Accessibility of printed book collection at the University of Isfahan: the tsunami of false

Document Type : مقالات پژوهشی

Authors

• mahsa poorhaghani ¹
• ebrahim Afshar ²
• Mozaffar Cheshmeh-Sohrabi ²

¹ Master's degree in information science and epistemology, University of Isfahan

² Assistant Professor of Information Science and Epistemology, University of Isfahan

10.22067/riis.v3i1.14688

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose: Measures the rate of physical accessibility to printed book collection at a major Iranian university library system.

Methodology: A list of 2972 titles cited in 97 theses completed in the last two years was checked against the online catalog of the University of Isfahan (Iran) to determine their availability, then search was carried out to find out how far titles with records in the catalog are actually accessible. Possible barriers to accessibility were explored through interviews with responsible library staff as informants.

Findings: Two accessibility rates were identified: 22.4% for the total number of cited items, the second 69% for the 962 titles for which records were found in the university online catalog, i.e. if they were available. A sample was drawn from the total number of 1668 unavailable English language citations and checked against the collections of 6 major universities nationwide and in the Google Books for full-texts. The outcome was that at best, not more than 19% were available. This, most probably reveals a gross false citation by the authors of the theses, hence a case for academic misconduct. Other barriers to physical accessibility to 962 available titles (100%) were: 1) problems of collection management practices (17.9%), being on loan (9.6%), and being held in libraries in numerous libraries scattered campus wide, in particular two dormitories libraries banned to students of opposite sex. Problems with collection management practices, according to the staff interviewed, included failure to delete records of wed titles from the catalog, lack of systematic inventory checks, errors of binding, and deficiencies with the library software.

Keywords

• Physical accessibility
• Printed books
• Collection management
• False citation
• Academic misconduct
• University of Isfahan

---

References

Afshar, Ebrahim (2000) Planning and Policy for Collection Development: Application to a Monograph Collection at the State Library of New South Wales. A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, January 2000.

Buckland, M. K. (1975). Book Availability and the Library User. New York, Pergamon Press.

Fanelli, D (2009) How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survey Data, PLoS ONE 4(5): e5738.Retrieved Aug 04 2012. From http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005738

Kantor, Paul B. (September – October 1976). "Availability analysis".Journal of American society for information science.27 (5-6): s311-319.

Lancaster, F. Wilfred and Baker, Sharon L. (1991).The Measurement and Evaluation of library Services. New York: Information Resources Press.

Mansbridge, John. (1986). "Availability studies in Libraries."Library and Information Science Research.8 (4):299-314,October-December.

Odlis (Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science).Retrieved June 02, 2011.From http://www.abc-clio. com/ODLIS/odlis_a. aspx#accessibility