The force of change: libraries as a social instrument: a concise case study of Iran Available to Purchase

In spite of the rapid growth in both the scope and diversity of information available today, the development of information services has not been the same everywhere. A large factor in development, or under‐development, of information services in any given country is a function of society’s perception of the importance of such services in its decision‐making process. Iran has been treated as a case study. Regardless of its cultural diversity, Iran has still to get to grips with the question of freedom of information. The pace of social and technological development has caught many statesmen unprepared. Past studies had indicated that, in Iran, only those information services that had adopted a result‐oriented approach to management, and had vigorous user‐education programmes, are successful. The growth of Iranian information services took place following the end of the war, with the influx of research and combat engineers in both the private and government sectors.