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Purpose: the purpose of the study was to survey the attitudes of the people of Ahvaz city (Iran) towards the public libraries and librarians. Methodology: This work is a descriptive research with survey method. Research population consisted of the total people living in Ahvaz city. By using Krejcie-Morgan sampling table, 410 people were randomly selected through quota sampling procedure. Data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the instrument were tested and approved. Questionnaires were distributed and collected manually by the researchers. We used Kolmogrov-Smirnov test, one-sample t-test, Friedman mean rank test, chi-square test for inferential analysis. Findings: Findings showed that total attitudes of the respondents toward public library services were positive and at the fairly desirable level. Public libraries services, librarians, and social value being perceived fairly desirable. However, viewpoints of people showed that collection development in public libraries is fairly undesirable. The most valuable characteristic of the public libraries understood as sociocultural place. Originality/Value: we tried to show the peoples immediate attitudes about public libraries and find their perceptions about public library. People don’t believe public library as an information service platform but identify them as a sociocultural place.

Purpose: The purpose of the research is to compare the viewpoints of Ahvaz high-school teachers and students about the necessity of existence of school libraries and professional librarians, to determine the position of libraries in the education system. Methodology: Present research is a survey and the research population includes all the teachers and high school students of Ahvaz city in the academic year 1391-92. The data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire and t-test and analysis mean scores were applied. In this study, subscales consisted of necessity of existence of school libraries, necessity of existence of professional librarians, the curriculum relevance to school library resources and services, and the amount of "ketabyar" ability in answering the information needs of teachers and students were examined. Findings: The results showed that students and teachers are persistent for the necessity of school library. It seems that Students were suspicious about abilities of “Ketabyar” (a master student as librarian) in handling school library. Also, The results showed that there were significant differences among teachers and students' viewpoints in subscales of necessity of existence of school libraries, the curriculum relevance to school library resources and services, and the amount of "ketabyar" ability in answering student’s information needs. Originality/value: this research is valuable in showing the necessity of school library and librarian in Iran and the fact that “Ketabyar” as librarian is unreliable. Iranian schools nowadays approximately don’t have good conditioned school libraries and the ministry of education has banned employment of educated librarians for handling school libraries.

Today, given the growing advances in technology, smartphones have become one of the means of accessing information. The purpose of this study is to investigate the information-seeking behavior in the mobile environment by analyzing PhD student smartphone users’ behaviour at Shahid Chamran University of Ahwaz. The study is descriptive and is based on a survey. A researcher-constructed questionnaire is used to collect the data. The statistical population of this research is 285 PhD students at Shahid Chamran University of Ahwaz enrolled in 2016. The findings suggest that smartphones are used predominantly for connecting to social media, chat, voice calls and Internet access. After Laptops, smartphones are the most widely used tools for accessing the news, seeking information for academic research and reading e-books and articles. The results also show that some of the most important advantages of smartphones are continual information exchange, immediate access to information from anywhere, multi-tasking option and quick searching for information.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Cultural Intelligence and its components with librarians' job performance in the public libraries of Khuzestan. Methodology: This study is a descriptive correctional research that applied with survey method. The population is consisted of the whole librarians employing in the public libraries of Khuzestan (S=230), from which, by using the Krejcie & Morgan table, a 145 people sample were selected through stratified random sampling method. To measure the cultural intelligence and job performance, the questionnaires of Van Dyne and Ang (2004), and Farajpahlou and et al (1391) were used respectively. In order to test the research hypotheses, multiple regression and Pearson correlation coefficients were used. Findings: The results showed that between cultural intelligence (by cognitive and metacognitive) and librarians' job performance in the public libraries of Khuzestan, there is a significant positive relationship. Also the components of cultural intelligence (cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and behavioral) cognitive, metacognitive and motivational cultural intelligence have a significant positive relationship with job Performance of librarians. Originality/Value: On the basis of this research, we can approvingly said that for create any increase in the job performance of public librarians, directors must invoke the cultural intelligence of them as an important priority.

Purpose: This research tries to study the information needs of hearing-impaired students in exceptional schools in Shiraz from their teachers’ viewpoint and evaluate the role of libraries in these schools in meeting these needs. Methodology: This is a survey in which the opinions of 44 teachers of the exceptional schools for hearing-impaired students were collected by a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Findings: As data analysis revealed, information needs of hearing-impaired students in exceptional schools in Shiraz include general information, supplementary information resources, and amusement. According to the teachers, the most appropriate form of providing the information resources is the books accompanied by CD or DVD and sign language. The teachers believe that the existing information resources have low effect on development of social skills of hearing-impaired students and such students are incapable of purchasing and use of current information resources. 52.2% of the teachers think that proper communication devices (such as teletex and written chat) are not available to the students. Also, the students rarely use the libraries in their schools and have insufficient familiarity with the existing information resources in the libraries. Besides, quality of the schools libraries is low. Originality/Value: The findings of this research can be useful for related officials in identification of the information needs of a specific group of the society’s individuals and in trying to meet such needs. Furthermore, the present study can assist the parents and teachers of hearing-impaired students to satisfy the information needs of such specific group of students.

Purpose: This paper aims to study the concepts of information poverty in human societies. Methodology: Using the methodology of library study, the present paper investigates different viewpoints concerning information poverty, as well as its dimensions and causes. Findings: In comparison with different forms of poverty, information poverty is more complex. It encompasses wider dimensions and in turn intensifies other forms of poverty such as economic poverty. So, information poverty and economic poverty are related to each other. Originality/Value: This paper tries to introduce main forms of poverty in present societies and believes that information poverty deals with concepts such as information poor and rich, digital gap, and information overload. It also presents ways to confront it.

The present research studies the level of information literacy among librarians of public libraries in Khuzestan province with the purpose of identifying their potential strengths and weaknesses. The statistical population in this study includes all librarians of public libraries in Khuzestan province. The findings indicate that the mentioned librarians are at desirable level in following skills: correct understanding of their information needs; the ability of combining new information with previous knowledge and generating new knowledge; evaluating the result of search process with regard to satisfying their information needs; and level of commitment to copyright and to legal and social limitations for making use of information. Additionally, the librarians under study are at undesirable level in following skills: information search strategies in electronic format; taking advantage of online and offline information databases; making use of facilities and characteristics of search engines, discussion groups, and news groups in internet; referencing printed and electronic resources; design and selection of the most appropriate and effective method for access to information; and determining the level of consulting with other librarians and subject specialists in information retrieval.