Ranking the Public Library Facilities and Services by Using Spatial Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): Case Study of Fars Province

Purpose: Public libraries are places in which people can access information as well as can empower themselves. Public libraries constitute an integral part of modern communities, and this it is necessary to be aware of their service area and of how one can gain access to them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the level of public libraries in Fars province according to the status of their facilities, services and pattern of their distribution. Method: This research is an applied study in terms of purpose and is descriptive-survey study I terms of the data collection method. To rank the public libraries of Fars Province, first a list of influential factors was identified and extracted by documentary review, and then the main factors were determined by using the Delphi method and finally the importance scores of facilities and services were calculated by applying the AHP technique, based on the views of a group of experts and the managers of these public libraries. The statistical population of this research includes all the public libraries of Fars Province. The research data were gathered from the data related to the members, facilities and personnel of these libraries (such as library area, number of members, number of books and magazines, personnel’s and hardware and software) based on their address, and then the Geodatabase of Fars public libraries was created by these data. To rank the libraries, their spatial pattern of service was mapped by weighted factors (obtained by applying the AHP technique) and the IDW technique in Geographic information system (GIS). In order to assess the spatial distribution pattern of libraries and their facilities and services, the Nearest Neighbor Analysis and Moran's Index were used. Findings: Based on the main weighted factors (physical area, number of members, number of books and magazines, personnel, and hardware and software), Fars public libraries were classified into three groups: advantaged counties, semi-advantaged counties and disadvantaged counties. Findings showed that the distribution of a large number of facilities, services and resources of public libraries in Fars province was unbalanced. According to the findings, Kazeroon, Sarvestan and Abadeh counties, with scores more than mean of province, are the most advantaged counties. Furthermore, a large part of the province is in a moderate (i.e. semi-advantaged) situation with scores near to the average score of studied indices. The most disadvantaged regions of Fars Province are located in the southern and central parts of the province. The assessment of spatial distribution of libraries and their facilities in Fars by using the Nearest neighbor and Moran’s Index showed the unbalanced and clustered pattern of the spatial distribution of facilities and services in those areas which mostly are located in the political and administrative center of provinces. Originality/value: The review of relevant literature showed that so far, most of the studies on spatial analysis of libraries have focused on site selection for establishing new libraries, but this research identified the major factors for ranking libraries on the basis of spatial and performance indicators. Furthermore, findings indicated that due attention must be paid to spatial distribution of and hardware and software resources and facilities as well as to skilled and relevant manpower in the public libraries located outside of the capital cities of provinces.