Strategic Planning in Libraries and Information Centers: Fundamentals and Requirements

One contemporary approach to planning is strategic planning, towards which most organizations have gravitated. This article aims to describe the rudiments of strategic planning and to study the necessity for attention to this type of planning in libraries and information centers. Methodology/ Approach: This research has been carried out using the library method and through the study of paper and electronic resources. findings show that libraries and information centers confront challenges such as budget deficits and environmental changes resulting from technological, social, cultural, political, and economic factors. As an organization, libraries are highly affected by rapid changes in different fields e.g. scientific, social, economic and political. Because of these changes, libraries face many challenges. Libraries must keep pace with these continuous changes. Since traditional planning does not have the ability to meet these challenges, libraries and information centers should focus their attention on strategic planning.