Fulfilling the dream of researchers to integrate university libraries – RCO News Agency

According to Mehr reporter, for many years, creating a common and integrated list for Iran’s academic libraries seemed like a big dream but unattainable; A dream that researchers, librarians and science policymakers had repeatedly spoken about the necessity of. Dispersion of data, variety of systems and lack of national infrastructure made comprehensive access to scientific resources of the country difficult. Today, however, this dream has become a reality thanks to the efforts of the Research Institute of Information Science and Technology of Iran (IranDAC).

Iran’s national library catalog system now operates as a single gateway to access the country’s library resources; A system that is the result of years of experience, scientific policy and the development of national information infrastructure.

Inclusive expansion: from universities to specialized libraries

In the first steps, more than 50 large and prestigious universities of the country joined these lists, and large specialized, research and institutional libraries also shared their records in this national platform. This synergy improved the access of researchers to scientific resources from the local and institutional level to the national level and provided the field for inter-library cooperation.

National milestone: joining the country’s public libraries

But the turning point that turned this system into a “national catalog of Iranian libraries” was the joining of the country’s public libraries; An institution with more than 2,800 active libraries across the country and tens of millions of bibliographic records. With this historic merger, the National List of National Registers turned from a university-centered system into a comprehensive network of knowledge, culture, and research that covers a wide range of users—from students and researchers to researchers and the general public.

Why is this achievement of strategic importance?

• National integration of data: the end of insular searches and the beginning of centralized access to the country’s resources

• Information justice: equal access to scientific and cultural resources, regardless of geographical location

• Increasing research productivity: reducing search time and increasing the accuracy of information retrieval

• Science policy support: creating a comprehensive picture of the country’s knowledge assets for macro decision making

A gift to the science and technology community

This achievement is a valuable gift from Irandak to the scientific, research and technological community of the country; A gift that not only facilitates access to knowledge, but also provides a stable infrastructure for the future of Iran’s science, innovation and knowledge-based development. The national libraries of Iran are a symbol of the realization of national cooperation in knowledge management and a big step towards intelligent information governance. With the presence of more than 50 million records from libraries across the country, in the next steps of setting up the book loan courier, the sharing of national and international digital resources is on the agenda.