The Paradigm of the Role of Public Libraries in Providing Information to Different Types of People with Disabilities: A Qualitative Approach

The purpose of the present study is to explain the paradigm model of the role of public libraries in informing people with disabilities This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the grounded theory method. The method of data collection was an in-depth semi-structured interview, which was conducted after interviews with 11 experts and researchers in the field of Knowledge and Information Science. Open, secondary, and selective interview coding methods were used to analyze the data. The finding of this study is a theoretical paradigm model consisting of six parts including the main phenomenon, causal conditions, contexts, strategies, interveners, and the consequences. The main paradigm is informing the people with disabilities. The consequences of these changes can be the improvement of the situation of the people with disabilities, the coordination of organizations, the availability of libraries, making the same situation for them as the other people, the appropriate information model, working from home and its benefits. The results of the study showed that services and facilities should be provided for people with disabilities to use the public libraries and have access to the required information. These services include access to library space and resources, holding educational and recreational courses tailored to the needs of those people, having trained and positive human resources and librarians, preparing a collection of new diverse books, resources and libraries equipped with new technologies. These requirements can only be achieved with a well-tailored plan and budget allocation. The information shall be provided to the customer at the appropriate time and format, regardless of race, religion, age, nationality, or language. Public libraries should be at the forefront of removing barriers to providing information, especially for people with disabilities, given their core mission as providers of information.