Identifying opportunities, threats and obstacles in organizing reading competitions in public libraries: Librarian's perspective

Narmenji, Seyed Mahdi Identifying opportunities, threats and obstacles in organizing reading competitions in public libraries: Librarian's perspective. Research on Information Science and Public Libraries, 2025, vol. 31, n. 1, pp. 83-98. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify opportunities, threats, and obstacles associated with organizing reading competitions in public libraries from the perspective of librarians.Methods: This applied research was conducted using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. The study population included librarians of public libraries under the supervision of the Iran Public Libraries Foundation in South Khorasan Province. Sampling was done using the snowball method, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 librarians.Results: The opportunities to organize reading competitions in public libraries were categorized into two main themes: cultural (book-centered, library-centered, and reading-centered) and individual (motivational and educational). However, the results also revealed significant threats and obstacles. The identified threats were classified into systemic, individual, and cultural categories. Among them, themes such as �lack of attention to users� favorite topics�, �lack of attention to regional needs�, �unappealing topics�, and �data manipulation� were more frequent. The obstacles to organizing reading competitions were grouped into three categories: �executive,� �technical,� and �managerial.� The most frequently emphasized issues by the interviewees were �limited access to competition resources,� �budget constraints,� and �non-standard competition questions.�Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that organizing reading competitions in public libraries presents an effective capacity for promoting reading culture, increasing library usage, and enhancing the status of libraries in society.

Persian abstract

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Public Libraries,reading competitions,Opportunities and Threats
Subjects: D. Libraries as physical collections. > DC. Public libraries.
Depositing user: rispl journal Journal
Date deposited: 30 Jan 2026 17:30
Last modified: 30 Jan 2026 17:30
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/47446

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