Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Medical Management and Information Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: The important role of information and communication technologies and their
influence on methods of storing, retrieving information in digital libraries, has not only changed
the meanings behind classic library activates but has also created great changes in their services.
However, it seems that not all digital libraries provide their users with similar services and only
some of them are successful in fulfilling their role in digital environment. The Iranian National
Medical library is among those that appear to come short compared to other digital libraries
around the world. By knowing the different services provided by digital libraries worldwide, one
can evaluate the services provided by Iranian National Medical library. The goal of this study is a
comparison between Iranian National Medical library and digital libraries of selected countries.
Materials and Methods: This is an applied study and uses descriptive – survey method. The
statistical population is the digital libraries around the world which were actively providing library
services between October and December 2011 and were selected by using the key word “Digital
Library” in Google search engine. The data‑gathering tool was direct access to the websites of
these digital libraries. The statistical study is descriptive and Excel software was used for data
analysis and plotting of the charts. Results: The findings showed that among the 33 digital
libraries investigated worldwide, most of them provided Browse (87.87%), Search (84.84%), and
Electronic information retrieval (57.57%) services. The “Help” in public services (48/48%) and
“Interlibrary Loan” in traditional services (27/27%) had the highest frequency. The Iranian National
Medical library provides more digital services compared to other libraries but has less classic
and public services and has less than half of possible public services. Other than Iranian National
Medical library, among the 33 libraries investigated, the leaders in providing different services
are Library of University of California in classic services, Count Way Library of Medicine in digital
services, and Library of Finland in public services. Results and Discussion: The results of this
study show that among the digital libraries investigated, most provided similar public, digital,
and classic services and The Iranian National Medical library has been somewhat successful
in providing these services compared to other
digital libraries. One can also conclude that
the difference in services is at least in part
due to difference in environments, information
needs, and users. Conclusion: Iranian
National Medical Library has been somewhat
successful in providing library services in
digital environment and needs to identify
the services which are valuable to its users
by identifying the users’ needs and special
characteristics of its environment
Keywords
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