Revolution at the Library Service Desk: A Perspective from the National Library of Iran (NLI)

This study aimed to identify indicators and factors affecting the evolution of services at the service desks of the National Library of Iran (NLI). The method of this research is the mixed method. The survey method, brainstorming, and group decision-making were used to collect data. The statistical population of this study was 21 librarians working in the service desks of the NLI and 28 members of the NLI. MAXQDA software was used for data analysis. Qualitative analysis of the data led to the extraction of 964 primary codes that reported service factors from the perspective of two groups of librarians and users. Multiple revisions and code integration based on similarity; several categories were obtained. Guba and Lincoln criteria (credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability) were used for data robustness and accuracy. Service desk design indicators were identified by reviewing the literature and primary sources of reference and information services and extracted (9 indicators). Factors affecting the information service of the NLI from the perspective of librarians and users fall into four themes: information librarian, user, service, and service desk. The results of this study showed the appropriate correspondence between the service desks of the NLI and the extracted indicators. Influential information service factors from the perspective of librarians and users were also discovered in this study from the words of users and librarians themselves. Within the theme of information librarian, three sub-themes of information literacy, connecting with the user, and professional ethics; In the user theme, the three themes of user training, independence, and membership; In the theme of service desks, five sub-themes of accessibility, desk location, desk physics, name of service desk and security; And in the theme of services, three sub-themes of marketing, tasks priority and professional view of departments and services are among the factors affecting information service.