Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the status of East Azerbaijan Public Libraries' services to the users with disabilities. The population of the study consisted of 80 managers and supervisors of public libraries in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. A researcher-made questionnaire, inspired by the American Library Association checklist and the library access checklist (by IFLA) has been used for data gathering. Findings revealed that most of the public libraries in East Azerbaijan province (56.9%) lack sufficient budget for serving the disabled. There is no established policy to provide services to the users with disabilities in libraries. Most of library buildings (51.6%) haven’t favourable conditions for serving the disabled. Based on the managers’ comments, most of the libraries lack the information resources and facilities for the disabled. Generally, the results of this research show that information services for the disables are poor in East Azerbaijan public libraries. It is important to provide special facilities such as free transportation for greater access to library resources and services and to design the map of the library building in Braille to use all parts of the library, and to employ specialized and trained staff to provide services to people with disabilities.