on the use of information technology dimensions, ie, the acceptance and use patterns of information technology in the library, which suggests the current conditions of the library. About the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) libraries, it is not clear which factors have the most impact on the faculty members and graduate students' acceptance and use of information technology? What is the status of the information technology acceptance and use in the population and what is the best model for predicting information technology acceptance and application? To achieve the localized strategic pattern to help to formulate a strategic program, by identifying factors influencing the acceptance and use of technology in FUM libraries was the main purpose of the research.Methodology: It was an analytical survey. The population included all the faculty members and postgraduate students studying in the second half of 2013, who used the FUM libraries, the total population of the study was 12538 people. Stratified random sampling method was used and two samples of 201 and 373 were selected for two stages of factor analysis and path analysis. The first sample for the factor analysis was to confirm the fitness of the model, confirming the validity of the construct of the tools and identifying the effective factors. The second sample included 373 people for the path analysis and measuring the effect of each factor on the use of information technology applying. The random stratified sampling was used with two samples of 201 and 373 people for two phases, factor analysis and path analysis from a population of 12538 members of FUM. The data gathered by a questionnaire in 2 phases. The face validity of the questionnaire was approved by some KIS faculty members. The Internal validity of the original questionnaire was approved by using Promax correlation matrix in factor analysis method. The observed variables related to measuring the latent variables were technology use, technology characteristics, task characteristics, Task-Technology Fit (TTF), and personal capability. The observed variables regarding measuring the latent variable of the acceptance technology included the prediction of performance, prediction of effort, social influence, facilitating conditions and behavioral tendencies. Two questionnaires were used in the study. The first questionnaire was developed after the extraction of some factors from the theoretical foundations and the literature. It was prepared as a researcher-made questionnaire. The second questionnaire was extracted after the analysis of the first questionnaire. In the study, two statistical models have been used based on the theories of TTF and the UTAUT as the base model. Regarding to the fact that the qualitative and strategic management approach dominated the study, path analysis was used. The confirmatory factor analysis was used to be informed of the coverage of all dimensions of the model and the maximum fitness of the model used before the path analysis.Findings: In the first stage, most of the respondents were from the Faculty of Agriculture and the least of them were from the Faculty of Theology. About 62.7% of the respondents were male. In the following, factor analysis assumptions (missing data, outliers and collinearity, normality, and linear relationship between variables) were evaluated and data were prepared. In this case, missing data and outliers (between 1 to 100) were not analyzed. In order to measure the collinearity of the tolerance and VIF coefficients, SPSS20 was used. The tolerance coefficients for contact numbers, scientific databases, directories, and e-mails showed a serious decline. The VIF for contact numbers was more than 1.5 and had a collinearity with another indicator because its Eigenvalue and condition index were respectively 0.016 and 29.36. After the examining, it became clear that the contact numbers had the most internal consistency with the e-mail, so they were summarized in a new indicator entitled the contact ways. The indicators of the collinearity recognition of the indicators of the information process and needed trainings were close to the critical level. They had the highest correlation with each other, so were summarized in a new indicator called training and informing. To solve the problem of normality, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests were used to normalize the data. In order to know the linearity of the correlation, multiple regressions were used t and this precondition was also satisfied. After satisfying the assumptions of the confirmatory factor analysis (checking missing data, outliers, collinearity test, normality, linearity of the relationship of variables) in SPSS, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to confirm the goodness of fitting the models used in the population, using diagonal correlation matrix and goodness index of fitness in LISREL. The results of the factor analysis on 201 respondents in the first stage showed that in factor analysis phase, GIF with 0.92 for the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of technology and with 0.94 for the Task-Technology Fit theory was fit to the research population. After verifying the confirmatory factor analysis and ensuring that the chosen model could cover all aspects of the phenomenon of using information technology and not revealing additional dimensions that were not appropriate to the population, as well as reaching the model that had the maximum fitness for the population, the second stage or path analysis was used to test the hypothesis. In the second phase, 357 people were surveyed. The most were from the Faculty of Science and the least of them were from the Faculty of Physical Education. 67% of them were male and the rest were women. The mean age of responders was 29 years and the max and minimum were respectively 53 23 years. According to the results of the path analysis, the fitness index of the RMSEA for both models was less than the critical value of 0.08 (for TTF model equal to 0.073 and for the technology acceptance model equal to 0.023). As mentioned, the significance of the coefficients of the models was also higher than 0.05. As a result, the zero hypotesis was rejected, which implies the lack of goodness of fitting the models, and the lack of significance of the path coefficients and factor loadings. The hypothesis was based on the significance of the coefficients and factor loadings, and it was determined that the used models were the ability to predict the factors of the use of technology, ie, technology use and acceptance, in the population. In other words, by fitting the models used, a localized model was found that factor loadings and its path coefficients were of enough significance. This meant that the models used in the population were a high predictor to achieve a strategic model.Discussion: The results indicated that the use of information technology in libraries is more focused on the task, which is to meet the information needs, and can see the fact in the variable in satisfying the information needs along with the characteristics of the task as an effective factor in the use of information technology. But the result also suggests that the technology available in the library is unattractive that can be considered as a factor in technology use. This means that there is a link between the concepts of the technology acceptance and use, because, as noted, there was a low impact of the facilitating conditions such as hardware and software technology acceptance in the population. Today, with the advent of various types of technology, especially in libraries, the users' focus and attention have shifted from technology to the use of technology to meet their information needs.
Original Article
Behjat Taheri; Zahed Bigdeli
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The propose of this study is Identification and analysis of everyday life information seeking behavior and information environment of Armenians in Isfahan city.
Methodology: The study was conducted through a survey. The target population of Armenians in Isfahan (4000 persons). ...
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Background and Objectives: The propose of this study is Identification and analysis of everyday life information seeking behavior and information environment of Armenians in Isfahan city.
Methodology: The study was conducted through a survey. The target population of Armenians in Isfahan (4000 persons). The number of samples based on Morgan table 300, respectively. The sampling method was random. The tool for collecting data in this study was a questionnaire. Validity of data collection tool was measured using the opinions of experts Accounting and Sociology. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient values were 934/0. To analyze the data SPSS 18 software and descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) and inferred statistics (t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and Friedman rank test) were used.
Findings: In the case of the Armenian attitude about life, about 5-30% of people somewhat agree, 7/31 and 8/37 percent agreed completely agree to use the information in their daily lives were different. Between men and women in everyday life, there is no statistically significant difference in information seeking (p value =0/06).
Discussion: Finally, with regard to these cases and implement effective programs to Improving the knowledge information in the context of everyday life, culture and values in society's attitude towards them has increased
