Content uploaded by Mohammmed Al-Suqri
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Mohammmed Al-Suqri on Nov 27, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
Collaboration in library and information science education in the Gulf Co-operation
Council (GCC): Current status, challenges and future trends
MOHAMMED NASSER AL-SUQRI
Department of Library and Information Science, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.
Box 121, Postal Code 123, Al-Khoud/Oman <saqrim@squ.edu.om>
Despite the growing popularity of Library and Information Science (LIS) education in the Gulf Co-operation Council
(GCC) states, there is evidence of significant shortcomings in resources, expertise and facilities which may seriously
threaten the future sustainability of the field. In other parts of the world, trends in regional and international collaboration
and co-operation among LIS specialists are contributing to the growth and sustainability of this area of education, and
generating innovative ways of addressing resource limitations and other weaknesses. This paper draws on existing
literature to examine the current state of LIS education in the GCC states and to provide examples of the types of
collaborative models and strategies that might be adopted from other parts of the world in order to improve LIS
education in this region. The potential challenges to this process are discussed and some recommendations for
consideration by LIS specialists in the GCC are put forward.
Keywords: Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Countries, LIS Education, LIS Collaboration, Collaboration Barriers.
EMPORIA STATE R ESEARCH STUDIES Vol. 46, no. 2, p. 48-53 (2010)
INTRODUCTION
Despite the growing popularity of Library and Information
Science (LIS) education in the Gulf Co-operation Council
(GCC) states, there is evidence of significant shortcomings
in resources, expertise and facilities which may seriously
threaten the future sustainability of the field. In other parts
of the world, trends in regional and international collaboration
and co-operation among LIS specialists are contributing to
the growth and sustainability of this area of education, and
generating innovative ways of addressing resource limitations
and other weaknesses.
This is the case not only in Europe and North America but in
less developed areas of Asia and Africa, where systematic
efforts have been made to overcome cultural, linguistic and
other challenges in order to facilitate collaboration between
LIS specialists within their region. It might be expected that,
given the cultural, linguistic and political similarities of the
GCC countries, and their existing political and economic
linkages, high levels of co-operation and collaborative
working would also have developed between LIS specialists
across the region. On the contrary, a review of the available
published information indicates that, to date, there has been
little collaboration between the LIS departments of
universities in the GCC region, a state of affairs which not
only hinders the growth of the discipline in this region but
may threaten its existence.
This article draws on published research to identify types of
co-operation and collaboration in LIS that have been developed
in other regions of the world, and identifies a number of best-
practice examples which might be particularly well suited
for adoption within the GCC. The current barrier to effective
joint working are discussed, and a series of recommendations
are put forward for consideration by LIS specialists in this
region.
WHAT IS COLLABORATION IN LIS EDUCATION AND WHY IS IT SO
IMPORTANT?
Lin [1] defined “co-operation” as a process that
incorporates many different relationships between two
or more individuals or organizations. It involves active
partnerships with resources being shared or work being
done by multiple partners in coordinated effort for the
common good. It involves having a shared sense of a
problem or challenges to an area (p. 2).
This definition is an accurate description of the collaboration
which has been taking place within LIS education in many
parts of the world, in order to address shared problems and
issues and to enhance standards. The entire LIS education
environment has been undergoing extensive change as
departments are forced to expand and adapt their teaching
and services to changing user needs, rapid technological
change and the internationalization of the higher education
environment [2, 3], often in the context of reduced public
funding [4, 5].
Regional and international collaboration has been a growing
trend in Library and Information Science Education [3], which
has been noticeably intensifying in recent years [2]. This
collaboration has taken many different forms around the
world, from informal communications within loose networks
of LIS professionals to highly structured programs conducted
under the auspices of governments and inter-governmental
organizations. Other examples of collaborative activity which
have been developed include joint research, faculty and
student exchange schemes and visiting fellowships,
conferences and workshops, shared online resources,
electronic forums, and learning accreditation or standards
initiatives [6, 7].
