Document Type : Original Article
Author
assistant professor of National Library and Documentation Organization of Iran
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.
Methodology: 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.
Conclusions: 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, and the author's credibility and expertise.
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