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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the role of creativity in using conflict management strategies among librarians.
Methodology: In this research 115 individuals as sample group were chosen among librarians of public libraries in Iran by simple random sampling method. They subsequently filled questionnaires of personal barriers against creativity (Pfeiffer) and conflict management (Putnam and Wilson). The obtained data were analyzed using independent t-test, test of significance of Pierson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple (step-by-step) regression analysis.
Findings: The research findings indicated that conflict management strategies have a significant relationship with creativity components, among which the two components “need to success” and “abstract thinking” can determine the use of conflict management strategy. Furthermore, results of the present study show that competitive strategy is significantly used more by librarians with librarianship education compared to librarians with other backgrounds.
Originality/Value: Results of current research emphasize on the importance of paying more attention to creativity development among librarians. In addition to its direct effect on librarians’ function, creativity can indirectly reinforce other behavioral skills such as conflict management.

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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.
 

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of educating grouping information counseling on the library anxiety and libraries behaviors users in public libraries.
Methodology: The research method was experimental with comparing the results of pre-test and post test of two groups of experimental and control after educational courses about information counseling. The sample population of this research was the members of Foolad shahr Shahid Tavakoli library. 30 members were voluntary selected and put them in two groups. 6 sessions of 90 minutes were established for educating information counseling courses for experimental group. Self made questionnaire used for gathering data. Data were analyzed by using independent covariance with SPSS software.
Findings: Results indicated that there were significant differences between two groups in terms of students’ scores regarding the pre and post test between five experimental and control group in Self efficacy users’ and interesting to study library anxiety, users come back again and Enjoyment of public library (p<0/005). In other words, information counseling courses had effects on library users such as Self efficacy users, interesting to study, library anxiety, users come back again and Enjoyment of public library.
Originality/value: This research is important to explain that the effect of group counseling on improving the efficiency of information users in public libraries on the aspects of library anxiety and behavior is investigating by using a new style.
 

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Purpose: the main aim of this research was to determine the effect of bibliotherapy on the reduction of depression among 7 to 12 years old children in Tehran’s social welfare organization.
Methodology: This applied research implemented by semi-empirical method and the sample of the research were 15 girls aging form 7 to 12 in “Dar-Al-Qora Orphanage Center”, Located in Tehran, Iran. For implementation of the research, we used pre-test, past-test technique. Maria Cowax depression test was carried out befor application of interference. bibliotherapic interference was applied to childes as pre-test by offering selected, suitable books to childes, introduced by Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA), along with group instruction and book reading sessions. After application of interference in 2 month, Maria Cowax test carried out again.
Findings: Using Mann Whitney U test analyze on the data in pre-test/post-test, gathered from Maria Cowax depression test, showed that there was a significant difference between the childes of test group and evidence group and degree of depression in test group significantly decreased, on the basis of Maria Cowax depression test data. We can conclude that the treatment had a positive effect on  the childes and reduced their depression degree.
Originality/ Value: Originality of this research consists of the scientific confirmation of the effect of bibliotherapy on the reduction of depression. Managers of orphanage centers or other rehabilitation centers can use IIDCYA suitable books for bibliotherapic purposes and reduction of depression. 
 

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Purpose: The objective of present study is comparative study of children’s encyclopedias Published in Iran, according to the research variables (entries number, structure, writing, reputation, up-to-dateness, and biography types) for determination of their strengths and deficiencies.
Methodology: This is an applied research in which the comparative and content analysis methods were used. The research population includes three encyclopedias for children and young adults published in Iran, besides World Book encyclopedia and Children’s Britannica encyclopedia that used for comparison. The research population was consisted of 432 joint biographical entries appeared in the each of five encyclopedias. 67 entries per encyclopedia (totally 201entries) were selected as research sample.
Findings: The research findings showed that the Iranian encyclopedia for young people was the best in comparison to others on the basis of measures such as quantity of evaluation criteria (entry number, structure, writing, reputation, up-to-datedness, biography types) presence, and criteria quality. Findings on the biography types showed that all three encyclopedias had selective biographical entries while neglecting the universality led them to retrospective entries with old information.
Originality/Value: The research seems valuable because of its detail comparison of encyclopedias on the basis of selective measures. Also, it shows that all of the Iranian encyclopedias are not up-to-date and consisted of retrospective entries.  

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Purpose: The current research was conducted with the aim of identifying the components of risk management in public libraries based on the risk management model in the public sector.
Method: In order to carry out the main stages of the research and collect data, a questionnaire was designed based on the ISO 31000 standard and the risk management model of Ahmati and Vladi (2017), and its reliability and validity were checked, and it was implemented after modification and assurance. The whole questionnaire had 35 items in the spectrum of 6 continuous options (code 1, I completely disagree to code 6, I completely agree). The research community was all librarians of public libraries in Tabriz, whose total number was 118. With random sampling and Cochran's formula, the number of studied samples was 90 people. Descriptive statistics, binomial test, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data.
Findings: The findings of the initial interview showed that librarians' familiarity with risk management is low toward moderate, and risk management is important for librarians from an organizational point of view as well as from a personnel point of view, and they consider two types of attention to risk management, namely systemic attention and situational attention. Descriptive findings showed that the librarians' agreement with the dimensions of the risk management model is at the "somewhat agree" level. Also, the findings of the research showed that librarians agree with the main dimensions, as well as the sub-dimensions of the risk management model in the public sector; Of course, except for one dimension called "monitoring and revision of the framework" where there was no certainty about the librarians' agreement or disagreement with it. In addition, the findings showed that the fourth (concentration of risk management to uncertainties) and fifth (systemic, structured and timely risk management program) components of the dimension of risk management principles do not have the necessary correlation with their underlying variable and lack validity. Also, in the operational model of risk management that was studied in the form of structural equation modeling, the dimension of principles (independent variable), five dimensions related to the framework, and four dimensions of the processes (risk assessment, contextualization, communication and consultation, and risk analysis) was considered meaningful and this means that the risk management model in public libraries should probably include the mentioned dimensions.
Originality/value: The innovation of this article is in introducing a new framework for applying risk management in public libraries and testing it to determine which dimensions of this model and with what relationships can be used as dimensions of risk management in Iranian public libraries.