Fear factors in cataloguing Arabic books: USM experience

Library as the heart of the university is developing over the years with various types of collections written and presented in many languages such as English, Malay, and Arabic. Different languages come with different letters, words, pronunciations, and characters, thus creating great challenges to the librarians. For cataloguers, determining the access point is crucial in order to ease the retrieving process. There are certain issues faced by cataloguers that should be addressed to ensure the uniformity and authoritativeness of records in cataloguing Arabic books

Critical Issues in Cataloging and Classifying Arabic Books: a case study BY Abdrahman Atanda MOUSTAPHA (CLN, NLA) & Raihanat AHMAD (ALA)

Cataloging of Arabic materials in the library has posed great challenges for librarians especially the cataloguers who define the access factors to facilitate easy retrieval. The main hassle in cataloging Arabic books is identifying the part of a set of nouns and adjectives for the main entry selection. Usually, in an Arabic name, the name of his father or ancestors may be included with some adjective or one which suggests the area of birth. Catalogers also face different issues with cataloging Arabic books in terms of the duration of the writer\u27s name, the reversal of the call, the authors with different names, and the pronunciation of the names except, cataloguers may additionally face a hassle with e-book titles, prolonged titles, one-of-a-kind titles for the identical article, titles that don\u27t represent the content material, and literary titles are not unusual problems in cataloging Arabic books. These challenges are to be addressed to make certain the uniformity and credibility of information in cataloging Arabic books. In reality, this paper intends to discuss and share the troubles of cataloging Arabic non-public names and titles of Arabic books as confronted via the cataloguers of the Kwara State University library. We wish that this effort will contribute to developing tips and requirements designed for Kwara State University Library, Nigeria, and to enhance the change of Islamic Statistics and Information within the Islamic globe

Issues and Challenges in Cataloguing Arabic Books in Malaysian Academic Libraries

Education in Library and Information Science is a requirement to become a librarian. There are a lot of syllabuses and subjects to concentrate on such as cataloguing and classification, information retrieval, knowledge management, and reference. Library as a centre of information has been developing year by year with various types of collections written and presented in many languages such as English, Arabic and Malay. The different languages come with different letters, words, pronunciations and characters. They can bring problems and challenges in cataloguing process including determining the access points, subject headings and call number. The objective of this study is to identify the challenges in cataloguing Arabic books for cataloguers in Malaysian academic libraries

A plan for the establishment of a national bibliographic network for Kuwait in the light of international and local standards

This research was carried out in order to gather information on the current situation and practices of libraries in Kuwait so as to investigate the possibly of designing a model for establishment of a national bibliographic network in the State of Kuwait. As context for the research, background is provided on national bibliographic networks in developed countries and in the Arab World, together with consideration of the role of a national library in such a network. In order to gather data, three questionnaire surveys (for library administrators, cataloguers and automation specialists) were distributed to all types of libraries in Kuwait. Information was sought on the composition and training of staff, the nature and extent of library resources and databases, the degree of automation of systems and services, and the nature of co-operation and resource sharing. Opinions were also sought on the feasibility of establishing centralised cataloguing and the implementation of a national bibliographic network. Follow-up interviews were also carried out, and professionals in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were consulted for advice on practical solutions and recommendations for an effective national bibliographic network. The findings of the questionnaire surveys indicated some deficiencies that Kuwait libraries face: the absence of a leadership role by the national library; lack of a deposit law for national publications that would ensure a collection that would provide central focal point for a national information infrastructure; coverage by the national bibliography is neither comprehensive nor adequate; there are no formal systems of co-operation for resource sharing; implementation of standards for bibliographic services has been ineffective; many libraries still lack automated systems; lack of professional staff was noted by all sectors. Nevertheless, respondents were positive in their concern for needing strong leadership, adequate financial support for the national library, and expressed a desire for co-operation, which was felt to be possible even under the current circumstances. Based on the findings of the survey and experience described in the literature, it is concluded that a national library is the most appropriate body to develop and maintain the bibliographic databases that would be the centre of national bibliographic network. A model for such a network is presented, discussing the links to different libraries in the country and the duties and responsibilities of the national and other libraries in attaining successful functioning of the network. Recommendations are made for the functioning of the proposed national bibliographic network

