ABSTRACT
Background: In-service training courses are one of the most available programs that are used to improve the quantity and quality level of the staff services in various organizations, including libraries and information centers. With the advent of new technologies in the field of education, the problems and shortcomings of traditional in-service training courses were replaced with virtual ones. This study aimed to evaluate the virtual in-service training courses from the librarians' point of view in libraries of state universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Methods: This was a descriptive- analytical study. The statistical population consisted of all librarians at libraries of universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Out of 103 librarians working in the libraries under the study, 93 (90%) participated in this study. Data were collected, using a questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that 94/6% of librarians were satisfied to participate in virtual in-service training courses. In this study, only 45 out of 93 participants said that the virtual in-service courses were held in their libraries. Of the participants, 75.6% were satisfied with the length of training courses, and one month seemed to be adequate time duration for the librarians to be more satisfied. The satisfaction level of the individuals who participated in in-service courses of the National Library was moderate to high. A total of 84.4% participants announced that the productivity level of the training courses was moderate to high. The most important problem with which the librarians were confronted in virtual in-service training was the "low speed of the internet and inadequate computer substructures". Conclusion: Effectiveness of in-service training courses from librarians' point of view was at an optimal level in the studied libraries.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to analyse Iranian scientific publications in the neuroscience subfields by librarians and neuroscientists, using Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) via Web of Science data over the period, 2002-2008. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the SCIE. Data were collected from the 'subject area' of the database and classified by neuroscience experts into 14 subfields. To identify the citation patterns, we applied the 'impact factor' and the 'number of publication'. Data were also analysed using HISTCITE, Excel 2007 and SPSS. RESULTS: Seven hundred and thirty-four papers have been published by Iranian between 2002 and 2008. Findings showed a growing trend of neuroscience papers in the last 3 years with most papers (264) classified in the neuropharmacology subfield. There were fewer papers in neurohistory, psychopharmacology and artificial intelligence. International contributions of authors were mostly in the neurology subfield, and 'Collaboration Coefficient' for the neuroscience subfields in Iran was 0.686 which is acceptable. Most international collaboration between Iranians and developed countries was from USA. Eighty-seven percent of the published papers were in journals with the impact factor between 0 and 4; 25% of papers were published by the researchers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. CONCLUSION: Progress of neuroscience in Iran is mostly seen in the neuropharmacology and the neurology subfields. Other subfields should also be considered as a research priority by health policymakers. As this study was carried out by the collaboration of librarians and neuroscientists, it has been proved valuable for both librarians and policymakers. This study may be encouraging for librarians from other developing countries.