The potential benefits of collaboration for enhancing the
quality and diversity of LIS education and tackling specific
problems being faced by the discipline, such as limited
resources, have been well documented in the literature. By
sharing knowledge, resources and expertise through
networking and other forms of collaboration, LIS departments
can expand the range of courses, training and services they
offer to ensure that all important topics are covered, to keep
up to date with developments and changes in the profession,
and to provide opportunities for joint research which
capitalizes on their respective areas of specialist interest and
expertise [8, 9]. Departments can also pool their experience,
knowledge and creativity in order to identify and effectively
implement solutions to the particular issues and problems
facing LIS education in their particular region [7]. On a
strictly practical note, Fan [10] noted that resource-sharing
and other co-operative activity free up time for “more
necessary things,” something that is particularly important
when resources are stretched.
Overall, collaboration has become such a major feature of
LIS on a global scale that, as Virkus [2] pointed out, LIS
schools must participate in this if they wish to keep up with
international quality standards in research, education and
services.
REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN LIS COLLABORATION
The extent of co-operation between LIS departments, however,
is much more advanced in Europe and North America than
in other regions. As Virkus [2] observed, European LIS
schools have recently been actively participating in
collaborative initiatives intended to improve and expand their
curricula, to ensure that the highest international standards
of teaching, research and service provision are met, and to
address the changing requirements of the market. Similar
trends are occurring in North America, where increased
collaboration in the field of LIS education has responded to
changes in the nature of the market for library and information
services and to the growing impact of other disciplines on
LIS, such as knowledge management and multimedia courses
[4].
Within the United States, the Association of Library and
Information Science (ALISE)—formerly the Association of
American Library Schools—has set the objectives of
promoting excellence in LIS teaching, research and services
[6], supporting the professional development of its members
and providing mechanisms for sharing knowledge and
information [1]. ALISE hosts an annual conference at which
LIS faculty discuss developments in the field and share
information about research and practice [11]. Similarly, the
European Association for Library and Information Research
(EUCLID) holds the annual BOBCATSS international
symposia for LIS faculty and students [12], with the symposia
itself organized jointly by an eastern European and a western
European university each year [5].
In less developed regions, such as Asia and Africa,
collaboration in LIS education has also been reported,
especially where national or regional library associations
exist. But, in general, collaboration in the developing world
has been less extensive and systematic than in North America
and Europe, and there have been more barriers to its successful
implementation.
Beerkens [13] observed that the most successful collaboration
occurs when the partners not only have complementary
resources but compatible backgrounds. In contrast to the GCC
region, many other parts of the developing world are
characterized by significant political, cultural and linguistic
differences within the region which might have seriously
hindered co-operation in LIS education [12, 5, 2]. Sometimes
these differences are manifested even in the use of different
terminology with LIS itself, which complicates attempts to
collaborate [2]. Additionally, LIS specialists in developing
regions often experience significant administrative or legal
hurdles in establishing collaboration beyond national
boundaries, especially when pre-existing models of co-
operative working do not exist.
It might be expected that the GCC states, which share similar
cultural, linguistic and political characteristics, and are
already organized as a political-economic entity, would be
less likely to experience the types of barriers to collaboration
in LIS education faced by other developing regions, and that
co-operative work across the region would already be well
advanced. On the contrary, as discussed in the following
section, there is little evidence that this is even under way.
CURRENT STATE OF LIS EDUCATION AND COLLABORATION IN GCC
The six Gulf Co-operation Council States of Oman, Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain
all have higher education systems which follow similar
models, reflecting the shared historical, linguistic, political
and socio-cultural context of these countries [14]. In total,
Emporia State Research Studies 46(2), 2010 49
50 Suqri
there are ten LIS programs within the region’s universities,
with the majority (6) located in Saudi Arabia and the others
in universities in Kuwait (2), Qatar and Oman. All but one
are undergraduate programs [15]. In 2007 it was reported
that these varied in terms students numbers from around 200
to 1,800, with 20 or so faculty reported to be in the largest
program [15].
An online review of literature conducted for the purpose of
this paper revealed that little has been published about the
state of LIS education in the GCC states. The available
published research indicates, however, that there may be
significant shortcomings in terms of resources, expertise and
facilities within the LIS field in this region.
