A Study of the Services Risks of the Libraries Affiliated with Iran Public Libraries Foundation

To study, identify and evaluate the services risks of the public libraries affiliated with Iran Public Libraries Foundation and to provide a solution based on the modern portfolio theory.

This is an applied research in terms of purpose and a qualitative study in terms of the data collection method, which has been carried out by applying the cross-mix method. In order to achieve the purpose of research and identifying the dangers facing libraries, a systematic search was conducted through the databases of Science Direct, Emerald, Normex, Mag Iran, Civilica, Humanities Database and the University of Tehran Journal. In this study, Sandlowski and Barroso's (2007) seven-step method was used. Then, the Shannon entropy quantitative method was used to determine the significance and priority of each of the concepts discovered. Furthermore, a Critical appraisal tool was used to determine the cross-validity. A description of how to use his tool is given in the quality control section. In the present study, all the relevant articles were studied and each of the risks the public library services face was identified and coded. To determine the reliability, the two-coder agreement method was utilized and the kappa coefficient was used to calculate the coefficient of agreement between the two coders.

The extracted resources were finally evaluated and 52 risks were divided into nine categories: Library Existential Value, Collection, Information Technology, Human Resources Issues, Laws, Regulations, Management, Financial Issues, Evaluation and Access to Information. The results showed that the component "socio-economic changes" and, consequently, the ever-changing needs of customers and provision of their information needs will result in the library's inability to meet the maximum customer information needs. Furthermore, this component received more attention than other components.

 Libraries always face risks while delivering their services, and identifying and managing these risks will help solve many of the diffulties and problems facing public libraries. Therefore, the present study can have a significant impact on planning and defining the public libraries' policy in the future.