Shelves of Inequality: A Multi-Criteria Assessment of Global Knowledge Gateways

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17821/srels/2025/v62i6/171858

Keywords:

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model, National Libraries, G 20 Nations, TOPSIS, User Satisfaction Rate

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-criteria decision-making analysis of national libraries across developed and developing countries under the G20 using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Five parameters— working hours, collection size, budget (converted to Indian Rupees), staff strength, and library space—were considered with equal weighting. Data from 18 national libraries were normalised and evaluated to determine performance scores and rankings. The paper also compares the user satisfaction of national libraries in developed and developing countries by analysing the percentage of positive reviews, by calculating the range of each group. The results reveal significant variation in overall performance, with libraries in developed countries generally exhibiting higher rankings and having a higher range of user satisfaction. The results indicate that national libraries in developed countries exhibit significantly higher Pi Values with a higher range gap compared to developing countries.

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Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Ghosh, C., & Bhattacharya, U. (2025). Shelves of Inequality: A Multi-Criteria Assessment of Global Knowledge Gateways. Journal of Information and Knowledge, 62(6), 399–405. https://doi.org/10.17821/srels/2025/v62i6/171858

Issue

Volume 62, Issue 6, December 2025

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Information and Knowledge

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

All the articles published in Journal of Information and Knowledge are held by the Publisher. Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science (SRELS), as a publisher requires its authors to transfer the copyright prior to publication. This will permit SRELS to reproduce, publish, distribute and archive the article in print and electronic form and also to defend against any improper use of the article.

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