For example, an email survey of the LIS schools in this region
published in 2007 [15] reported evidence that many had
seriously inadequate technological resources, including
“computing hardware, software, bibliographic utilities and
automated systems,” but severely lacked monographic and
periodical resources. Although a number of the schools
reported intentions to reform their curricula to keep up with
technological change and market demand, as in other LIS
schools throughout the world, there was little indication that
this was actually happening [15].
Worryingly, this survey also found evidence of high drop-out
rates among students [15], which raises serious concerns for
the future viability and sustainability of LIS within the GCC
countries.
One of the few other published research studies of the GCC
LIS programs, published in 2001, [14] examined the bio-
bibliographic profile of faculty members. This study found
that, at the time of the research, although most faculty had a
strong professional and managerial background, the majority
had relatively little research experience as academic
publications. Given this situation, it might be expected that
they would be involved in various forms of professional
development or networking to improve their own expertise
and to explore opportunities for collaborative working and
publication. Yet hardly any of the respondents to this survey
reported being involved in any continuing professional
education, and none said that they were active in professional
forums, either within their own countries or the wider region.
IDENTIFYING THE BARRIERS
The review of the international literature on LIS revealed a
number of factors, which have hampered collaboration and
other LIS education improvement initiatives around the world,
and more barriers may exist to collaboration between LIS
departments in the GCC region. Identification of these factors
is an important first step in the process of understanding how
these can be tackled, and what role collaboration itself might
have in this.
In many parts of the world for example, even in Europe, it
has been reported that inadequate funding has been a barrier
to progress in collaboration [2]. Once established, however,
co-operation and joint activities should be useful strategies
and could offer mechanisms for making more effective use of
the limited funding that might be available for LIS education
across the GCC region, for example in the form of shared
resources or facilities.
An even more intractable barrier to effective collaboration
within the GCC region may be the relatively weak IT
infrastructure, including low internet connection speeds.
Readily available access to fast electronic communications
channels and online resources are crucial to the success of
collaborative initiatives, whilst a lack of such facilities can
act as a significant constraint, as revealed by research in other
regions [16].
A lack of relevant professional skills is a common feature of
the field of LIS in many developing countries; this has been
documented as one of the factors which led to the failure of
LIS schools in Africa in forming successful collaborations.
Ochalla & Bothma [17] report that, although a 2004 workshop
of the Library and Information Schools Network of Eastern,
Central and Southern Africa developed an ambitious set of
plans for the establishment of a network of LIS schools which
was to address jointly research, teaching and other
professional issues, the interim committee appointed to take
the initiative forward lacked the skills needed to drive the
initiative forward and the proposals were not carried out. As
noted above, LIS professionals in the GCC also lack certain
types of specialist skills and experience, especially
professional networking and leadership skills [15], and this
may be hindering the development of collaborative work in
the region.
Finally, it can be observed from the literature that government
involvement and support for collaboration in LIS is often a
pre-condition for its successful establishment, while,
conversely, the absence of this support can represent a barrier
to the development of co-operative activities. Some of the
most successful examples of collaboration in LIS education
have occurred within the context of major governmental and
inter-governmental initiatives, which have provided not only
extensive funding but mechanisms and structures within
which collaborative activities can be developed and
implemented. This is the case in China, for example, where
the Ministry of Education has funded and hosted national
and international conferences to discuss the development of
LIS education [10]. Unless the GCC states themselves make
similar commitments in terms of time and financial resources
to establish such mechanisms, it will be considerably more
difficult for LIS departments themselves to do so, given the
constraints and pressures they already face in their day to
day work.
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Despite the challenges of establishing regional collaboration
in LIS education, particularly when funding is limited,
relevant skills are in short supply and infrastructure is
inadequate, many models of successful collaboration can be
identified in other developing regions, which might be
adapted for use by LIS specialists in the GCC states. Some of
these have already been mentioned. But a few more examples
of best practice are also highlighted below.
