A Systematic Review of Research Articles about Public Library Location Using Geographic Information System

The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of research texts in the field of locating Iranian public libraries using GIS. Accordingly, the considerable components in locating public libraries in Iran were examined based on the relevant research texts.

The present research is an applied study in terms of purpose that was conducted based on a systematic analysis using Prisma model. To collect data, relevant keywords were searched in reliable databases and 372 research articles were retrieved. By studying and reviewing the abstracts of these articles and, if necessary, their results, duplicate and irrelevant articles were omitted. Finally, by conducting a preliminary survey in accordance with the input and output criteria, these studies were controlled by researchers, and 29 articles remained. The research tool was a checklist.

Findings show that most of the investigated studies were conducted in 2014 (17.24 percent). The survey-descriptive research method (27/48 percent) was applied more than other methods and using operational and cartographic-based research methods were neglected. In terms of geographical area, most of the studied were carried out in Tehran (17.24 percent) and then in Kerman (34/10 percent), and the geographical distribution of studies is not commensurate with the distribution of cities in Iran. Since the research tools of these studies were mostly questionnaires, it is made clear that the focus was on the response-based method, and testing the hypotheses has significantly helped to validate the results of studies. The main problems were: non-use of GIS in building libraries, lack of geographical distribution of libraries and weakness in the optimal use of components of compatibility, comfort and centrality in building libraries. The most frequent research topic in the studies was location in terms of geographical location (86.20 percent). The most frequent component in locating libraries using GIS system is comfort (32.81 percent), followed by compatibility (31.25 percent).

 By reviewing the studies in the field of location of public libraries, the findings of this field were identified in terms of the distribution status of libraries, the desirability of accessing them and the influential components in location. This research provides an overview of what has been done and what should be considered in determining the location of public libraries for future researchers.