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This paper aims to propose an integrating model for creating virtual libraries in Iranian universities of medical sciences.

This study was conducted with an analytic survey method. The statistical population comprised 66 Iranian universities of medical sciences, of which 59 libraries participated in the study. A researcher-made checklist was used for data collection. To ensure the accuracy of data, interviews and, in some cases, observations were also performed. Statistical estimates, including frequency, percentage, cumulative frequency and diagrams, were used for data analysis, and the system analysis method was used for modeling.

Results demonstrated that the library software programs of the studied universities of medical sciences do not have desirable interoperability capabilities. Only Azarsa program can exchange information with other systems. In terms of metadata and its standards, the studied libraries use programs with various standards, with MARC and Dublin Core standards being the most frequently used ones in the studied sample.

The model proposed here for integration is a hybrid model which can translate metadata standards and use the Z39.50 and OEI protocol to transfer data.

Implementing and maintaining Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) program at a national level encounters numerous difficulties in particular from technical, legal, business, and financial perspective. Business model (BM) is a tool to help to address business-driven challenges, such as business feasibility and viability, as one of the important aspects. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the BM practiced by different national Electronic Theses and Dissertations (NETDs) cases.

BM of seven NETDs programs have been studied through an online questionnaire; besides, programs’ websites were observed and related documents were examined. Business model canvas (BMC) was used to describe the business rationale behind the selected cases.

Most of the NETDs programs lack a documented BM. The main value of these programs is sharing ETDs which is offered to academics through online channels; skillful staff and proper hardware/software are their main resources to do so. Furthermore, their key activities are developing hardware/software and negotiating with ETDs owners as their key partners. All these activities required huge cost which is generally covered by public funding.

This study pioneers in applying BM concept into field of NETDs. Therefore, the major contribution of this study is to provide an analysis of NETDs programs’ BM through BMC. Furthermore, the paper provides recommendations on how ETDs could be implemented in a cost effective, sustainable, and viable way.

The main purpose of this article is to provide a focal framework with the aim of making integrated digital libraries in technical and content level of syntactic interoperability between digital libraries.

Literature review, library research method and analytical approach were used in the first step of this research in order to design IDL framework. Then a survey of 11 Iranian digital library applications was conducted for testing the proposed framework. Finally, based on the findings, conceptual integration architecture was proposed based on the framework.

Based on the literature a framework for integration of digital library applications in syntax level is proposed which includes four core layers: models, protocols, metadata formats, and context-based layer. Based on the findings of the survey, integration architecture is proposed which includes all the mentioned layers in the IDL framework. So as to decrease cost of installing the architecture, cloud base technology architecture introduced to be used inverse.

A gap exists between research and practice in the field of integrated digital libraries. In fact this article is an attempt to cover this gap by proposing a framework that can be implemented.

This paper aims to draw a roadmap for the presence of Iranian academic libraries in the cloud infrastructure.

This research attends an applied-development one that is a part of developmental research due to its conceptual expansion, foresight and roadmap for the presence of cloud-based academic libraries and finally, becoming cloud libraries. Because of providing a roadmap template, the presence of academic digital libraries in the cloud and becoming a cloud library is applied research. Because of providing a roadmap template, academic digital libraries’ presence in the cloud and becoming a cloud library is one of the applied research areas. The statistical population of this research includes all Iranian digital academic libraries. There were 64 digital libraries out of which 59 libraries participated in completing the questionnaire.

Preliminary results from used Delphi method’s first round which was considered by 59 experts were identified typically and descriptive after appropriate component classification and editing. After identifying these factors, each of the roadmap levels in the third stage and the degree of relevance approved by the experts were reviewed and the most critical and relevant factors were identified as key components of the roadmap for the presence of cloud-based academic libraries and becoming cloud libraries. At this stage, they were selected as 24 factors, including seven factors for the first layer, eight factors for the second layer and nine factors for the third layer.

By introducing a roadmap for the presence of academic digital libraries in the cloud context, they will promote more and better interaction between academic libraries to offer services to users anytime and anywhere.

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review e-lending research studies in the digital library domain to identify their subjects, existing research gap and their research methods.

This is a systematic review. Through several stages of searching in related databases, 30 research works including journal and conference research papers, theses and dissertations, research and technical reports were identified and reviewed based on the guidelines of systematic review protocols.

It was found that research in e-lending domain is growing, and the subject will receive greater attention in the near future. Studies were in the following four categories: e-books (specifications, creation and software and viewpoints), business models, e-book status in libraries and copyright issues, e-book lending and inter-library loan. Some research gaps were identified including e-lending domain, business models and legislation. Little has been done with qualitative and mixed approaches in terms of research methods. Moreover, findings showed that this area has received less attention in developing countries.

This is the first review of the e-lending domain in digital libraries. It identifies the key works related to e-lending, categorizes them, provides an overview and identifies emerging research issues.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the existing interoperability models in digital libraries and to introduce related projects in each model.

The study starts from searching various databases with a combination of important keywords in the field, such as interoperability, digital library, meta‐searching and cross‐searching. The study follows up with describing related digital library projects in the field of technical interoperability. The projects are described under three main categories, Federated, Harvesting and Gathering.

The study shows that most of the studied projects are located in the USA and also most of the digital library projects use OAI protocol and the harvesting model in order to be technically interoperable. Also, the results of the study showed that the projects mostly paid attention to metadata interoperability and only a few mentioned full‐text interoperability issues.

The paper makes an original contribution of exploring an area (interoperability models in digital libraries), that is at the forefront of discussion in libraries worldwide.

The purpose of this study is to identify the situation of evaluating Iranian digital libraries using DigiQUAL protocol.

Evaluative survey research method is used in this study to assess digital libraries. In this way, digital libraries of Iranian research institutes constitute the study population. DigiQUAL protocol actually was used to evaluate eight Iranian digital libraries. Systematic observation and interview based on researcher-made checklist was used for data collection. In fact, checklist was constructed based on DigiQual protocol.

The results showed that Digital Library of Isfahan Science and Technology Town has the best performance and Noor digital library has the lowest operation in studied digital libraries. The overall score of all studied digital libraries was under 60 (out of 100) which shows the average performance of the digital libraries.

This study emphasizes on evaluating active digital libraries in Iran by DigiQUAL protocol. Because digital libraries are new in Iran and their progress need to evaluate their activity, this research was done to demonstrate their situation.

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a solution for data interoperability between library programs in Iran.

The research proceeded through expressing the essence of interoperability in library programs in order to exchange metadata, In this regard, the current situation is analyzed using a researcher‐made checklist, and then the problems and shortcomings are highlighted in the field of the interoperability which in turn enables us to find some ways to overcome them.

The majority of the library software in Iran do not respect data exchange. They mostly use ISO 2709 as an export format and rarely use other formats. Moreover, most of the library software use Z39.50 client to get information from Library of congress and also Iranian National Library. Therefore, none of them could exchange data between each other because of not using server side service. The proposed model tries to introduce harvesting metadata by OAI service provider and also searching the metadata records by SRU client‐server model.

The findings indicate that Iranian libraries should be aware of the essence of interoperability. Using the proposed model would help them to exchange metadata in a cost‐efficient and cost‐effective manner.