Formal and semi-formal networks
There is considerable evidence to indicate that, where library
associations exist, these have been instrumental in advancing
the interests of LIS specialists and in helping to reform the
field of LIS in line with international developments. In many
regions of the world, library associations have formed special
committees or working groups to address the specific issues
faced by LIS professionals in their region and to promote
their interests. For example, the Library and Information
Association of South Africa (LIASA) established a Research
Education and Training Interest Group (RETIG) with the
objective of promoting collaboration between LIS schools in
South Africa. This group meets regularly and has been
successful in tackling a range of issues, including the LIS
curriculum, job market and professional development [7]. In
the Gulf region, there is already a regional chapter of the
International Special Libraries Association, which holds an
annual conference. In 2010, this was held in Kuwait, with
the theme “Beyond Libraries: Innovation for Knowledge
Gateways”. The GCC LIS departments might also consider
establishing similar regional forums, concerned specifically
with LIS education and perhaps linked with IFLA or another
international organization.
Standards and accreditation
Despite facing such considerable barriers as diversity of
cultures, languages and political systems, a successful
collaborative scheme for accreditation of LIS education
programs was developed by LIS specialists in southeastern
Asia. First suggested in Kuala Lumpur at the 2001
International Conference for Library and Information Science
Education in Asia Pacific Region, a special committee of the
Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL) was set
up to take this forward, with representation from LIS schools
in the region. The initiative is intended to establish tiered
standards for the recognition, endorsement, and accreditation
of LIS schools in order to improve their credibility and
comparability [3].
Shared resources
Also in southeastern Asia, a collaborative project between
Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the
University of Malaya has resulted in the establishment of a
web portal for LIS education in Asia, including a repository
of teaching materials for use by LIS schools throughout the
region [3].
Faculty development
With funding from the Open Society Institute, a network of
training centers has been established throughout central and
eastern Europe and central Asia (TCN-LIS) with the objective
of support the continuing professional development of LIS
specialists throughout this region. There is research evidence
that this initiative has already had a positive impact on
standards of professional competence in the region [18]. There
are also examples from developing countries of successful
smaller scale, more informal collaborations intended to
develop the professional skills and expertise of faculty, with
other positive benefits from their institutions. LIS schools in
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, for example, have been
operating exchange schemes and knowledge-sharing
mechanisms regarding the use of new media and digital
technologies, which have helped them diversify the range of
courses and services that they offer [3].
LIKELY FUTURE TRENDS
LIS education is becoming a highly competitive, market-
driven activity in which providers must keep abreast with
the latest technological developments and teaching methods,
and ensure that their services are tailored to the rapidly
changing demands of users. Without collaboration with others
in their profession, LIS departments are unlikely to be able
to keep up with these developments and deliver international
standards of teaching, research and information services.
Already the LIS departments of the GCC states are showing
signs of weakness, for example in the form of high student
drop-out rates and inadequate professional networking skills.
In other parts of the developing world, such as Africa and
southeastern Asia, LIS specialists have been able to
successfully overcome barriers to collaboration in order to
develop initiatives which can help to enhance their standards
of teaching and research, diversify their services and improve
cost-effectiveness.
This article has provided a number of different examples of
the types of international and regional collaboration in LIS
Emporia State Research Studies 46(2), 2010 51
52 Suqri
education which are already providing benefits to LIS
departments, faculty and students alike in many parts of the
world, and which the GCC states might consider adopting.
The regional chapter of the Special Libraries Association
could act as a vehicle for the development of collaborative
activities and mechanisms in the Gulf region. However, it
will be necessary for LIS departments, their universities and,
ideally, their respective state governments to allocate the time
and effort needed in the short-term to drive these forward
and develop the kinds of linkages that will generate benefits
in the medium to long term.
Initially, a mapping of facilities and expertise available across
the region would be a valuable collaborative activity. This
would be used to identify opportunities for sharing resources
and facilities or doing joint work, enabling departments to
reduce costs and increase efficiencies, enhance their teaching
and research programs, and provide opportunities for
professional development. In the longer term, more ambitious
initiatives, such as a regional standards and accreditation
schemes, might be considered.
All this, however, must also be accompanied by stringent
monitoring and evaluation, preferably overseen by an external
government body or international LIS organization. This
would allow the success of the collaboration initiative to be
measured against defined performance indicators, such as
the number of joint research publications, the number of
enrolled students in participating universities etc., and help
to ensure that resources and efforts were being targeted at
activities producing tangible positive results.
