4th Annual Congress of Information Science Experts was held by ILISA in cooperation with educational schools and relevant nationwide institutes and organization in the National Library of Iran’s auditorium on Nov. 17 and 18, 2018. In the opening ceremony, Fariborz Khosravi, Chairman of BD of ILISA, Rahmatallah Fattahi, the Scientific Secretary of the 4th congress, Ashraf Broujerdi, the Director of National Library and Archives of Iran, Mohammad Joharchi, representative of Alireza Mokhtarpour from Iran Public Libraries Foundation, Parviz Shariari, the Research Deputy of Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology, Mohammad Reza Ahanchian, General Manager of Education Planning Department of Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, and finally Gordana Mazić, Chair of the Permanent UNIMARC Committee, respectively delivered their speeches.
In this two-day event, twenty special meetings on various topics related to information were held which all were attended by more than 1000 students, university professors and occupational experts in each day. The opening ceremony’s agenda will be followed by a summary of discussions made through these meetings.
The Opening Ceremony: The opening ceremony was held concerning the fundamental challenges of Information Sciences in Iran. The secretary of this ceremony was Rahmatallah Fattahi, its special speaker was Mohammad Reza Neyestani, the Deputy of Supervision and Quality Assurance Center of Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) and the members of its panel were AbdolHossein Farajpahlou, Department Chair of Information Sciences of Ahwaz Chamran University and president of planning committee of Information Sciences of MSRT, Mohamma Hassanzadeh,secretary of planning committee of Information Sciences of MSRT, Dariush Ali-Mohammadi, Faculty Member and Director of Kharazmi University Central Library and Hassan Mahmudi, PhD graduate and professor of Semnan University. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: drafting and classifying the fundamental challenges concerning Information Sciences, viewpoint of the higher management of MSRT to demands, imperatives and curricula, strategies to enhance quality and effectiveness of education in Information Sciences.
Meeting of students and graduates: The meeting between students and graduates was held with the topic of education ethics and tutorage manner. The secretary of this meeting was Farahnaz Soltani, MS holder of Islamic Sciences Researches Center (NOOR). The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: education ethics from viewpoint of university professors and the necessity of its execution education ethics from viewpoint of students and strategies to its implementation, tutorage manner and its effective factors in improving the interactions between students and professors, improving students’ knowledge level through offering education proper with their interests and talents.
Sustainable Development Meeting: The sustainable development was held with the topic of sustainable development at libraries. The secretary of this meeting was Mahboubeh Ghorbani, its special speaker was Petra Hauk, Secretary of Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: concepts of sustainable development and national and international policies, sustainable development in libraries, concept of green library, identification of metrics and analyzing them, training sustainable development in Information Sciences, librarianship activities in realization of sustainable development.
Scientometrics: Scientometrics meeting was held with the topic of educational, research and occupational challenges and opportunities on Scientometrics. The secretary of the meeting was Saeed Asadi, Faculty Member of Shahed University. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Education Agenda: MS Curricula, complementary education, internship ad educational imperatives; Research Agenda: new topics of this field in Iran and the world’ Occupation Agenda: available and proposed opportunities, necessary skills to find jobs and duties of scientometrics experts in universities and research institutes.
Special Libraries: The meeting of special libraries was held with the topic of standards of Iran’s special libraries. The secretary of the meeting was Giti Heydari, supervisor of Special Libraries Committee of ILISA. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: definition, concept and diversity of the special libraries, role and the significance of standards in empowering libraries, from quantitative standards to resultant standards, guidelines for compiling standards of the special libraries, organizational capacities to compile and validate standards of special libraries in Iran, supplying Latin information resources for the CBI library after sanctions.
Knowledge Organization: Knowledge organization panel was held concerning challenges of knowledge academic organization in Iran. The secretary of the panel was Maliheh Dorkhosh, PhD candidate of Information Sciences, Director of organizing department of central library of Tehran University. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: number of courses and curricula proposed to the organizing lessons, teaching methods of knowledge organization in universities, capability and quality of knowledge organization trainers, using knowledge organization experts and professionals in academic training.
Guild Studies: Guild studies panel was held with the topic of updating job description and occupational thinking. Secretary of panel was Mahsa Pourhaghani, Public Relations Director of Didehban Press. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: The Analysis report of Classification and Evaluation of Public Servants Occupations, with the latest reforms and additions of 2017, a report about updating librarian job description, explaining occupational experiences.
Medical Libraries: The Medical Libraries and Librarians meeting was held with the topic of analyzing the educational content of medical librarianship and information and its appropriateness with the labor market and the current rules and regulations. Its secretary was Abdolrasoul Khosravi, faculty member of Medical University. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Training Medical Librarianship and Information, in-service trainings for librarians, empowering librarians, employment and job labor of the graduates.
The second day’s panels are as follows:
Management of Research Data: The panel of Management of Research Data was held with the rubric of free accessibility to information. It secretary was Behrooz Rasouli, PhD candidate of Information Sciences of Iranian Information Sciences and Technology Research Center. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: free access to theses and dissertations of students and the problems they may encounter, the role of IRANDOC in managing students theses and dissertations in Iran, accessibility to research data in Iran, free access, free data, free knowledge.
