Perceived Outcomes of the Public Libraries in Tehran Province

The present research aims to investigate the status of perceived outcomes of the services of Tehran province's public libraries in their users' life in the areas of education, research and business, everyday activities, and cultural, religious and social activities. This is an applied research in terms of purpose and a survey-descriptive study in terms of the data collection and analysis method. The Statistical population of the research consisted of 86,000 library members of public libraries of Tehran province (under supervision of Iran Public Libraries Foundation) whose ages ranged from 15 to 79. The sample of study included 620 members who were selected using the ratio stratified sampling method. The Data collection was conducted through a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a number professionals in the field of public libraries. The realiability of the questionnaire was calculated by using a Cronbach's alpha test, which found to be 0.97. The results revealed that the amount of the perceived outcomes of the public libraries in the areas of education, research and business, everyday activities, cultural, religious and social activities, and the outcomes in general were lower than the mean level. The perceived outcomes in the areas of education, research and business, everyday activities, and the perceived outcomes in general were significantly different in terms of the weekly and annual usage by the members. The relationship of the perceived outcomes in general and of the areas with the age of users was significantly positive. The mean value of the perceived outcomes in general and of the three areas was significantly different between the users of the libraries. The mean value of the perceived outcomes of married users in general and the three areas was significantly higher than the one of unmarried users. The outcomes assessment approach, aiming at assessing the service quality and determining the final effectiveness of services in the users' life, can present an accurate picture of the facts existing in the public libraries to the authorities and stekeholders involved in the cultural sector. Further research in this field help to advance the theoretical foundations of assessment of the impact and overall outcomes and to show the libraries' effect on society.