The emergence of libraries in the sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to report library developments that took place in the Sultanate of Oman during the past two decades. Rapid social and economic development in Oman has not been matched by adequate improvements in library and information infrastructure. Still in their infancy, libraries in this country suffer from deficiencies in human and physical resources. There is no designated national library. Public libraries are few and appear to function within a rather limited scope. Academic libraries got off to a good start. The Sultan Qaboos University Library is in the front line and is likely to have considerable potential as a research library. Several special libraries exist mainly in government ministries and other government-supported institutions. These are also not yet fully developed and provide only limited services. School libraries are also deficient in resources. The dearth of qualified school librarians seems to be a major problem. The effort to collect ancient manuscripts is making steady progress with two libraries already set up. Education for librarianship has started in earnest. Thus, the first batch of locally-trained Omani professional librarians is due to graduate this year.