Critical Analysis and Evaluation of the Textbook "Management of Digital Libraries: A Practical Guide" Based on the Standards and Criteria of University Textbooks

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to critically analyze the textbook "Management of Digital Libraries: A Practical Guide" written by Mitra Samiei (2023) from Chapar Publications and evaluate it based on the standards and criteria of university textbooks. Method: This was an applied research study in terms of purpose and mixed-method in terms of approach, which used critical qualitative analysis and descriptive survey. A checklist was employed for qualitative evaluation of the content and formal structures of the textbook on a 5-point Likert scale. Findings: According to the analysis results, the textbook scored 54/70 (72%) for formal criteria, which was acceptable. In contrast, it scored 40/70 (53.33%) and 47/70 (67.14%) for structural and writing criteria, respectively, which were unacceptable. It scored 66/95 (69.47%, almost 70%) for content criteria. In general, the textbook under criticism can be suitable and practical for students as a work that collects all the materials available in digital libraries by solving the stated problems. Conclusion: Among the factors that can help improve the present work are modifying photo captions, the publisher's innovative cover design, footnotes for jargon, required persons and concepts, citations, glossary and index, and a list of tables and figures. Therefore, the author is recommended to provide practical examples and new instances, employ up-to-date sources, reduce textbook volume, and avoid duplicate content to improve the current work in the next editions. Also, among the strengths of this textbook is a separate chapter dedicated to digital librarianship, organizational structure, human resources in digital libraries, and the author's credibility and expertise.