The Feasibility of Examining GIS for Access to Manuscripts With a Case Study in Shiraz Libraries

This research is intended to examine the feasibility of publicizing the manuscripts available in the libraries of Shiraz using Geographical Information System (GIS). Given the fact that publicizing manuscripts in libraries is not smart and the bibliographic or codicological information of some books in the existing catalogs is incomplete, and as a result, finding the location of the library where a particular manuscript is available requires spending a relatively long time, therefore, therefore in order to solve some of these problems and to prevent wasting time and money, a smart map can be devised with the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) and facilitate the researcher’s access to a specific manuscript.

Research Method/Approach:

 In this research, survey method and library procedure were used and 9414 manuscripts available in 7 libraries and another 140 manuscripts available in 6 private libraries were examined.

In the case study, a manuscript title was selected and tested. After entering the information of this book into GIS, the storage location and the quantity of that manuscript were marked on the map with a circle.According to the information of the checklist, all the managers and experts of the manuscript departments of the studied libraries have fully agreed with the implementation of this smart system in the libraries, and all 7 libraries studied are capable of putting this system into operation in terms of financial budget and software systems.Half of the 70 researchers referring to the manuscript departments of the libraries were by no means familiar with GIS. From the viewpoint of all clients, the use of this smart system is necessary for the ease of using manuscripts in libraries and is emphasized by them. The result of the case study of this smart system that was approved by the managers and experts of the manuscript departments of the examined libraries can be generalized to other libraries throughout the country where manuscripts are preserved and it can be concluded that the implementation of the smart geographical system in manuscript departments of the country is possible and necessary for the development of publicizing manuscripts by libraries and for the users’ easy access to the manuscripts they require. Also, in respect to the low cost of implementation of a smart GIS system, this technology is applicable to almost all libraries nationwide.