Research on Information Science and Public Libraries

Identifying and prioritizing the professional competencies of librarian’s Iranian public libraries

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mansoor Koohi Rostami 1
Donya Safaei 2
Abdul Hossein FarajPahlou 3

1 Assistant Prof., Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz,, Ahvaz, Iran

2 MSc in Knowledge and Information Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Prof., Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

10.61186/publij.29.4.428
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify and extract the professional competencies of the librarians of Iran’s
public libraries, and to determine the importance of each of them in order to prioritize and rank them.
Method: This research is an applied study employing a mixed research methodology. The study divided in two distinct
stage. In the initial phase, a purposive selection of 61 Persian and English articles was analyzed using the meta-synthesis
method. Then 104 codes were extracted using experts’ opinions, and the validity of these codes was confirmed through their
content validity and their reliability was measured and confirmed with Cohen’s Kappa test. During the quantitative stage,
each factor was ranked by distributing the questionnaire among 62 experts and using Shannon’s entropy method.
Findings: This research reveals a pioneering exploration into the professional competencies of librarians in Iran’s public
libraries, resulting in the identification of four crucial factors, 10 main components, and an extensive 72 sub-components that
categorize these competencies. The ‘Ability’ factor, consisting of specialized ability and thinking ability, emerges as a cornerstone with conceptualizations across 9 sub-components. The ‘Feature’ factor, consisting of occupational and behavioral
characteristics, was conceptualized by 19 sub-components. The ‘Skills’ factor, including managerial, social, occupational,
and technological skills, was conceptualized by 32 sub-components. Lastly, the ‘Knowledge’ factor, comprising knowledge
related to society and specialized knowledge, was conceptualized by 12 sub-components. Quantitative analysis, using the
innovative Shannon entropy method, provides a nuanced understanding of the significance attached to each competency. The
results of this analysis shows that ‘knowledge’ holds the highest weight (0/2575), establishing it as the most critical competency for librarians in Iran’s public libraries. Following closely, the ‘Skill’ factor secures the second position with a weight of
0/2545. ‘Ability’ and ‘Characteristics’ factors, with weights of 0.2498 and 0.2382, respectively, are ranked third and fourth.
Originality/value: This research stands out in its original contribution to the field of library science by systematically
identifying and prioritizing the professional competencies of librarians in Iran’s public libraries. The comprehensive validation process, including content validity and reliability assessments, ensures the robustness of the identified competencies.
The emphasis on specialized ability, thinking ability, occupational and behavioral characteristics, managerial, social, occupational, and technological skills, as well as knowledge related to society and specialized knowledge, shows a nuanced
understanding of the multifaceted nature of librarianship. In summary, this research breaks new ground in the systematic
exploration, categorization, and prioritization of professional competencies, offering a valuable framework for improving the
competencies of librarians in the unique context of Iranian public libraries. These findings not only contribute to the academic
understanding of librarianship but also offer practical insights for enhancing the proficiency of librarians in this context.
Furthermore, the nuanced categorization and prioritization presented in this research 

Keywords

Professional competencies
Librarians
Public libraries
Iran
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Research on Information Science and Public Libraries
Volume 29, Issue 4
Winter 2023
Pages 444-428

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