تحقیقات اطلاعرسانی و کتابخانههای عمومی (Mar 2024)
Analyzing the Effective Factors of and Barriers to Benefactors’ Participation in the Construction and Equipment of Public Libraries: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this research was to analyze the factors and barriers affecting banefactpors’ participation of benefactors in the construction and equipment of public libraries in East Azerbaijan province. Method: The present applied research was carried out with a qualitative approach and conventional qualitative content analysis method. The participants of the study included all the benefactors partaking in the construction and equipment of public libraries in East Azerbaijan province who had two conditions; participation within the years 1389 to 1400 and participation valued more than one hundred million Rials. The samples were purposefully selected for a semi-structured interview. The interview was conducted up to the theoretical saturation stage and a total of eleven benefactors were interviewed. In order to validate the findings, criteria such as credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were used. The findings were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis methods. Findings: Based on analyzing interview transcripts, 88 semantic codes, 20 sub-categories (regulations and statutes, activation of the Association of Library Benefactors, advertising, training and veneration, organizational support for employees, the ability to communicate with government officials, the skills of attracting benefactors, the skills of retaining benefactors, the function of country laws, the function of governance, benefactors' cultural contexts, benefactors' economic and social contexts, cultural beliefs, personality beliefs, religious and moral beliefs, bureaucratic obstacles, financial obstacles, lack of proper management, inefficient culture-making, governance shortcomings, and the shortcomings of the country's laws), seven general categories (the role of public libraries foundation in the motivation of benefactors, the role of library officials in the motivation of benefactors, the effect of governance and laws in the motivation of benefactors, impact of cultural, economic and social contexts on the motivation of benefactors, personal beliefs of benefactors, shortcomings of the public libraries foundation in the motivation of benefactors and shortcomings of governance and laws in the motivation of benefactors) and two main components (motivational factors in attracting benefactors and barriers to attracting benefactors) were identified. Based on the emphasis of the participating benefactors, it can be concluded that among the effective factors in benefactors’ participation in the construction and equipment of public libraries, the cultural, economic and social context as well as personal beliefs were the most two important motivational factors. Also, according to participating benefactors, the most important obstacle to non-participation of benefactors in the construction and equipment of the library was the lack of sufficient enlightenment for the necessity of the library, which indicates a weakness in culture building. Originality/value: In order to expand library benefactors’ participation, it is necessary that the Institution of Public Libraries (as the guardian of the expansion of public libraries) should pay special attention to the effective motivational factors in this participation and the obstacles in this path. The present study adopted a qualitative approach to identify the factors affecting the benefactors’ participation in the construction and equipment of public libraries from the viewpoint of participating benefactors. The findings of this research can provide the managers and experts of the Institution of Public Libraries with more accurate information and perspective for more precise planning and removing obstacles and shortcomings in this field. It can also provide a basis for conducting future research in this field and expanding its theoretical foundations.
