Factors Working Against Collaboration Among Omani Academic Libraries

Al-Harrasi, Nabhan; Alhijji, Khalfan

doi:10.1080/10572317.2015.1133211

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 27 publications

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“…The second challenge facing Omani academic cataloguers, according to 91 per cent of the respondents, is the lack of collaboration between the country's libraries, which has resulted in duplication of cataloguing resources, sometimes even in the libraries of one institution, and in the inability to build union catalogues and a national authority file. This situation, according to Al Harrasi and Al Hijji (2015), highlights the need for more efforts to bring Omani librarians together to discuss all the factors that stand in the way of achieving effective collaboration between their libraries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of cataloguing librarians in the digital era

Hijji¹,

Al-Busaidi

2019

GKMC

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Purpose This study aims to explore the roles and skills of Omani academic cataloguing librarians in facilitating access to various kinds of traditional and digital information resources and challenges confronting them in fulfilling that task. Design/methodology/approach Data for this research were gathered from 37 academic libraries in the country through a questionnaire sent to their cataloguing librarians. Google Docs format was used for cumulating and presenting quantitative data, whilst content analysis was utilized for gathering the qualitative data in specific themes according to the research questions. Findings The obvious findings are that Omani academic cataloguers still perform the traditional cataloguing functions, including copy and original cataloguing, and maintain authority files. Moreover, more than half of the respondents have the skills required for working in groups and are familiar with cataloguing tools such as RDA rules and BIBFRAME. However, cataloguers lack familiarity with computer languages (XML, PMH, OAI, RDF) and metadata. Practical implications The research concludes with suggestions to libraries for improving librarians’ skills and performance through such as provision of proficient training and establishment of a collaborative body. Originality/value This research addresses an area of interest to most librarians. However, few researchers in the authors’ region have focused on this topic. The study, therefore, aims to contribute to filling this gap through assessing whether cataloguers in Oman have the skills and roles required for organizing various information resources in the digital era.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%