Transforming Public Libraries into Community Centers: Case of Iran

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to identify and rank social factors effective in transforming Iran’s public libraries into social centers and develop a conceptual model. This is a mixed research conducted with a systematic grounded theory approach. Four effective community factors in transforming public libraries into community centers were identified: 1. promotion of social activities, 2. participation of public groups, 3. awareness of the community situation, and 4. promotion of community skills. By applying the theory of the public sphere, public libraries can inform people about government decisions and facilitate public debate between the government and citizens.

KEYWORDS:

• Community
• public sphere
• social function
• public library
• community center
• Jürgen Habermas

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shahnaz Khademizadeh

Shahnaz Khademizadeh is currently an associate professor of knowledge and information science department in Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (SCU) in Iran. She graduated with her Ph.D. and Master of Library and Information Science from University of Mysore and Hamedan University in 2012 and 2008. She is Editoral Board “Journal of Studies in Librarianship and Information Science” and “ Journal of Information Analysis “. Shahnaz Khademizadeh in her 9 years of working experience, she has had various executive, research and educational experiences at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, she was the director of the university libraries for 4 years and then until now she worked as the head of the department of knowledge and information science from 2020. She has been teaching and researching in various fields of Knowledge and Information Management, Information Literacy, Health Literacy , Medical Informatics, Policy & Research Analyst since 2013. She has written extensively on topics related to Health literacy, Health Information Behavior, Health Information, Research ethic. Her most recent article published in Accountability in Research Journal in 2023.

Mohammad Reza Shekari

Mohammad Reza Shekari has a PhD in knowledge and information from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. He has been working as a librarian and manager in public libraries for about 10 years. In his history, there is the directorship of the central library of Khuzestan province and the management of various public libraries. His study areas are public library studies, information management, knowledge management, theoretical foundations of information, as well as interdisciplinary subjects in the field of management and sociology.

Mansoor Koohi Rostami

Mansoor Koohi Rostami has a Ph.D. in knowledge and information science and serves as a faculty member at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. With a wealth of experience in Iran’s public library sector, he has played pivotal roles, including as the former manager of public libraries in Khuzestan province and currently serving as the President of the Iran Public Library Association. Through scholarly pursuits and practical leadership, he continues to contribute to advancing public libraries in Iran. His academic interests include Public Libraries, academic libraries, Knowledge management, and Reading studies.