RESEARCH ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES (PAYAM-E-KETABKHANEH (LIBRARY MESSAGE))
Year:2012 | Volume:18 | Issue:1 (68)|Papers Count:11

Purpose: In this article, the author critically discusses the defined functions which have been propounded for libraries till now. The most important of these functions are education and entertainment.Method: The present article is an opinion article in which the author provides some definitions in a particular subject based upon his academic experience.Findings: An analysis of library functions shows that the two functions of education and entertainment are not the authentic functions for libraries because, with regard to the first function, educational organizations have this responsibility.Also, regarding the second function, entertainment centers are responsible. So, these two functions cannot be the main functions of libraries. This article refers to the role of reading as a race and suggests that the main functions of libraries are creating an environment or a situation for intellectual races and scientific efforts by providing the necessary facilities, classifying and leveling the concepts and resources, studying actual and the potential addressees, leveling members and nonmembers in connection with their different abilities, and adjusting categorized resources based on user’s interests through consultation. These are some of the genuine functions of libraries which are also performed in athletic environments.Originality/Value: The novelty of the present article lies in its new points of view of library functions. The paper attempts to review the functions that have been traditionally considered for libraries and also tries to define some new functions for them.

Purpose: This article tries to explain that reading is a dialectical action. For this purpose, it refers to the concept of dialectics in ancient times and, with a glance at the concepts of man, world, science, language and knowledge, it tries to discuss the dialectical status of reading.Method: In the present article, a conceptual analysis approach has been used.This approach that is used in analytical and theoretical writings serves to analyze and study opinions about a particular subject, chooses a particular thought as the point of departure and, thus, attempts to discuss that subject.To explain the dialectical concept of reading, the paper refers to Heidegger’s phenomenology and Gadamer's dialectical hermeneutics as the point of departure.Findings: By comparing the reading in pre-modern and modern world, one can come up with the idea that nowadays reading is a monolog by binary (based upon subject/object contrast) and visual token. However, the writings of the ancient and the medieval periods do not have such a stance and are more as an absent author’s speech. In this case, to understand the text in the absence of the author, one has to dialogue with his/her speech. Monologue approach to a text, which is the new world souvenir, prevents any appropriate understanding of or communication with the text.Knowledge, as a prerequisite of reading, is something out of one's methodical control. Reading is an old concept that is rooted in tradition and comes into existence by interaction between the text and the reader.Originality/Value: The novelty of the present article lies in its expanding the concept of reading in situations where psychological paradigms rule the reading environment and the reading act. Nowadays here and there, we observe many writings entitled 'reading techniques', 'reading methods', 'reading and learning procedure', and so on that interpret the book as an object under the human mind subjugation and control. They also presuppose the control of a reading act with the help of a method which assumes knowledge is achievable. This article argues that understanding is basically achieved by open-mindedness, interlocution and interaction with the text not by methodical superiority upon it.

Purpose: This research aims at the assessment of the “Ketabe Man” project from librarians' and users' viewpoint in Tehran public libraries.Method: A survey procedure was used as the research method. The data were collected by questionnaires. The study population included 21 librarians and 384 users of the “ketabe man” project in 10 Tehran public libraries.Findings: The findings showed that most (67.6%) of the “ketabe man” users' awareness, was through the library and the librarians. It emerged that 77.9% of the library users preferred to supply their books from the library and by the “ketabe-man” project. As the users reported the project has decreased their books expenses. They also announced their satisfaction with the “ketabe-man” project at a high level. From the librarians' viewpoint, the ketabe-man project has had a good impact on library collection. They also reported that the ketabe-man project has had a high impact on the rate of reading and cultural equity.Originality/Value: Since research procedure and success evaluation are the essential factors in the process of conducting such projects, the present study assesses the ketabe-man project from the point of view of both librarians and users.The study also identifies the strengths and weak points of the project as well as the opportunities to improve it.