The overall objective should be to develop a dynamic,
sustainable, first-class LIS education sector, which attracts
students and faculty from around the world. Without
collaboration, this objective is likely to be difficult, if not
impossible, for LIS departments in the GCC to achieve. In
the worst case scenario, if successful collaboration is not
developed, the long-term sustainability and survival of LIS
education in the GCC region may be at stake.
REFERENCES
[1] Lin, C. P. (2004). The challenges and opportunities of
regional co-operation in LIS education in East Asia.
World Library and Information Congress: 70th IFLA
General Conference and Council 22-27 August 2004,
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Retrieved on May 11, 2009
from http://www.ifla.org.sg/IV/ifla70/papers/065e-
Lin.pdf.
[2] Virkus, S. (2007). Collaboration in LIS education in
Europe: Challenges and opportunities. Proceedings of
the World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA
General Conference and Council. Libraries for the
future: Progress, Development and Partnerships, 19-23
August 2007, Durban, South Africa.
[3] Chaudhry, A. S. (2007). Collaboration in LIS education
in South-east Asia. New Library World 108, (1/2), 25-31.
[4] Abdullahi, I., Kajbert, L. & Virkus, S. (2006).
Internationalization of LIS education in Europe and
North America. New Library World, 108 (1/2), 7-24.
[5] Juznic, P. & Badovinac, B. (2005). Toward library and
information science education in the European Union:
A comparative analysis of library and information science
programmes of study for new members and other
applicant countries to the European Union. New Library
World, 106 (3/4), 173-187.
[6] Dablio, M. D. (2007). Towards Networking and
Collaboration for Library and Information Science
Education for Mindanao. Retrieved on May 10, 2009
from http://paarl.wikispaces.com/file/view/Dablio.ppt.
2007.ppt.
[7] Ocholla, D. (2007). The current status and challenges of
collaboration in library and information studies (LIS)
education and training in Africa. New Library World,
109 (9/10), 466-479.
[8] Kuhn, W. & Milam, A. (2004). Using technology as a
tool for effective collaboration and resource sharing
among four graduate programs. Retrieved on May 11,
2009 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/powerpoint/
SER0403.pps.
[9] Deng, S. & Chu, H. (2007). Collaboration in research
and authorship: the LIS book project. CALA-MW
(Chinese American Library Association – Midwest
Chapter) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, May 12, 2007.
[10] Fan, F. (2006). Collaboration and resource sharing among
LIS schools in China. In C. Khoo, D. Singh,, & A. S.
Chaudhry (Eds.), Proceedings of the Asia-Pacific
Conference on Library & Information Education &
Practice 2006 (A-LIEP 2006), Singapore, 3-6 April 2006.
[11] Montague, R. A. (2005). Web-based information science
education (WISE): An inter-institutional collaboration
to promote quality e-Learning. World Library and
Information Congress: 71th IFLA General Conference
and Council.
[12] Abdullahi, I., & Kajberg, L. 2004. A study of international
issues in library and information science education:
survey of LIS schools in Europe, the USA and Canada.
New Library World, 105 (9/10), 345-346.
[13] Beerkens, E. (2004). Global Opportunities and
Institutional Embeddedness: Higher Education
Consortia in Europe and Southeast Asia. Enschede:
CHEPS.
[14] Al-Ansari, H., Rehman, S. & Yousef, N. (2001). Faculty
in the library schools of the Gulf Co-operation Council
member nations: an evaluation. Libri, 51 (3), 173-81.
[15] Rehman, S. (2008). Quality assurance and LIS education
in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries. New
Library World, 109 (7/8), 366-382.
[16] Singh, J., & Wijetunge, P. (2006). Library and
information science education in South Asia: Challenges
and opportunities. Paper presented at the Asia-Pacific
Conference on Library & Information Education &
Practice 2006 (A-LIEP 2006), Singapore, 3-6 April 2006.
[17] Ocholla, D. & Bothma, T. (2007). Trends, challenges
and opportunities for LIS education and training in
Eastern and Southern Africa. New Library World, 108,
55-78.
[18] Robinson, L. & Glosiene, A. (2007). Continuing
professional development for library and information
science: Case study of a network of training centres. Aslib
Proceedings, 59 (4/5), 462 – 474.
Emporia State Research Studies 46(2), 2010 53
