Mohammad Reza Abazari; Fahimeh Babalhavaeji
Abstract
Aim: This article deals with the study of characteristics pertinent to entrepreneurship on three components: motivation (psychology), qualification, and support. This research also introduces a conceptual model of entrepreneurship for academic librarians.
Method: Research is of the applied type and ...
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Aim: This article deals with the study of characteristics pertinent to entrepreneurship on three components: motivation (psychology), qualification, and support. This research also introduces a conceptual model of entrepreneurship for academic librarians.
Method: Research is of the applied type and the method used is analytical surveying. With analyzing the characteristics of entrepreneurs based on the psychology, management, and economy sources, twenty-five comments from experts, who are also faculty members of the university, in the mentioned sources and in the fields of library and information science were gathered. The data gathering tool was a self-declared researcher made questionnaire which was distributed among 109 librarians from 15 comprehensive libraries of Islamic Azad University.
Results: The motivation and qualification entrepreneurship characteristics in librarians were more than average and librarians' supporting attributes were significantly less than average. From 62 entrepreneurial characteristics, 12 motivational features, 15 qualification attributes, and 5 supporting attributes were obtained based on which the entrepreneurial model was designed. This model refers to three factors of the preparators, facilitators, and enablers.
Conclusion: Consideration of entrepreneurial characteristics in the field of library and information science, due to individual and collective tasks, demands an entrepreneurial model for offering services to those information users who are involved in national and international competitions. Aided by modern technologies, librarians should have innovative entrepreneurial approaches to satisfy the needs of clients. Librarians are the first catalysts to lead libraries to success or failure as they try to socially develop and pave the ground for entrepreneurial tasks in the libraries through proper planning and adoption of principal policies for recognition and consolidation of individual characteristics associated with entrepreneurship which will lead librarians to achieve their own aims as well as those of their organizations. If necessary, these basic characteristics can be taught to librarians to have them be capable and entrepreneurs. The conceptual model presented in this article has been inferred from the mentalities and scientific outcomes in the fields of psychology, entrepreneurship, economics, and management. In fact, an innovative approach to library and information science has been proposed and prescribed, which is itself a result of a wise approach with considering the specific fundamentals generated from other studies.
