Systematic Review of Articles of Public Library Location with Geographic Information System

Purpose: Systematic review of research texts in the field of locating Iranian public libraries using GIS. Based on this, the components of interest in locating public libraries in Iran are determined based on research texts. Methods: In terms of practical purpose and based on systematic study with Prisma model. Relevant keywords were searched and 372 research articles were retrieved to collect relevant data in valid databases. By studying and reviewing the abstracts of the articles and, if necessary, the results, duplicate and irrelevant articles were removed. Finally, by conducting a preliminary survey and in accordance with the input and output criteria, the studies were controlled by control researchers and 29 articles remained. The research tool was a checklist. The obtained information is presented in summary form in the form of a table.  Findings: Findings show that the highest number of studies was conducted in 2014 (17.24 %). Survey-descriptive research method (48.27 %) has been used more than other methods and the use of operational and cartographic-based research methods has been neglected. In terms of geographical area, most research has been done in Tehran (17.24 %) and then in Kerman (10.34 %) and the geographical distribution of the research is not commensurate with the distribution of cities in the country. Since the research tools were mostly questionnaires, it is clear that the research-based method is based on response and testing the hypotheses has significantly helped to validate the research results. The main problems of not using GIS in building libraries, lack of geographical distribution of libraries and weakness in the optimal use of components of compatibility, comfort and centrality in building libraries. The most frequent research topic in the studies was location in terms of geographical location (86.20 %). The most frequent component in locating libraries with GIS system is comfort (32.81 %) and then compatibility (31.25 %). Originality/Value: By reviewing the researches in the field of location of public libraries, the findings of this field were identified in terms of the distribution status of libraries, the desirability of accessing them and the effective components in location. This research provides an overview of what has been done and what should be considered in determining the location of public libraries for future researchers.