Saudi academic librarians’ perceptions of the Association of College & Research Libraries guidelines

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to identify the extent of the validity of the application of the Association of College and Research Libraries 2011 guidelines for academic librarians. In order to achieve this, the researchers conducted a survey using a questionnaire distributed to the study population. The population consisted of male and female librarians in six Saudi university libraries: Umm Al Qura University, Tiba University, King Abdulaziz University, Taif University, Princess Noura University, and the University of Dammam. The number of respondents to the questionnaire was 88. All standards received high approval rates. Values relating to professional responsibilities received the highest rating, followed by governance, then leave and research funds followed by compensation, and finally grievance. Among the indicators that received the highest average scores were: providing the librarians with the opportunity to complete their studies while working and therefore improve their salaries, engaging them in developing the policies and regulations of the library, and enabling them to participate in conferences and seminars. There were no statistically significant differences in the degrees of Saudi librarians’ approval rates of the application of any of the ACRL guidelines with regard to years of experience, qualifications, gender, specialization, and place of work.