ارزيابي كتابخانه هاي بيمارستاني دانشگاه هاي علوم پزشكي ايران، تهران و شهيد بهشتي بر اساس استانداردهاي موجود

Evaluation of Iran, Tehran and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Hospital Libraries According to Existing Standards*

Introduction: Hospitals libraries play an important role in the patientsʹ care and education .as well as their treatment. Considering that compliance standards by the libraries can improve and promote information services ,the aim of this study was to evaluate the standards of hospital libraries of three university in Iran according to "standards for hospital libraries 2002" and "standard of educational and treatment center library collection". Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study,35 hospital libraries from Iran, Tehran and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were studied. Data were collected by questionnaire which validity and reliability was confirmed by professionals. Obtained data analyzed by Excel software. Results: Over 50% of hospital libraries have personnel who were below the standards levels. Only 29% of library managers were standards regarding their educational level and academic disipline. None of the libraries were standard according to the book collection. Regarding hours of presenting and providing services to different user groups, a few percent of the libraries were standard. 25.8% of the libraries have buildings which have been designed for using as a library.25.8% of libraries have construction that had already been designed for libraries. Conclusion: Most of the hospital libraries are below the standard level. Overall, the status of hospital libraries was not appropriate enough in comparison with standards and the library managers should pay more attention to improve the situation of the libraries. Keywords: Libraries; Hospital; References Standards; Universities; Hospitals. Type of article: Original Article