فهرست مطالب ندا پورخلیل

The purpose of this study is to analyze the situation of Iran’s public libraries in the face of closure of library services due to the outbreak of Covid-19 virus. The present study is an applied research in terms of purpose and a descriptive-survey research in terms of data collection and a quantitative research in terms of the nature of the data. The population of this study included all librarians of public libraries in Iran. Considering that the total number of public library librarians at the time of this research was 5245; According to Krejcie and Morgan (1970), 382 samples are sufficient, however, due to the diversity and differences in conditions such as the level of facilities and services of public libraries in the provinces, was tried to collected more data. For sampling, the quota method has been used separately by provinces, and finally 625 questionnaires (12% of the total population) have been returned. Ability to search for books through the integrated public library management system, not providing free internet to users during the closure of face-to-face services, more opportunities to study due to home quarantine, and considering the book as a carrier of the virus, respectively, the most important points Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of Library Services Closing. Also, after preparing the internal and external matrix, based on the internal factors evaluation matrix (2.21) and the external factors evaluation matrix score (2.379), it was determined that the strategic position of the country's public libraries are in the strategic area of "defensive strategy". And based on that, strategies were presented. It seems that the new conditions of public libraries can be a driving force for the movement of public libraries in the country from the "automatic" to the "digital" stage. As Tammaro (2020) showed, Covid-19 has forced libraries to transform and provide new services based on new relationships with their communities. The importance of this issue is such that the texts (including Jones, 2020) refer to the post-Covoid-19 era as a paradigm shift in the role of the world's public libraries.

Information poverty indicates a situation in which groups and individuals do not have adequate and equal access to quantitative and qualitative information or the ability to use it. The purpose of this article is to develop and validate the information poverty assessment scale in Ahvaz.

The present research is an applied study and has been done by "exploratory mixed" method. First, in the qualitative section, the components of information poverty were collected by reviewing the texts and using the opinions and views of experts by Delphi method. Factor analysis was used in the quantitative section to validate the scale. The present study population was all people in 15 years old and above in Ahvaz.

The results of the factor analysis confirmed 31 items, which were categorized using exploratory factor analysis in 5 factors: media information literacy, Internet access, book access, cultural behavior, and information access skills.

An examination of the various definitions of the various dimensions of information poverty has shown that this phenomenon categorized into four basic dimensions, each of which can have its own subsets. Thus, it seems poor access (to books and internet), digital skills, behavioral factors and media and information literacy can form a situation that leads to information poverty. In the present study, the existence of the same dimensions in explaining information poverty was confirmed and the components of access (to books and Internet), access skills, use (including information-media literacy) and behavioral factors were confirmed. The study of this phenomenon confirmed 31 items that used to measure this phenomenon. Thus, the scale created showed that information poverty related to information-related infrastructure, increasing the number of libraries and their resources, strengthening Internet access, and teaching information literacy.

Information behavior in knowledge and information science is seen as a fundamental human behavior that has been studied extensively thus far. This study include different approaches and perspectives that examined information behavior. The purpose of this article is to investigate the paradigm shift in information behavior by using the texts of this research ground.

The study was directed via library method with an analytical approach. After reviewing previous studies with the intention of identifying the dominant paradigms of information behavior.

Findings show that information behavior studies fell into two main paradigms of old and new. The old paradigm focuses on Shannonchr('39')s theories of information, and the new paradigm emphasizes interdisciplinary relationships. In the new paradigm, cognitive, sociological, and multifaceted approaches could be defined.

Information behavior is an innate behavior that occurs in the social environment. It is influenced by various factors. like many human characteristics, is a behavior that does not occur in a vacuum. This behavior can be defined in interaction with information, human beings and society. Thus, it can have a wide and multifaceted aspects. This behavior is also a division of social sciences that can be examined under different paradigms. In social sciences, unlike natural sciences many meta-theories may go hand in hand. Sometimes a meta-theory simply disappears, and other times it may grow, evolve, and rekindle the interests of researchers. So, the evolution of information behavior research shows the combination of disciplines and interdisciplinary theories and new relationships in understanding human information behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of information poverty, its levels and its causes in society   

The article is a review-analytical paper.

The findings show that information poverty is part of the larger problem of poverty and results from socioeconomic, educational and infrastructural issues. Information poverty can be discussed at macro (community), meso (society) and micro (personal) levels. Several factors, including the lack of access to information, the inability of meaning to information, socioeconomic and infrastructural factors and context-related factors, contribute to the creation or intensification of information poverty in society. It has also been shown that educational, economic/ financial, institutional, social/ cultural, mental/ diagnostic, personal/ attitudinal, and information awareness contributes to the creation of information poverty.    

Information poverty is a concept that is less addressed in the literature of knowledge and information science. Considering the necessity of recognizing it in order to confront and reduce it in society, this paper, while addressing the importance of information poverty, the concepts of poverty, Information, information poverty, information poor, vulnerable groups, and reasons causing information poverty, and showed that this concept has overlapping themes with inequality of information, information gap, information divide, information rich and poor, digital divide and the balance of information

Identification of the target audience of public libraries is the most important step in marketing programs, and one of the most important strategies to achieve this goal, is market segmentation of the customers. In this regard, this study intends to investigate market segmentation of public libraries’ customers in Lurestan, Fars, and Khuzestan provinces based on the loyalty concept with k- mean method.

Participants of the study were 300 public library members in the three mentioned provinces and a questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. SPSS was used for the analysis of the statistical data. Data analysis was conducted in three stages. In the first stage based on factor analysis, variables were classified as five factors; in the second stage based on clustering, k-mean was used and market segments were identified and in the third stage, the clusters were analyzed.

At the end of the study and according to the observed characteristics, two clusters were recognized as the “behavioral and attributed loyals” and “neutral customers”. the cluster of customers loyalty are loyal both attitudinal and behavioral, but neutral customers are “no comment”. In demographic characteristics, only there were significant difference between books and serials are borrowed. The results of the present research about public libraries can provide useful hints to the actual activities of the public libraries and can be regarded as the basis of many marketing programs.

This Research aims at the survey of the impact of spiritual leadership variables of on empowerment variables in the case of public librarians in Khuzestan province. This study has descriptive and correlative levels that use correlation coefficient measures. The population of the study includes 230 public librarians of Iran Public Libraries Foundation (IPLF) in Khuzestan province. By means of Krejcie-Morgan Sampling Measure (1970), 150 public librarians determined to fill research questionnaire. In order to analyze the gathered data, SPSS software was used and Kolmogorov-Smirnov, multiple linear regression, t-one sample test and Friedman test were used for inferential data analysis. Descriptive measures of this research indicated that factors of Spiritual leadership and empowerment of public librarians in Khuzestan province was in good condition. Friedman test showed that among the factors affecting empowerment, “vision” factor has the most and “membership” factor has the least impact on empowerment factors. Regression analysis pvalue coefficient measure was significant and variables of “Faith to work” and “significance in work” are significant at the 95 percent level and these factors predict 67 percent of changes in empowerment factors.Originality/Value: Value of this research was in the indication of significant factors namely “faith to work” and “significance in work” as important factors of empowerment of public librarians that human resource managers can focus on these factors for better empowerment programs.