Purpose: The present work aimed to find out if the concept of paradigm in Tomas Kuhn’s Philosophy has any equivalents in the area of Library and Information Science (LIS(.Methodology: After a comprehensive study of the book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, especially the concept of paradigm in it, the LIS related theories are critically investigated and recommendations on the necessity of having a paradigmatic attitude towards this area are offered.Findings: Kuhn considers paradigm as the main axis of consensus in a scientific society. Then one could not mix the meaning of paradigm with such words of “school”, “approach”, “theory”, “pre-understanding”, and alike. The presence of “conflicting intellectual schools” in a scientific area could not be taken as equal to “the existence of different paradigm”, because by the Kuhn, the conflicting paradigms belong to the pre-paradigmatic situation. Accordingly, many of the theories given about the concept of paradigm in the area of LIS have gone far away from what Kuhn meant of it. Also, the debates on the meaning of LIS suffer from this fact that they have overlooked the consensus making feature of paradigm and lacking of it in LIS.Originality/Value: The value of this research is in helping to deepening in the fundamentals of LIS and especially the concept of paradigm with the regard to the LIS related problems.

Purpose: The present research aims to identify the reading skills and habits of the social science students of Razi University of Kermanshah.Method: This is an applied survey method. A questionnaire including 27 questions and three parts was used. The parts included demographic information, reading skills and reading habits, each in 10 domains with a five-point Likert scale, scoring from "very little" to "very much". The significance level was considered P≤0.05. In order to test the research hypotheses, Chi-square test and T- test were used.Findings: As the findings indicate, inability to overcome the interfering and stress-giving factors during reading, lack of practical and creative reading, inability to manage time, inability to read critically and accurately, and purposeless reading are the most important problems reported by the respondents. Also, students seem to have a better status in reading comprehension, reading habits and taking notes in comparison with other cases.Originality/Value: The reasons as why some students do not obtain favorable results in their reading attempts are lack of awareness about reading methods and the related skills. The main reading principals are those the knowledge and use of which enables students to improve their reading ability. Regarding the importance of students’ reading skills and its relation with their education, conducting such research as the present one comes to be of significance.

Purpose: The aim of the present research is to study the impact of Semnan Municipality phone library resources on the development of children' and young adults' reading, which is a new approach in the country Method: An experimental method including a pretest group and a posttest group was selected as the research method. Two questionnaires were used for data collection. The pretest included seven and the posttest three questions. The population included 69 new library members in August 2010.Findings: Based on the results by analyzing responses in the pretest, 34 (49.3%) respondents selected the choice “too much” to show their interest.Compared with the respondents in the pretest, 41 (59.4%) of the posttest respondents showed more interest, and it indicated an upward trend. In both pretest and posttest groups, regarding daily reading (24 hours), one of the options was reading from 60 to 129 minutes, which was selected by 11 (15.9%) in the pretest in contrast to 21 (30.45%) in the posttest group. It indicated that the phone library has increased the members' reading rate and, thus, the research hypothesis which was based upon the positive role of phone library in increasing children' and young adults' reading, is confirmed. A significant difference was observed between the responses in the pretest and the posttest.Originality/Value: This is the first research with regard to phone library in Iran and its results can help officials of the public libraries foundation, municipality cultural and art organizations and institutes for the intellectual development of children and young adults to use the experience. This experience can be used and disseminated throughout the country for promoting reading culture among children and young adults.

Purpose: This article is an attempt to determine the share of two types of readings (profession-oriented reading and free reading) which are performed in public libraries. It also tries to show the types of library divisions (circulation, membership, collection, area and library clients) which explain the mentioned reading types.Method: In the present research, which is an applied research work, the corresponding data were collected from 21 countries regarding eight variables including: profession-oriented reading rate, free reading rate, per capita reading, circulation, membership, collection, area, and library client. Spearman rank correlation test and a step-by-step regression analysis were used for data analysis.Findings: The results showed that there is a significant correlation between public libraries and free readings. Free reading proved to be more in higher rank libraries than in lower rank ones. According to some findings, if free reading rate is considered as a base variable, circulation variable explains it with a 0.527 determining coefficient and a 0.726 correlation coefficient. Other variables have a very low impact in comparison with the mentioned variable and are ignorable. At the end, an equation has been offered to calculate free reading rate on the basis of circulation rate.Originality/Value: This article seeks to identify some proper library guidelines for the two major types of readings i.e. free reading and profession-oriented. It also attempts to clarify the share of each guideline in explaining the reading rate.

