Stakeholder Identification and Prioritisation in Iranian Public Libraries Using the Interest/Power Matrix

Stakeholders of the organization as those who influence and are affected by it have an important role in the policy-making and planning of the organization. However, not all stakeholders have the same level of interest and power in relation to the organization. So it is necessary to rank them according to these two factors and determine the organization's priority in dealing with them. The purpose of this study is to identify and rank the stakeholders of Iran public libraries and to determine how to interact appropriately with each of them.

This study is applied in terms of purpose and quantitative and exploratory in terms of approach. Two methods of documentary analysis and survey have been used to conduct research. First, the potential stakeholders of public libraries were identified by referring to the relevant texts. Experts were then consulted to prioritize the stakeholders. The research community was 50 experts in the field of public library. 41 of the identified experts completed a questionnaire on the interest/power of public library stakeholders. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability of this instrument. The result of this test was 0.926 and as a result, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed. After collecting the questionnaires, the findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics and finally a discussion and conclusion was made.

Among the 24 identified stakeholders, the Board of Trustees of the Public Libraries Foundation, staff managers, librarians, provincial managers, staff experts, donors, and public library associations in the provinces and counties, were identified as key stakeholders with high interest and low power. Members and patrons, residents of the public library service area, scientific or trade associations, and sellers of library equipment were identified as high-interest, low-power stakeholders. The government and the legislature, municipalities and rural offices, the public media and cyberspace were identified as stakeholders with the high power and low interest. Other stakeholders, including librarian training universities, publishers, digital and audio book platforms, authors of works collected in public libraries, schools, the National Library, mosques, and bookstores, were placed in the fourth category with low power and interest.

Iran Public Libraries Foundation, as the director of public libraries in this country, can interact with each of the stakeholders in proportion to the position of it in the interest/power matrix, in a way that brings the most benefit and the least harm. Because key stakeholders have high power and interest, they must be carefully managed and interacted with seriously and effectively. However, the interaction of public libraries with stakeholders should not be limited to key stakeholders, and appropriate strategies are needed for optimal interaction with other stakeholders. Informing stakeholders about the activities of public libraries, involving stakeholders in the affairs of public libraries, and satisfying high-powered stakeholders are some of the strategies that public libraries can use in interaction with other groups of stakeholders.