Bibliographic Control in the Digital Ecosystem

With the contributions of international experts, the book aims to explore the new boundaries of universal bibliographic control. Bibliographic control is radically changing because the bibliographic universe is radically changing: resources, agents, technologies, standards and practices. Among the main topics addressed: library cooperation networks; legal deposit; national bibliographies; new tools and standards (IFLA LRM, RDA, BIBFRAME); authority control and new alliances (Wikidata, Wikibase, Identifiers); new ways of indexing resources (artificial intelligence); institutional repositories; new book supply chain; “discoverability” in the IIIF digital ecosystem; role of thesauri and ontologies in the digital ecosystem; bibliographic control and search engines

Authority control in an academic library consortium using a union catalogue maintained by a central office for authority control

Authority control is the backbone of the library catalogue and therefore a critical library activity. Experienced staff create authority records to assist users in their quest for information. The focus of this study is on authority control as a means of co-operation in academic library consortia using a union catalogue maintained by a Central Office for Authority Control. Literature studies were conducted on three sub-problems: the development of academic library consortia in South Africa, and various forms, characteristics and functions of academic library consortia in general; the characteristics, principals and objectives of authority control; and the functions of union catalogues with special reference to the role of Z39.50 within virtual union catalogues. The conclusion was that existing and new authority records should be made available as widely as possible within consortia through a union catalogue. It is however a partial solution, because not all the libraries within the consortium have the expertise to create new authority records. Two empirical studies were conducted. A cost analysis was done to determine the cost of creating and changing authority records within academic library consortia in South Africa, in order to choose a system within which authority control can be performed effectively and speedily. Secondly, a questionnaire was sent to libraries in the United States to gather information on their experiences with regard to authority control, library co-operation in general, and virtual union catalogues. The United States was the natural choice because it could be regarded as the birthplace of modern library consortia. Inferences drawn from the information received was used to develop the structure and functions for a Central Office for Authority Control in academic library consortia in South Africa. It was found that authority control within an academic library consortium using a union catalogue could be conducted most cost-effectively and timeously through such a Central Office for Authority Control. The purpose of the Central Office would be to co-ordinate authority control within the consortium. Pooling available resources within the consortium would keep the cost of authority control as low as possible. Libraries with the required infrastructure and expertise would have the opportunity to create authority records on behalf of other libraries and be compensated for their services. Through such a Central Office more authority records created according to mutually accepted standards would be available for sharing within the consortium.Information ScienceD.Litt. et Phil. (Information Science

Research and development in science and technology in GCC countries: role of information centres and libraries

This research study identifies the role of library and information centres at the major science and technology related universities and research institutes in the six GeC countries i.e. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, in relation to the institutes/organisations research and development activities. It also had a comparative aspect in that it examined information resources and information services available in the institutes/organisations under study with users perceptions on the effectiveness and efficiency of library and information services. A survey research design utilizing questionnaires was chosen as the most appropriate and effective method for gathering the data needed with intensive interviews with academe, Deans/Directors of Library Information Centres and R&D personnel to answer the study's research questions. The different populations were queried including the Chief Executives of institutes/organisations, Deans/Directors of Library and Information Centres and selected R&D personnel associated with them. It was found that in spite of large library collections and a number of de-centralised library systems in all the universities, information services available to the R&D personnel were inadequate. The fmdings of this investigation provided the means for the development of the proposed regional and national library/information network systems for successful library and information services model presented in this study. As an alternative a GeC infonnation subsystem GCC-SIST has been recommended along with emphasis on an electronic information system

The effect of September 11, 2001 and subsequent terrorist events upon Australian public libraries' policies, and collections and services to Muslim clients

This research addresses the responses by the Australian library profession to the series of national and international terrorism events that commenced with the attacks on the United States on September 11th 2001. It specifically investigates the response of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) in the light of changes to Commonwealth Government policies and legislation, and the subsequent impacts on the policy environment in which Australian public libraries operated, and their delivery of collections and services to Muslim clients

