Zeinab Papi
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to critically analyze the textbook "Management of Digital Libraries: A Practical Guide" written by Mitra Samiei (2023) from Chapar Publications and evaluate it based on the standards and criteria of university textbooks.Method: This was an applied research study ...
Read More
Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to critically analyze the textbook "Management of Digital Libraries: A Practical Guide" written by Mitra Samiei (2023) from Chapar Publications and evaluate it based on the standards and criteria of university textbooks.Method: This was an applied research study in terms of purpose and mixed-method in terms of approach, which used critical qualitative analysis and descriptive survey. A checklist was employed for qualitative evaluation of the content and formal structures of the textbook on a 5-point Likert scale.Findings: According to the analysis results, the textbook scored 54/70 (72%) for formal criteria, which was acceptable. In contrast, it scored 40/70 (53.33%) and 47/70 (67.14%) for structural and writing criteria, respectively, which were unacceptable. It scored 66/95 (69.47%, almost 70%) for content criteria. In general, the textbook under criticism can be suitable and practical for students as a work that collects all the materials available in digital libraries by solving the stated problems.Conclusion: Among the factors that can help improve the present work are modifying photo captions, the publisher's innovative cover design, footnotes for jargon, required persons and concepts, citations, glossary and index, and a list of tables and figures. Therefore, the author is recommended to provide practical examples and new instances, employ up-to-date sources, reduce textbook volume, and avoid duplicate content to improve the current work in the next editions. Also, among the strengths of this textbook is a separate chapter dedicated to digital librarianship, organizational structure, human resources in digital libraries, and the author's credibility and expertise.
Zeinab Papi
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was analytical review of the book Designing the Digital Library, written by Mehdi Alipoor-Hafezi and published by SAMT in 2019 based on the criteria and standards of the university textbooks. The type of research was applied in terms of purpose. As regarded ...
Read More
Objective: The purpose of this study was analytical review of the book Designing the Digital Library, written by Mehdi Alipoor-Hafezi and published by SAMT in 2019 based on the criteria and standards of the university textbooks. The type of research was applied in terms of purpose. As regarded method, it was a mixed-method approach. The analysis, review and extraction of required data have been simultaneous. The checklist was used for assessing formal writing structure and content features on a Likert-type 5-pointed scale. Author's expertise in the field can be mentioned as the main advantage of the book. The textbook is the only work in Persian in the field of designing digital libraries. A separate chapter on legal issues in digital libraries can also be considered as another positive point of this work. At the same time, this work has also notable points for improvement, the most important of which are writing points. In general, the work in hand in terms of evaluation of formal writing structure and content criteria received scores of 46, 46, 63 and 63, respectively and achieved at least 70 percentage points, passing as a book appealing to its audience. In spite of some defects and weaknesses, the studied textbook is one of few books on designing digital libraries and suitable for students and audience.
