Designing a Model for Evaluating and Improving Information and Communication Skills of Public Library Librarians (Case study: Khuzestan Province)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD. student, Department of Information Science and Epistemology, Faculty of Humanities, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Information Science and Epistemology, Faculty of Humanities, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science and Epistemology, Faculty of Humanities, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22091/stim.2020.5934.1438

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to design a model for evaluating and improving ICT skills (software, hardware, networking, and communication skills) for public library librarians of Khuzestan Province.
Methodology: The research is applied one by purpose, and was done by using the meta-synthesis technique for determining the characteristics of the ICT according to existing resources. Qualitative content analysis of the core resources, Delphi technique for the views of the experts about the ICT criteria, and structural equation modeling for evaluation of the confirmed criteria of the Delphi panel by the librarians are used. Using content analysis,129 concepts from 15 articles were extracted. These concepts have been transformed into a questionnaire consisting of 35 criteria with reliability (0.978) and validity (0.90) by implementing three stages of the Delphi technique and with the approval of 20 experts Delphi panel. The statistical population for implementing the questionnaire included 327 public library librarians of Khuzestan province in 2020. By proportional attribution sampling method, 100 librarians were selected and a questionnaire was distributed among them.
Findings: The findings of the research show that software skills with a load Factor of (0.95), hardware skills with a load Factor of (0.88), network skills with a load Factor of (0.91), and technical and communication skills with a load Factor of (0.87) in a correlated relationship affect  the  improvement  of  information  and  communication technology skills of librarians.
Therefore, the finding shows that public library librarians have a positive attitude toward the use of information and communication technologies according to Davis et al. (1989) theory of technology acceptance, and this positive attitude leads to a desire to use and improve information and communication skills. Also, by citing four determining and effective factors in the willingness and use of technology in the integrated theory of acceptance, it can be inferred that the librarians participating in this study believed that using information technologies and communication affect their performance and career success.
Conclusion: According to the results, first the software skills are important for the librarians, then network skills are mentioned more useful for them, and in the end hardware and communication skills are regarded. Fit indicators also confirm that the proposed model has a very high validity.

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References

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Sciences and Techniques of Information Management
Volume 8, Issue 2
July 2022
Pages 317-346

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