Husain Al-Ansari

Internet use by the faculty members of Kuwait University

Purpose – This study is designed to investigate the patterns of internet use by the faculty including purposes for use, its impact on teaching and research, internet resources that they use, and the problems faced while using the internet.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire, expert‐reviewed and pilot‐tested, was used to collect data from the faculty coming from four colleges of Kuwait University, i.e. Arts, Social Sciences, Sciences, and Engineering. Half of the 491 potential participants were selected as the sample, with a response rate of 62.6 percent.Findings – A large majority have been using the computer and internet for more than five years. They use the internet mostly for, and give importance to, e‐mail, search engines, and WWW resources mainly for communication, research, and publication. It has helped them to save time, find up to date information, and cooperate with their colleagues. Slow speed, lack of time, and lack of access from home are the major problems. Most of them are intere...

Information Seeking Behaviour of Kuwaiti Journalists

This study investigated the information seeking behaviour of working journalists in Kuwait using a self-administered questionnaire. The 92 respondents were mostly male, Arabic speaking, and expatriates. In terms of the type of information, they place emphasis on fact-checking, general and background information. Information is obtained by using a wide variety of both informal and formal sources. ‘Human’ sources, Internet, and ‘press releases’ are considered high in terms of both importance and satisfaction. The availability and use of ‘in-house electronic library of stories / reports generated by their colleagues’ is not only very limited but is also not satisfying. They consider their information searching skills very important for their work and are willing to go through training if it were provided to them. Lack of time is their top ranking problem. Several recommendations are made for improving the existing situation.

Developing working LIS professionals in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a study of the perceptions of deans and directors of academic libraries

This paper reports the results of an investigation in current continuing professional development practices, perceptions of academic library employers about skills that need to be developed in their staff in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from 15 publicly funded academic institutions; 13 responded. Analysis shows that a systematic staff development program is generally lacking. Current continuing professional development activities focus on immediate institutional needs. Information and communication technology skills preferred relate to automated systems, electronic resources, networking, and multimedia applications. Writing and research skills related to measurement and evaluation, studying information needs, and report writing received higher ranks. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations which are made in order to improve the situation.

Career choice, satisfaction, and perceptions about their professional image

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting career choice, job satisfaction, and perceptions of the public image of librarians in Kuwait.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered via questionnaires sent to 117 professional librarians working in academic, public, and special libraries in Kuwait.Findings – The study identified factors which influenced the choice of career, sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Respondents reported that they were moderately satisfied with their current job. The results show that extrinsic measures, such as recognition of accomplishment, fair performance evaluation, and job security were ranked in the top and are the most important aspects of job satisfaction, whereas intrinsic measures, such as suitable daily working hours and nature of work, fell close to the bottom of the list. The cause of employee job dissatisfaction occurs in the area of benefits, contingent rewards, communication, salaries, working conditions, and promotion...

AQAK: A Library Anxiety Scale for Undergraduate Students

The library environment has drastically changed since 1992 when Bostick’s Library Anxiety Scale was developed. This project aimed to develop a scale specifically for undergraduate students. A three-stage study was conducted, using students of Kuwait University. A variety of statistical measures, including factor analysis, were used to process the data. A test re-test was undertaken to estimate the reliability of the scale. The resulting scale, named AQAK, consists of 40 statements clustered into five factors which are: (1) Library resources, (2) Library staff, (3) User knowledge, (4) Library environment, and (5) User education. This new scale with a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.904 is 90 percent reliable. The gender of the participants, the type of high school attended, and the college where they are studying have no relationship with library anxiety.

The digital marketplace and library and information education in the GCC member nations: a critical review

A study was conducted to assess the potential of six library and information education programs in preparing manpower for the digital environment. The situation of six schools in the member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council has been analyzed by collecting data from the schools heads and 49 faculty members, focusing on: curricular changes; faculty size and its research and publication record; hardware equipment and software packages available for instruction; use of digital resources such as databases, online services, and electronic utilities for instruction; and availability of periodicals, books, and electronic resources for instructional activity. This study has brought forth a number of crucial issues related to these factors. Unless these schools take significant developmental or remedial initiatives, they cannot fare well in coping with the changes wrought by the digital imperatives.

Faculty in the library schools of the Gulf Cooperation Council member nations : An evaluation

This study was conducted to analyze the bio-bibliographic profile of faculty members of six library schools in the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Arabian Peninsula. Data were collected through a mailed instrument as well as from the resumes of these faculty members. Forty-nine out of sixty-five faculty members (75.4%) provided data. It was found that the mean age of these faculty members was 48.5. Most of them got their doctoral degrees from Western countries during the 1980s and the 1990s. The majority of them had considerable professional and managerial experience. Their instructional assignments have primarily been in the traditional areas of library operations and service. It was found that most of them have weak research and publication records. They are also quite inactive in professional service as few of them are engaged in continuing professional education activities and none of them is reported to be active in any national or regional professional forum.

Improving the organizational structure for an electronic environment : a case analysis of Kuwait University libraries

In recent years, changes in the library environment have led to increased emphases on improving or restructuring the organizational structures of academic libraries. Technology, trends toward access over ownership, customer focus, and restructuring in higher education are some of the major factors contributing to these changes. This paper also describes the ways in which the traditional hierarchical structure can be modified so that the library will be more responsive to changes in the external environment. A particular emphasis on the case of the Kuwait University libraries provides an applied perspective. The paper also describes the strategies employed to conceptualize change in the organizational structure. Problems in the implementation of a revised organizational structure are also highlighted.

Use of electronic and digital information by investment professionals in Kuwait

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate what types of information are crucial to support investment decisions, how investment professionals find information that they use to advise their clients, what types of sources of information are available to them, what sources they prefer, and what difficulties they experience in finding investment information. The study also explores the preferred ways and means to improve the information finding skills of investment professionals.Design/methodology/approach – Survey method was used to collect data about information‐seeking behavior of investment professionals. An online questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. The questionnaire contained eight questions about types of information required for investment analysis, information‐finding practices of professionals, tools and services frequently used, and perceptions of investment professionals about the importance of sources of information. Participants were also asked about the use of so...

Application of information and communication technologies in special libraries in Kuwait

Purpose – The study is designed to explore the application of information technology in various operations and services in special libraries in Kuwait.Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through a questionnaire accompanied by interviews with head librarians in 25 special libraries in Kuwait.Findings – This study provides baseline data on the current status of the application of information and communication technology (ICT). The majority of the libraries are partially automated. The library catalogue was found to be the most popular area for automation. More than one fourth of the libraries are still using manual systems in their library operations and services. Lack of adequate personnel, ICT training programs, and low priority of libraries within their organization are major obstacles for ICT application in special libraries.Practical implications – This paper will have implications for the development of special libraries in Kuwait. It also indicates existing obstacles, difficulties, ...