چكيده لاتين
In recent years, the increasing volume of information and its integration into information systems and repositories, particularly in libraries, has necessitated the extraction of knowledge hidden within these data through analysis. This knowledge can then be applied in relevant organizations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the reading preferences of users at the University of Isfahan libraries. This research follows a descriptive method and falls under the category of applied research, as it aims to analyze user preferences in the libraries of Isfahan University using data mining techniques and tools. To conduct this analysis, we first obtained an Excel file containing output data from library software, which is utilized by the University of Isfahan libraries. We then separated data from the years 2017 to 2023 and removed any data from prior years. The findings revealed that the Central Library of University of Isfahan recorded the highest number of transactions, with approximately 170,000 loan transactions, followed by the Literature Library, which had around 62,000 loans. In terms of topics of interest among users, the most requests were for category 800, specifically Persian stories from the 14th century, while the second most requested subjects were related to language and literature, and philosophy occupied the third position. Regarding educational levels, undergraduate students accounted for the highest number of transactions, totaling 95,000, while masterʹs students followed with 82,000 transactions. Users from the Faculty of Literature and Humanities alone represented 43% of the total borrowing, making them the most active library users at the University of Isfahan. Our analysis identified five active user clusters within the libraries: The Faculty of Literature and Humanities, the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Education and Psychology. The subject analysis of these clusters indicated that literature was the most borrowed subject, while art had the lowest demand. In terms of gender distribution, women comprised an average of 65% of total library borrowing, while men accounted for 35%. Thus, the preferences of library users at the University of Isfahan lean more toward Persian fiction or, more broadly, the Dewey Decimal classification category 800, which is in high demand among both genders. However, menʹs interest in technical subjects, engineering, and programming is twice that of womenʹs. During the pandemic and related COVID-19 conditions, library borrowing significantly declined across all subjects and user groups.
