A Comparison of the Content Attributes of Iranian Public Library Websites with Those of other Countries Based on the Attitudes of Public Librarians

Library websites are valuable resources for the dissemination of information and provide easy access to scientific resources for users. In this study in which the websites of Iranian public libraries are compared with some public library websites from other countries we try to clarify the viewpoints of librarians regarding the importance of high frequent attributes of the websites. This is a descriptive survey. Data was collected from the websites of public libraries (the websites of 9 libraries in Iran and 20 from other parts of the world، including America، England، Japan، and India). A survey of public librarians in Iran was also conducted. 35 content attributes were identified from the study of library websites using the content analysis method and taking into account the high frequent attributes suggested by librarians، 30 content attributes were selected for the purpose of designing the proposed pattern. These items include: Advanced search، Search، Digital library، Ask a librarian، Library membership، Library facilities، Projects، Neighborhood branches، Reports، About us، Library parts، Book review، Contact us، Collection، Questions & Suggestions، Teens، My account، Services، Help، New resources، Information needs، Library policies، Statistics، News & events، Email، Location & hours، Login form، Kids. Results also represent the difference between conceptual attributes in Iranian library websites and others. Differences between librarians'' attitudes were also found. Originality/Value: In this research، a pattern for designing a public library website is proposed based on the results of a survey of public librarians'' viewpoints and incorporating an investigation in the websites of public libraries in Iran and some other countries.