Purpose: This study aims to determine the status of the librarians' general and specialized reading at Mashhad public libraries and identify the factors which impact it.Method: A descriptive analytical method was used as the research method.A researcher-made questionnaire was selected as the tool for data collection.Findings: According to the librarians, the average time they spend a day on general and specialized reading is respectively 47.77 and 29.08 minutes.The findings showed that the librarians' interest in general reading is higher than an intermediate level while their specialized reading is lower than an average level.Increasing general information, learning to enjoy by reading, and responding to the library clients have been the most important reasons reported by the librarians for their general reading. However, the most important reasons for their specialized reading have emerged to be increasing their ability to respond to the clients, being up-to-date and active participation in scientific communities. Tiredness resulting from daily work, ineffectiveness of reading in job evaluation, and administrative rules has been the major obstacles reported by the librarians for specialized reading. Findings also indicated a significant negative correlation between the librarians' age and their general and specialized reading.Originality/Value: This study has documented the reading status of librarians of Mashhad public libraries and identified some existing challenges and problems.In case they are solved and systematic plans are adopted by managers, qualified librarians and information consultants may be trained for public libraries.

Purpose: Learning and teaching strategies are sources of great importance that provide practical guidelines for improving teaching quality and students’ educational success. The present research aims to study the impact of teaching reading and learning skill courses on reading and learning strategies among the medical LISc students of Esfehan Uuniversity of Medical Science.Method: The present research is a quasi-empirical study conducted on two groups using a pretest and a post test. The research population included 50 medical LISc students of Esfehan University of Medical Science in the year 2010. The course was presented as a workshop. Short-lecture teaching methods, group work, group discussion, question and answer methods and seminars were used to present the course. Individual and demographic information questionnaires as well as reading and learning strategies were the tools of data collection. In order to compare the quantitative data and to compare the scores before the workshop and after the workshop and to compare the qualitative data, a T-test and a paired T-test and a Chi-Square test were respectively used in SPSS. The average scores achieved from 10 scopes of reading and learning strategy questionnaires in the first test in both groups did not show any significant difference. After participation in the teaching course, as compared with before participation, the students' scores in 5 scopes of main idea selection (p=0.0002), reading guide (p=0.000), information processing (P=0.0002), self-evaluating (P=0.005) and use of test strategy (P=0.000) significantly increased.Originality/Value: With due attention to the point that intellectual skills and mental strategies can be taught and learned, the above mentioned course can be used to improve students' reading and learning strategies.

Purpose: The present research aimed to call for a different understanding of our relation with "reading". It will be suggested that beyond the pragmatic relation with reading that reduce it to an instrument for changing the external world, we can realize a virtue-based relation with it.Methodology: The phenomenon of reading is regarded as an informational phenomenon and investigated by using angeletic analysis.Findings: Ibn Arabi regards "reading" as a preparatory tool for removing vices and developing virtues by intellective soul. According to him, reading is valuable to the extent that fosters virtues. This conception of reading that can be traced all over the classic traditional-religious period, originates from the fundamental experience of traditional man that considers "being-in-the-world" as "being-in-the-temple" and makes self-purification necessary for faithfully dwelling in the "world-temple". Such a sacred and virtue-based traditional relation with reading essentially differs from secular and consequence-based modern relation.Originality/Value: This article reveals the historicity of the phenomenon of reading, through historical investigation in Islamic texts and demonstrates the difference between traditional and modern conceptions of reading.