Entrepreneurship in Public Libraries: A Review of Studies Using the Meta-Synthesis Method

Considering the role of public libraries in entrepreneurship development, the present study intends to analyze the studies conducted in this field and by comparing Iranian and international researches in this field, to provide a basis for identifying gaps in domestic research.

The steps of the present study were performed using the meta-synthesis method. For this purpose, related researches were searched in international databases in English and domestic databases in Persian without considering the time limit. The CASP checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the selected works. Finally, 101 dissertations and articles (71 works in English and 30 works in Persian) were reviewed.

At the international level, the thematic orientation of research has been towards the field of "entrepreneurial information services" and in Iran towards the axis of "organizational entrepreneurship, organizational culture, creativity and organizational innovation". The dominant approach in international research is qualitative and most of the document-library method and previous documents have been used to analyze these studies. In contrast, the emphasis of internal studies is on the use of quantitative approach and survey method and the use of questionnaire tools is the basis of their analysis. Most major national and international research is in the form of an article published in a journal and written by an author.

The results of this study can provide the basis for helping to develop research in this field and solve the problems of public libraries in order to provide innovative and entrepreneurial services and thus solve the problem of unemployment and consequently the economic development of society.