---

Purpose: The main aim of this research is to rank the public libraries under Iran Public Libraries Foundation in the West Azerbaijan province using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method according to their information services.
Methodology: This is a survey-descriptive research whose statistical population consists of 67 public libraries in the West Azerbaijan province. Information services of public libraries under investigation were collected by using questionnaires and then ranked based upon the AHP method and Expert Choice software.
Findings: Findings indicate that among the 67 public libraries in Western Azerbaijan province, Sheikh Shaltoot Mahabad Public Library with 0.060 points ranked first and the Central Library of Urmia with 0.054 points ranked second in terms of the amount of provision of information services.
Originality/value: Considering the studies conducted on ranking, ranking public libraries according to information services has a new and different aspect in Iran, and can serve as a basis for other research. The findings also showed that the amount of provision of information services in public libraries has no relationship with the level of libraries nor their being rural or urban, since the provision of good information services is primarily based on the will of librarians and library managers.
 

---

Purpose: To identify the role of the components of intellectual capital (human, structural and relational) in the performance of employees of the public libraries of the Western Azarbaijan Province in Iran.
Method: The current research is an applied study in terms of purpose and a descriptive-correlational study in terms of the data collection and analysis method. The statistical population of the research consists of 199 staff of the West Azarbaijan Province's public libraries. To collect data, the Bontis (1998) standard questionnaires on intellectual capital management and Hersey and Blanchard's questionnaire (1992) on employee performance were used with a 5-point Likert scale which contains items such as "knowledge and skills", "perception or imagination of role" and "organizational support". Normality of the data was established at the confidence level of %95 by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The data obtained were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential methods operated by SPSS software.
Findings: The results of linear regression analysis showed that human capital and structural capital could account for 6 percent of the employee performance variable, but was found the changes in the employee performance were not significantly associated with the changes in the relational capital. The results also indicate that the efficiency and effectiveness of the public libraries in Western Azarbaijan Province increase by paying more attention to the human and structure capitals and eliminating the barriers to improve the relational (i.e. customer) capital.
Originality/value: The findings showed that attention to the important role of intellectual capital in managerial, technical, social and economic development in public libraries can be decisive. Furthermore, intellectual capital enables the development of inovation in information technology and digital media in libraries and also enables the better service to members.
 

---

Purpose: The main purpose of the present study is to assess the quality of services in the West Azerbaijan public libraries using the gap analysis model, based on the Users' Perspective.
Method: This study is an applied research that was conducted by survey Method. The research population includes the members of West Azerbaijan public libraries from whom 450 people were randomly selected. The data collection tool was the last version of LibQual questionnaire. To analyze the data, T-student and Levine tests were used.
Findings: The results indicate that from the viewpoint of the users of the public libraries in West Azerbaijan Province, the quality of services of these public libraries are below the expected level. The comparison of the real status of the components of LibQual model showed that the "effectiveness of services" component lies at the least distance from the expected level and the "library as space" component lies at the greatest distance from the expected level.
Originality/value: The great distance between the real status of the users of public libraries for the "library as place" component and their expected status suggests that the public libraries under study have failed to meet the required services and expectations of users in the multicultural society of West Azerbaijan. Thus, it is essential that public libraries reconsider and define their space and services in parallel with this change of approach.