Sajjad ur Rehman

Awareness and use of electronic information resources at the health sciences center of Kuwait University

Electronic resources are vital, but extremely expensive and medical librarians are genuinely concerned about their effective use. It is a widely held view that low awareness and poor skills are among the primary reasons for their under‐utilization. A questionnaire‐based survey of health professionals affiliated with three teaching faculties of Kuwait University was conducted to find out the nature and extent of use and the reasons of low use of these resources. Responses were received from 70.9 percent of the faculty members. They reported that time constraints, lack of awareness, and low skill levels were among the primary constraints they experienced. A large number of them proposed a variety of measures of formal orientation and training to become more effective users.

KM Education in LIS Programs

This paper investigates the perceptions of the heads of 12 LIS schools about KM education. The heads from North America, Europe and Pacific region who consented to participate in this study had either been offering KM courses or had an apparent interest in these programs. Data about perceptions were gathered around the nature of their KM coursework, KM positions their graduates might target, interdisciplinary partnerships, strategic partnerships with industry, and practical difficulties in the introduction of KM courses. They were asked to pinpoint difficulties in the areas of faculty availability, student enrollment, resource availability, creation of partnerships, working with professional associations, and interactions with industry. There existed a strong interest in offering KM courses, cultivating collaborations with business and computing schools, and developing strategic partnerships with industry. These heads identified those problems that hindered their progress. * Professor, Library and Information Science, Kuwait University. khopri@hotmail.com ** Head, Division of Information Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. aschaudhry@ntu.edu.sg

Internet use by health professionals at the Health Sciences Centre of Kuwait University

The purpose of this study was to analyse Internet use and related issues among the health care professionals at the Health Sciences Centre of Kuwait University. A questionnaire was administered to all the 180 faculty members in HSC. The response rate was 76.6 per cent. The extent and patterns of their use of the Internet for 12 applications were analysed. The current level of skills was examined and perceptions for improving them were explored. Also, the impact of the Internet on professional and personal development was explored. Problems related to access and use were also investigated. It was found that the Internet had become a vital instrument for research, information, and communication in the lives of these professionals. Respondents wished to be further empowered through rigorous training and the alleviation of problems that inhibited their Internet use.

Competences for future library professionals of academic libraries in Malaysia

Defines and validates competences for entry‐level professionals of academic libraries in Malaysia keeping in view the needs of the next five years. Top and middle managers of all the university libraries and two other academic libraries participated in the study. A scale of perceived importance of each competence was used for validation of competences organized in the six areas of foundation, cataloguing, circulation, information services, collection development, and serial control. A distinct emphasis is noted for contextual, managerial, technological and service competences. The validated competences can be used for the evaluation and revision of the curricula of formal education programmes.

MLIS program at Kuwait University: Perceptions and reflections

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the perceptions of the graduates of Master in Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at Kuwait University about coursework, faculty, instructional methods, instructional facilities, fieldwork, comprehensive examination, and research component.Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument was used for electronic administration. Eighty graduates of the MLIS program of Kuwait University were identified as population of the study. Sixty‐seven alumni (86.3 per cent) participated in the survey.Findings – Based on the analysis of 61 usable responses, it was found that the faculty and core courses received highest mean scores for satisfaction whereas elective coursework, fieldwork, and comprehensive examinations received the lowest. Qualitative analysis of the participants revealed that the alumni wished broadening the breadth of the elective coursework and fundamental changes in fieldwork and comprehensive examination. Many of them were quite critical of instructi...

Quality assurance and LIS education in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the situation and evaluation strategies and processes of nine library and information science (LIS) education programs in the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Muscat, and Bahrain. It also aims to explore what accreditation practices can be introduced and how this process can be streamlined.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted, using an electronic questionnaire. Nine schools provided information. Saudi Arabias four universities have six LIS programs; Kuwait has two, and Qatar and Oman have one each. The paper describes the situation of the LIS programs in terms of their organizational placement, strategic plan, students, faculty, and resources and facilities. It also describes the evaluation efforts undertaken in these programs through self‐study and external assessment and the outcomes of these exercises.Findings – Policies and practices of evaluatio...

A study of the information literacy capabilities of the Kuwaiti police officers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information literacy capabilities of Kuwaiti police officers by focusing on computing and information skills and perceived value of information sources. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that there existed significant differences in information literacy capabilities based on three personal characteristics.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted of 211 police officers enrolled in a training program; 60 percent responses were received and analyzed using SPSS package.Findings – It was found that generally the Kuwaiti police officers had weak computing and information capabilities. They were generally poor in searching skills. It was further found that departmental affiliation exhibited significant differences for computing and information skills.Originality/value – The study is the first of its type in this region and has significant value in making it clear that appropriate programs of training are needed f...

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.

Information literacy skills among female students in Kuwaiti high schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of information literacy skills in Kuwaiti high schools.Design/methodology/approach – Survey method was used for this study. The population frame consisted of the female students in the 11th grade of the largest governorate in Kuwait “AL‐Asema” which reflected the conditions and environment of a majority of high schools in Kuwait. A cluster random sample was picked of 11th grade classes of girls’ schools in the governorate. The sample thus consisted of a total of 263 students in the randomly selected clusters. A questionnaire was designed and personally administered. Data thus collected were analyzed.Findings – It was found that a majority of Kuwaiti high school students lacked skills in catalog searching and use, selection of information sources, formulation of search strategies, and selection of pertinent sources. Similarly, a majority of them did not make effective use of their public or school libraries. Most of them had not borrowed a book fo...

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.