Matriz para mapeamento do potencial educativo de programas audiovisuais na aprendizagem do inglês

This thesis describes the process of developing and testing a prototype of a mobile application aimed at English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, as well as English for Specific Purposes / Business English learners. It is a prototype of an online collaborative platform that allows the sharing and mapping of audiovisual content. This mapping also allows for the search of content on the same platform, to use in-class or in informal contexts. In this work the following steps are depicted: i. the identification of the variables included in the Matrix, which supports mapping and searching tasks, ii. how this Matrix was incorporated into a Google Form, to be tested by an expert panel, iii. the selection of the tools used to build the high-fidelity prototype, and iv. how this prototype was tested and evaluated by a sample of target users. In terms of methodology, this project is a development-research work, in which four different phases were outlined: i. the construction of the Matrix – through an exploratory study of the literature, as well as language learning platforms and software; ii. the validation of the Matrix by an experts’ panel; iii. the incorporation of the Matrix into a prototype – using prototyping freeware online tools; iv. the experimental use of the prototype by target users. With the data gathered in the latter, the potential of implementing such a platform was evaluated. The results of the prototype trial show that, on a behavioral level, this type of platform has the potential to change the habits of searching for audiovisual content by both user groups; regarding the tasks, they are intuitive and simple to perform; on a conceptual level, the platform was validated as tool to support the teaching and learning process; the functions of social interaction tools were also validated. However, the planned gamification functions still need some review. A platform of this nature can be a useful instrument to other TESOL branches (such as General English). It can generate the development of mechanisms of artificial intelligence for automatic mapping of audiovisual content and the underlying rationale can be transferred to other foreign languages.A presente tese descreve o processo de desenvolvimento e teste de um protótipo de uma aplicação móvel direcionada a professores de Inglês Língua Estrangeira e aprendentes de English for Specific Purposes / Business English. Trata-se de um protótipo de uma plataforma colaborativa online que permite a partilha e mapeamento de conteúdo audiovisual. Este mapeamento também permite a pesquisa de conteúdo na mesma plataforma, para utilização em sala de aula ou para consumo em contextos informais. Neste trabalho, descreve-se: i. como foram isoladas as vareáveis para construir a matriz que sustenta as tarefas de mapeamento e pesquisa, ii. como essa Matriz foi incorporada num Google Form para ser testada por um painel de peritos, iii. como foi construído o protótipo de alta-fidelidade, e iv. como esse protótipo foi testado e avaliado por uma amostra de utilizadores-alvo. A metodologia aplicada neste projeto foi Development-Research e foram delineadas quatro fases distintas: 1. Construção da Matriz – através de um estudo exploratório da literatura e de plataformas e software de aprendizagem de línguas; 2. Validação da matriz por parte de um painel de peritos; 3. Incorporação da matriz num protótipo – utilizando ferramentas de prototipagem disponíveis gratuitamente online; 4. Uso experimental do protótipo por utilizadores-alvo. Com os dados recolhidos na fase 4 foi possível avaliar o potencial de implementação desta plataforma. Os resultados do teste do protótipo mostram que, ao nível comportamental, este tipo de plataforma tem potencial para mudar os hábitos de pesquisa de conteúdo audiovisual por parte de ambos os grupos de utilizadores; ao nível das tarefas, estas são intuitivas e de simples execução; ao nível conceptual, a plataforma foi validada enquanto instrumento de auxílio ao processo de ensino e de aprendizagem e as funções de interação social foram igualmente validadas. Ainda assim, concluiu-se que as funções de gamificação pensadas necessitam de uma revisão. Em síntese, uma plataforma desta natureza parece ser um instrumento de utilidade a outros ramos do ensino do inglês (como o General English), que pode gerar o desenvolvimento de mecanismos de inteligência artificial para mapeamento automático de conteúdo audiovisual, e o racional subjacente pode ser transferido para outras línguas estrangeiras.Programa Doutoral em Multimédia em Educaçã