Identifying the role of public libraries in the economic development of society from the viewpoint of experts

Today, achieving sustainable development in various economic, political, social, and cultural sectors is the main concern of all countries. The importance of development in Iran can be seen in the Iran government’s strategic plans such as the five-year development plan, the main focus of which is economic development. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify the role of public libraries in the economic development of society from the point of view of specialists, librarians, and managers of public libraries in the country.

The current research is an exploratory-applied study with a qualitative approach and with the method of foundational data theory, which is an attempt to deeply study the role of public libraries in the economic development of society. The sampling method of the research was purposive sampling and the purpose of its application was to reach a diverse sample of individuals. The main criterion for selecting participants in the interview was to have a work experience of more than 5 years and to have an education related to information science, philology, sociology, and economics. In this research, 26 university faculty members, librarians, and managers of public libraries in the provincial centers of the country were subjected to a semi-structured interview. The Strauss-Corbin method was used to analyze the interview data, which includes three stages: open, central, and selective coding.

Based on the data obtained from this study, 6 main categories and 36 sub-categories were conceptualized according to the nature and potentials of the public libraries of Iran as strategies that will lead to economic development in the society. These strategies were components of economic development including job creation, quality of life, human resource development, purchasing power, sustainable development, and tourism development.

Originality/value: 

Economic development as a multidimensional phenomenon is the result of a set of economic and non-economic factors in society. Public libraries are considered to be very practical for economic development and increasing the welfare of the people. In this way, in the presented model, as the output of this research, public libraries have the power and influence to influence a set of components including education, culture, employment, quality of life, human resource development, purchasing power, tourism development and Development, and sustainable income are considered, and through these components in public libraries, we can witness “knowledge-oriented society”, “growth of existing jobs”, “flourishing of new entrepreneurs”, “helping Ghana and Community vitality”, “Development of knowledge-based economy”, “Development of local economy”, “Lifelong learning”, “Economic saving”. and "Development of construction of public libraries", which shows the development of society. Therefore, it is necessary to take advantage of collective wisdom and financial support, as well as the serious determination of all managers, planners, and experts in the field of public libraries to attach more importance to economic development through the activities and services of public libraries and try to improve their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.