Conference of public libraries to be held in Iran
The Second International Conference of Public Libraries titled ‘Public Libraries and Small Businesses’ will be held in Mashhad on October 17 and 18, announced the Secretary-General of the Iran Public Libraries Foundation Mehdi Ramezani.
Ramezani said, “As we know, all developed and developing countries are experiencing economic challenges. For tackling challenges, businesses have also changed. Among recent changes are the proliferation of small companies, which are now known as “the key to economic development in the next decade.”
He noted that socioeconomic needs have made society tend toward entrepreneurship and small businesses, which need promoting, supporting, training, and learning.
“Considering the mission of public libraries on informing and training, we believe that public libraries can be pioneers in fulfilling the needs of societies and local communities through designing local culture-based services. Evidence confirms this hypothesis. For instance, some interested and creative librarians have taken remarkable initiatives by providing services to rural businesses in some areas of beautiful Iran, activities which we are now documenting. Others around the world can also see such actions,” he said.
As the manager of the most significant public library system in West Asia, Iran Public Libraries Foundation, with more than 3,700 public libraries, in line with using modern approaches to libraries and their services, emphasizes knowledge and experience as the two necessary elements in solving problems.
Defining and consolidating the role of public libraries in businesses greatly depends on setting scientific communications and sharing experiences, he noted.