Document Type : Original Article (Qualitative)
Authors
1 PhD knowledge & information sciences. Iran Public Libraries Foundation, , Head of the Public Library Hazratevaliar-Tehran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science and Knowledge, Tonkabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonkabon, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
The purpose of the present research is to analyze the benefits of cooperative education planning in the cultural activities of public libraries. Qualitative approach and grounded theory method have been used in this research. Four libraries with many cultural activities were selected from the public libraries of Tehran city, then 10 members, 3 officials and 6 librarians, and 32 local non-members were selected by theoretical sampling method. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and the theoretical coding method was used for analysis. The results showed that public libraries have not been able to play a role in planning cooperative education in cultural activities. Not valuing collective wisdom and society in planning cultural activities, mistrusting people and librarians in planning cultural activities, the absence of volunteer associations and popular organizations to implement cultural activities, and the low quantity and quality of library cultural activities of public libraries have been the cause of the rolelessness of public libraries. The consequences of not using participatory planning are: lack of trust in local participation, lack of use of local capacities and potential, lack of ability to attract audience and members, reduction of interaction with organizations and cultural centers, failure to fulfill the goals of the library; which is the satisfaction of members and patrons and their attraction to reading.. Also, the use of collaborative education planning in cultural activities by public libraries will be possible with interaction with librarians in line with the use of experiences and expertise in the field of cultural activities, efforts to maintain and strengthen trust and communication with potential members and society in the design and carry out cultural and reading activities, communicate more with the society and cultural educational centers and organizations around public libraries.
Extended abstract
Introduction
UNESCO's studies have shown that cultural institutions in a decentralized system can be a reliable means of attracting the participation of local levels, and by using new methods; they will enable people to do many things with participation, including educational activities. (Taleshi, Mustafa & Effti, 2011. On the other hand, in the executive document of Agenda 2030: cultural campaign, in addition to paying attention to "cultural indigenization" and paying attention to culture at the national and local levels, one of the policies to achieve the goals of sustainable development are to strengthen collaborative education planning at the national and international levels, so that with the participation of cultural activists, government officials, civil society organizations and communities, UN member states are also encouraged to this campaign and strengthen the cultural foundations in many fields with the participation and use of the service population (Yildirim, 2019).
With the same credit, public libraries can expand their educational and cultural activities with the participation of people, and provide lifelong education, as well as promote study and intellectual development of people (Larson, 2018)). The researcher is trying to address the main goal of analyzing the benefits of cooperative education planning in the cultural activities of public libraries.
Theoretical framework
Jin Yang (Institute of Lifelong Learning of UNESCO) has put lifelong learning policies and educational planning at the forefront of the future of cultural centers, including libraries, until 2025. Developing a coherent lifelong learning system, educational planning, requires the participation of stakeholders and employees. For example, most of the public libraries in the United States, in order to plan lifelong learning activities for the elderly, have taken into account various programs with subjects of interest to the elderly, such as nutrition / health / stress management and entertainment (Sabo, 2017).
On the other hand, the public libraries of the future in redesigning and resiliency in the future, with their increasing lack of budget, need to strengthen interaction and participation with other organizations, develop cooperative education planning and pay attention to socialization, as well as communication with cultural institutions (Swist, 2022).
In order to face the emerging paradigm in the future, libraries are trying to contain and cope with this category, for example, university libraries have also taken measures in this direction to determine which strategic planning approach can encourage the academic staff of the library to adopt new organizational structures and adapt to the emerging paradigms of the library. In response to this problem; employee participation, in-service training, and the use of organizational ideas are necessary. By using new collaborative and educational methods such as brainstorming, surveys, creating focus groups, or environmental scans, it is possible to strengthen the adaptation to the paradigms of the new era in academic staff (Leebaw, 2019).
In fact, the use of collaborative planning in university libraries, the empowerment of collaborative education, the use of collaborative style for decision-making and planning, as well as library partnerships with other educational centers can also be indicators of organizational innovation (Toudar, at all, 2020).
The public libraries of the world have been able to offer lifelong activities, services and education more powerfully by using planning models such as cooperative education models. One of these activities is the design and planning of interactive library exhibitions (Matthews, Metko and Tomlin, 2018).
In the "Planning Book for the Future of Libraries", there are various discussions about the writer's views and predictions about libraries in the 21st century and the future until 2025 and the opportunities that may arise for libraries in which people have become the key to success for the future of libraries. This book is about planning with the same approach of participation of people's supporters, where the member or sponsor is more suitable than the user. Through close and face-to-face communication with the public and brainstorming between librarians and the public, the library will become a central element of their lives, not just a place to meet information needs or common uses, but a place for lifelong learning and training (Kim, Frierson, 2014).
Research methodology
In this research, qualitative approach and grounded theory method have been used. Four libraries were selected from the public libraries of Tehran city with many cultural activities, then 10 members, 3 officials and 6 librarians, 32 local non-members were selected by theoretical sampling method. The data collection method is a semi-structured interview. All the interviews were recorded and then transcripted and analyzed. Interviews were recorded with their permission, so that in addition to maintaining the confidentiality of the information, the ethical obligations of the research were also observed, and the theoretical coding method was used for the analysis.
Research findings
The results showed that public libraries have not been able to play a role in planning cooperative education in cultural activities. Not valuing collective wisdom and society in planning cultural activities, mistrusting people and librarians in planning cultural activities, the absence of volunteer associations and popular organizations to implement cultural activities, and the low quantity and quality of library cultural activities of public libraries have been the cause of the rolelessness of public libraries. The consequences of not using cooperative education planning are: lack of trust in local participation, lack of use of local capacities and potential, lack of ability to attract audience and members, reduction of interaction with organizations and cultural centers, failure to fulfill the goals of the library, which is the satisfaction of members and clients and attraction them to reading.
Conclusion
The results showed that the use of cooperative education planning in cultural activities by public libraries through interacting with librarians in line with the use of experiences and expertise in the field of cultural activities, efforts to maintain and strengthen trust and communication with potential members and society in the design and implementation of cultural and reading activities, it will be possible to communicate more with the society and cultural and educational centers and organizations around public libraries. Public libraries, as a service-oriented social institution, can successfully design their activities and cultural programs by assessing the needs, analyzing and examining the needs of users and taking advantage of citizen participation, as well as creating local sincere gatherings and voluntary reading associations. The formation of local voluntary reading associations for continuous and sustainable participation in educational and cultural activities is one of the solutions in such a way that the use of maximum and community-oriented participation and interaction in the design of educational and cultural activities will increase the quality of service delivery.
In line with the use of cooperative education planning, in order to enrich the cultural activities of public libraries, it is suggested to strengthen the interaction with librarians in order to use experiences and expertise in the field of cultural activities. Efforts should be made to maintain and strengthen trust and communication with potential members and society in the design; and implementation of cultural activities and book reading; and maximum communication with society and cultural, educational centers and organizations around public libraries. Today, public libraries can plan education and creation of cultural activities based on the three special tasks of its informants, on the one hand as lifelong learning centers and people's universities in order to improve skills and businesses, provide collaborative educational programs with educational and professional centers. The final suggestion is that the planners of cultural activities of public libraries can use cooperative education planning models to design their cultural programs and activities in order to focus on the audience and community members, as well as by paying attention and identifying the factors in order to provide opportunities to interact with users and society, so that they can achieve their superior cultural and educational goals. In fact, by communicating as much as possible with the beneficiaries and cultural centers, they should plan education in such a way that the lifelong learning of the society is improved.
Keywords
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