Library information services in academic libraries of Azerbaijan: a comparative study
| Published date | 12 August 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-08-2018-0069 |
| Date | 12 August 2019 |
| Pages | 461-477 |
| Author | Khalil Ismayilov,Nadir Ismayilov,Vafa Mammadova |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Library information services in
academic libraries of Azerbaijan:
a comparative study
Khalil Ismayilov
Department of Library Resources and Information Research Systems,
Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan
Nadir Ismayilov
Department of Bibliography, Baku State University,
Baku, Azerbaijan, and
Vafa Mammadova
Department of Library Resources and Information Research Systems,
Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to comparatively study the library and information services provided
by three academic libraries –Baku State University Scientific Library, ADA University Library and
Information Services and Khazar University Library and Information Center –located in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Various types of library services are examined in terms of funding, acquisition and technical equipment
support issues. Also, different subordination conditions (public/private) of the universities help to better
understand the current position of academic libraries in different entities.
Design/methodology/approach –Most part of the conveyed information was obtained through review of
related literature, libraries’annual reports and personal communication with the directors of the academic
libraries, to look for similarities and differences in provided library and information services. The results of
the study are comparatively described through multiple tables and charts.
Findings –For improving services it is necessary to develop paid forms of library and information services,
maintain various training possibilities for library staff in modern librarianship areas, increase the variety and
number of public and outreach activities.
Research limitations/implications –As the findings of the paper suggest new forms of library services
and activities, it is necessary to continue the topic in further studies to develop practical methods and
applications for local library conditions.
Originality/value –The paper can be accepted as the first comparative study of the library information
services in academic libraries of Azerbaijan, which gives general overview and analysis of separate service
ranges and types. The researchers interested in Azerbaijani librarianship may find it practical.
Keywords Academic library, Library technologies, Library information services, Service ranges,
User categories, User specification
Paper type Case study
Introduction
In the age of hi-tech and information explosion, modern libraries and information centers are
striving to stay abreast of technological novelties and innovations in order to keep their
finger on the pulse of time and satisfy users’rapidly changing information needs.
From the dawn of history libraries were formed for various purposes, and have always
done three things:
(1) they have kept documents for the long haul;
(2) they have provided the knowledge and information that the communities and
institutions that fund them need; and
(3) they have assisted individuals in finding and using information (Lewis, 2016).
Library Management
Vol. 40 No. 6/7, 2019
pp. 461-477
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-08-2018-0069
Received 29 August 2018
Revised 18 May 2019
Accepted 20 May 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
461
Library
information
services
As the civilization became more complex and compound, library types and functions
gained more diversity than their predecessors. As a result, with the emergence of science
and educational institutions academic libraries were developed and gained more vitality.
Missions and tasks of today’s academic libraries mainly include supportingthe education
of students and the research and teaching needs of the faculty on a particular campus
(Drake, 2005).
The main principlesand performance indicatorsstated in ACRL Standards for Librariesin
Higher Education (ACRL Standards for Libraries In Higher Education 2011, 2018) embrace
institutional effectiveness, professional values, educational role, discovery, collections, space,
management/administration/leadership, personnel and external relations, which foster
academic libraries to effectively involve in academic life of a certain higher education
institution and respond to its unique user population and institutional environment.
Academic libraries in the former communist countries, as well as in Azerbaijan have
experienced a period of rapid and extreme change during the last decades, due to the
transformation in the political and economic structures, changes in territorial
and administrative situations, as well as with the speedy development of information and
communication technologies. All these changes had their impact on higher education,
and influenced the growth and tasks of academic libraries, both from the qualitative and
quantitative standpoint. New universities have appeared, and existing ones have opened
new faculties or colleges and hav e also developed n ew specializatio ns in their educa tional
systems (Virkus, 2005).
According to the report of the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
in 2017–2018 academic year the total number of the higher education institutions in
Azerbaijan was equal to 51 (Azerbaijan –Facts and Figures 2018, 2018).
In a regional context when comparing the overall numbers of the state and private higher
education institutions, across Azerbaijan and Georgia, another republic located in the
South Caucasus region, one can see that the numbers are close to each other, though the
number of the population in these countries sharply differ. (Population –National Statistics
Office of Georgia, 2018; Higher Education –National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2018)
But there is another point that should be taken into consideration: the share of the state and
private higher education institutions that stand out in these countries reflects the dominance
of state institutions in Azerbaijan, and private institutions in Georgia (see the Table I).
In Azerbaijan and Georgia various types of state institutions, as well as libraries under
these entities are attached to certain ministries and other government organizations, and
relatedly these parent institutions are directly concerned with the financing issues of these
libraries. College and university libraries in government sector are no juridical persons and
Main statistical indicators Azerbaijan Georgia
Population (2018) 9,898,100 3,729,600
Male 4,938,000 1,791,600
Female 4,960,100 1,938,000
Higher education institutions (2017–2018) 51 75
State 39 20
Private 12 55
Number of students, Total 167,677 143,808
State 153,351 93,627
Private 14,326 50,181
Number of students per institution 3,288 1,917
State 3,932 4,681
Private 1,194 912
Table I.
Some comparative
regional statistical
indicators
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