How to proceed for a continuous quality improvement in National Bibligraphy of Iran? A Delphy study

The purpose of this study is to identify the components of quality in a national bibliography and the methods and procedures for improving and maintaining quality in the National Bibliography of Iran based on the knowledge and experience of some of its producers who formed a Delphy panel to conduct the research. Research

A Delphi technique has been used to conduct the research with a panel of 22 cataloging and classification experts and practitioners from the Technical Services Department of the National Library of Iran. Relative questionnaires for two rounds of the Delphy were set in a 5 point Lickert scale comprising items extracted from the research literature and the Delphy panels' answers to the open questions. The mean and standard deviation were used to measure the agreement.

At the level of record, the panel members identified as quality components in the record: accuracy and conformance to the agreed standards and instructions, not having spelling and typos mistakes, providing a description as close to the source as possible in order to better understanding of the user from the catalogued item, the ability to access the resource by having at least information about the source through the record, adequacy, accuracy, and ordering the importance in assigning the subject headings, accuracy of call numbers and added entries, and the fulfillment of native requirements, such as language and script; at the level of the National Bibliography the panel members decided to mention the ease of use and access, and consistency at different levels of description as most important; in terms of quality control activities the panel perceived the quality control of all levels of descriptions, MARC blocks and fields, typographic and spelling error checking, uniformity in the transcription of non-Persian documents as the most important. In terms of methods and procedures for improving and maintaining quality in the National Bibliography of Iran the decision-making and procedural uniformity, avoidance of outsourcing, whether in cataloging, or in evaluating and controlling its quality, emphasizing on the empowerment of catalogers, training qualified catalogers were subject of consensus. Also, gaining professional and related knowledge and use of new technologies, improvement of factors related to job satisfaction, and welcoming feedback from all categories of users have been pointed out among the most important methods and procedures.

In overall, statements suggest a tendency towards scientific dynamism which requires providing proper facilities and conditions. Also a kind of perfectionism, and self-sufficiency, while seeking to maintain professional autonomy among the catalogers of the National Library of Iran have been perceived, which requires intelligent and far-seeing high level managers, who must be professional in the field of cataloging, and even in broader term, information organization and management, as well as being aware of the problems and challenges of the field.