A study of success factors of resource sharing in Iranian academic libraries

Purpose – This paper aims to present the results of a study on success factors of resource sharing (RS) and cooperation in Iranian Academic Libraries (IAL), from the point‐of‐view of librarians who have direct experience of such activities. It investigates and compares the librarians' experiences of, and opinions on, the importance of the success factors in the current and desirable situations in the IALs.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, 58 success factors of RS were identified from the previous studies. Using Likert scale technique, the importance of the factors in the current and desired situations of the RS programs were explored and ranked, based on the experiences and opinions of a sample of “key informants” who had direct experience of RS activities in the context of IALs. Then the consistency and/or inconsistency between the current and desired situations of the success factors were identified, using gap analysis method.Findings – The finding...

[1]  Albert H. Segars,et al.  Strategic Information Systems Planning Success: An Investigation of the Construct and Its Measurement , 1998, MIS Q..

[2]  Dorothy Kittel Interlibrary Cooperation and Resource Sharing. , 1985 .

[3]  Sharon Bonk Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery in the United Kingdom. , 1990 .

[4]  Lawrence Dowler The Research University's Dilemma: , 1995 .

[5]  David Hardisty,et al.  On the Internet , 2000, Biological Psychiatry.

[6]  J. Roscoe Fundamental Research Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences , 2004 .

[7]  Karl Nyren Resource Sharing in Libraries. , 1976 .

[8]  Shaheen Majid,et al.  Use of the Internet for reference services in Malaysian academic libraries , 2000, Online Inf. Rev..

[9]  Kelly Russell,et al.  The JISC Electronic Libraries Programme , 1998, Comput. Humanit..

[10]  Mark L. Mitchell,et al.  Research Design Explained , 1987 .

[11]  Richard K. Gardner Library collections, their origin, selection, and development , 1981 .

[12]  Ya-ning Chen,et al.  Application and development of electronic books in an e-Gutenberg age , 2003, Online Inf. Rev..

[13]  Mike Nicholls,et al.  On the internet , 2004, Biological Psychiatry.

[14]  Sheila T. Dowd Library Cooperation: Methods, Models to Aid Information Access. , 1990 .

[15]  B. Shadrach India's Development Information Network: Lessons Learned , 2005 .

[16]  I. Witten,et al.  The promise of digital libraries in developing countries , 2002 .

[17]  Carole L. Palmer,et al.  Information Work at the Boundaries of Science: Linking Library Services to Research Practices , 1996, Libr. Trends.

[18]  Bob Erens How recent developments in university libraries affect research , 1996 .

[19]  Forrest F. Carhart Library Co-operation Brings Benefits: A Pattern for Action. , 1983 .

[20]  Abdelmajid Bouazza Resource Sharing among Libraries in Developing Countries: The Gulf between Hope and Reality. , 1986 .

[21]  Robert D. Stueart,et al.  Collection Development in Libraries: A Treatise , 1980 .

[22]  John P. Robinson,et al.  CHAPTER 1 – Criteria for Scale Selection and Evaluation , 1991 .

[23]  M. A. Siddiqui An Interlibrary Loan Network Among Academic Libraries of Saudi Arabia. , 1996 .

[24]  Partha Bhattacharya,et al.  Advances in digital library initiatives: a developing country perspective , 2004 .

[25]  Gay N. Dannelly Resource Sharing in the Electronic Era: Potentials and Paradoxes , 1995, Libr. Trends.

[26]  Luke Swindler,et al.  Cooperative Collection Development at the Research Triangle University Libraries: A Model for the Nation , 1993 .

[27]  J. Andersen Management of art library collections and extension of services , 1996 .

[28]  Niels Ole Pors,et al.  Managing change in Danish libraries , 2003 .

[29]  D. D. Vaus,et al.  Surveys in Social Research , 1991 .

[30]  George J. Soete,et al.  The Consortium as Learning Organization: Twelve Steps to Success in Collaborative Collections Projects. , 1995 .

[31]  Donald R. Cooper,et al.  Business Research Methods , 1980 .

[32]  Peter Brophy,et al.  Towards a generic model of information and library services in the information age , 2000, J. Documentation.

[33]  Gobinda G. Chowdhury,et al.  Introduction to Digital Libraries , 2002 .

[34]  David C. Weber,et al.  A Century of Cooperative Programs Among Academic Libraries , 1976 .

[35]  C. Horvath Visions: How science will revolutionize the twenty-first century , 1999 .