The Quality of Libraries’ Mobile Websites of Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Assessing the quality of mobile websites related to libraries is one of the new topics of study. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the mobile websites of the libraries of the top Iranian universities of medical sciences. Methods: This was an applied research, done by the descriptive-survey method. The study population included the libraries’ mobile websites of the top fifty Iranian universities of medical sciences, which ranked highest in the webometrics ranking of universities in January 2019. The quality of services was evaluated using a checklist included fourteen indicators. Descriptive statistical methods and Friedman test were utilized for data analysis. Results: “Quick Access to Databases,” “Contact us,” and “Observing and Searching Library Catalog” with a mean rank of 10.01 had the best position among indicators. “Study Hall Reservation” with a mean rank of 3.01 and “Library Floors’ Map/Plan” with a mean rank of 3.99 had the worst situation among the fourteen indicators studied, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that some indicators such as “Quick Access to Databases,” “Observing and Searching Library Catalog,” and “Library News and Events” were more useful than others. These are the indicators that users of libraries’ mobile websites usually need. Medical informatics administrators and designers at medical universities can use the results of this research to improve the quality of services of mobile websites of university libraries.

Keywords

• internet
• libraries
• universities
• mobile website