Academic Universities: The panel of Academic Universities was held with the rubric of empowering and continuous training of academic librarians and using their capacities. The secretary of this panel was Maryam Asadi, Deputy of Central Library off Sharif University of Technology. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: the role of academic librarians in achieving to research and educational purposes of universities, the role of academic libraries, educational and research and professional qualities of academic librarians to pace with the structural shift in the academic libraries, empowering related librarians in the framework of academic and in-service trainings, sharing experiences on empowerment and training academic librarians.
Evaluation of Educational Departments: The panel of Evaluation of Educational Departments was held with the rubric of evaluating the quality of educational departments of Information Sciences. Its secretary was Faramarz Masoudi, Counselor of Quality Management Systems of National Iranian Steel Company. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Analyzing the internal and external evaluative indicators of the educational departments, the challenges one may face in current evaluations of the educational departments, experiences on evaluation of educational departments, new models for educational evaluations and to which extent they may be employed in Iran, analyzing the extent in which the educational departments may play roles in the international arenas.
Public Libraries: The panel of Public Libraries was held with the rubric of libraries as platform’s secretary was Mehrnaz Khorasanchi, Director of Public Library of Hosseiniyeh Ershad and BD Member of ILISA. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Platform-based thinking, quiddity and haecceity Dictionary, specifications of platform libraries, the necessity to redefine library in the digital arena, the network effect on public libraries.
Children Libraries: The panel of Children Libraries was held with the rubric of teaching experiences about lesson of materials and services of libraries for children and young adults. Its secretary was Parisa Pasyar, PhD candidate of Information Sciences and research expert of NLAI. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Teaching experiences about lesson of materials and services of children and young adults’ libraries, analyzing the proposed curricula for the MS course of children and young adults’ librarianship and educational libraries management.
Archive: the panel of Archive was held with the rubric of academic education, empowering manpower, dynamicity of archive profession. Its secretary was Gholamreza Azizi, Faculty Member of NLAI, its special speaker was Eng. Ali Zarafshan, deputy of national archives of NLAI. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Archive as a science, academic and in-service education, pathology.
LEI: The panel of LEI (Librarians Experiences and Ideas) was held. Its secretary was Amir Reza Asnafi, Head of Information Sciences Department of Shahid Beheshti University. The main topics posed in this meeting were various experiences and ideas, explaining ideas and innovations.
Digital Development: The panel of Emergent Technology was held with the rubric of digital development; paving the way for the emergent opportunities. Its secretary was Mostafa Amini, PhD candidate of Information Sciences. The main topics posed in this meeting were digital development, quiddity and haecceity, the effect of digital development on Information Sciences, the effect of digital development on formation of emergent opportunities.
UNIMARC: A meeting with IFLA’S UNIMARC Committee was held. Its secretary was Akbari Darian and member of its panel were Morteza Kokabi, Rahmatallah Fattahi, Zahra Shademan, Hassan Bagheri, Ales Bosnjak and Gordana Mazić. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: Sharing experiences of Iran on UNIMARK and IRANMARC, the brief history of IRANMARC, data organization in Iran, IRANMARC’s challenges in NLAI’s comprehensive software (RASA), IRANMARC Project, UNIMARC experiences in Yugoslavia and Slovenia.
School Libraries: The School Libraries panel was held with the rubric of necessary academic and professional training for the scholastic librarians. Its secretary was Nastaran Poursalehi, Professor of Tehran University, and school Librarian. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: roles and expectations from an ideal scholastic librarian, communicational skills of scholastic librarians, book-reading promotion skills (space-building and executive activities), organizing and coherent management of libraries.
Information Ethics: Information Ethics panel was held with the rubric of professional ethics of information expert with a look to Ethics and Honesty in Libraries. Its secretary was Nadiya Haji Azizi, Director of IRANDOC’s Scientific Relations Department, Director of Information Ethics Group of Iran Information Management Scientific Association. The main topics posed in this meeting were as follows: ethics of information experts, book review, theoretical dimensions of professional ethics, and practical dimensions of professional ethics.
Awards: In the closing ceremony the selected ones were appreciated by awarding trophies, appreciation plaques and golden coins. By offering a report about the analyzing procedure of works, Mohammad Zerehsaz, The Scientific Committee of Awards of Iranian Librarianship and Information Scientific Association introduced the selected ones. Accordingly, the selected ones of the third course of National Awards were introduced as follows:
Abbas Horri Award: Using the Information Literacy Model for Information Literacy Instruction: A Case Study. By Marzieh Siamak, Alireza Esfandiary Moghadam and Tybor Kolati.
Noroallah Moradi Award: Analyzing Archives Evaluation Bylaws Focusing Annihilation of Papers in Iran and Other Countries Archives Centers [MS thesis, Alzahra University]. By: Elham Jalali Farahani.
Pouri Soltani Award: The research project of IranMARC Development/ NLAI research project.
