Purpose -The purpose of this research is to study the determinant factors in the acceptance of information technology (IT) by librarians in the libraries of engineering faculties of public universities in Tehran. Design/methodology/approach -The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used as the research framework and the applicability of this model on the research population is studied. The constructs of TAM include its perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use, and the intention to use IT. These are the independent variables that affect the dependent variable of IT use. The first six hypotheses of the research have been based on inter-relationships between each pair of variables in the TAM. The applicability of the TAM model on the population of librarians is the seventh hypothesis. The survey method was applied for collecting data, using a questionnaire. The studied population included 160 librarians and the questionnaire was sent to all of them. Findings -The research findings indicate that all independent variables in the framework of TAM affect the acceptance of IT, but the final results (R ¼ 0.033 for Model) indicate that the applicability of the TAM model to study this group is weak. Originality/value -There is a lack of research of the acceptance of IT using the TAM model in Iranian organizations and libraries, as well as in libraries and in library science around the world.

Purpose-There are many challenges in the development of a digital library (DL) and their complexity can be approached effectively with a maturity model. In a maturity model, the features of a phenomenon are divided into different levels and at each level, they are first improved before going on to the improvement or realization of the next level. The purpose of this study is to design a digital library maturity model (DLMM) in Iran. Design/methodology/approach-The DLMM was designed using a qualitative approach, metasynthesis and the Delphi technique. First, the maturity features of a DL were identified by assessing 68 sources of study concerning DLs and maturity models using meta-synthesis. The maturity features were then validated by experts using the three-round Delphi technique. Finally, the experts were asked to categorize these features into the five levels of the capability maturity model (CMM) as the base model. Findings-By analyzing these sources, three categories, seven concepts and 35 codes for the maturity features of a DL were identified. The majority of previous studies focused on the use of hardware/software systems as the backup and empowerment of DLs and the concept of DL content. The maturity features were then validated by experts using the three-round Delphi technique. Like the base model, DLMM has five levels, and most features were categorized into the third and fourth levels by the experts. Features such as human resources, needs assessment of DL and readiness to create a DL were included in the second level. Originality/value-This work adds the concept of the maturity model to the literature of DLs.

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The purpose of this research was to study the peer-review process for articles in Iran's accredited scientific journals. The study considered the types of refereeing currently practised, the decision-making methods and criteria for acceptance of articles, the major decision makers, and the current norms in the peer-review process. The method used was a survey, and the data-collecting tool was a questionnaire. The statistical population of this research included 245 scientific journals. The results of the study show that, currently, the predominant type of refereeing for articles submitted to these journals is ‘double blind’ and the prevailing method of informing authors about the results of manuscript evaluation is ‘commenting on the manuscript after refereeing it and after consideration in an editorial board meeting.’ The findings also indicate that two criteria—‘Originality and creativity of the research’ and ‘Being within the journal's scope’—play the most important role in article acceptance. Of the five main parties cooperating in the peer-review process for these journals, the editorial board plays the most fundamental role.

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