What it means
کتابدار (ketâb-dâr) is the person who manages and looks after a library. The word is a compound: کتاب (ketâb) comes from Arabic كِتَاب, meaning book, and دار (-dâr) is a native Persian suffix that means holder or keeper. You will hear the same suffix in words like خزانهدار (khazâne-dâr, treasurer) and دلدار (del-dâr, sweetheart). A close institutional term is کتابدار دانشگاه (ketâb-dâr-e dâneshgâh), which specifies a university librarian as opposed to a school one.
How to use it
- از کتابدار بپرس کجا میشه این کتاب رو پیدا کرد. (az ketâb-dâr bepors kojâ mishe in ketâb ro peyda kard.) “Ask the librarian where this book can be found.”
- کتابدار گفت امانت دادن کتاب دو هفتهست. (ketâb-dâr goft amânat dâdan-e ketâb do hafte-st.) “The librarian said the lending period is two weeks.”
- میخوام کتابدار بشم، عاشق کتابم. (mikhâm ketâb-dâr besham, âshegh-e ketâbam.) “I want to become a librarian, I love books.”
- کتابدار کمکم کرد پایاننامهام رو پیدا کنم. (ketâb-dâr komakam kard pâyân-nâme-am ro peyda konam.) “The librarian helped me find my thesis.”
Cultural note
Public libraries in Iran, called کتابخانههای عمومی (ketâb-khâne-hâ-ye omumi), exist in most cities and are administered through the Public Libraries Foundation of Iran, established in 1968. In Iranian universities the ketâb-dâr holds a respected position, often holding a degree in library science (کتابداری, ketâb-dâri). For students doing research, the ketâb-dâr is often the first person they approach, and asking for their help is seen as entirely normal and efficient rather than a sign of not knowing how to find things yourself.