Despite their rapid economic and social development over the last twenty years, no Arabian Gulf country has developed an effective library system. At a comparatively early stage in their educational development Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have each established their own universities. The libraries of these universities house the la.rgest collections of books and informatfon in the area as well as employing most of the available skilled manpower. The services they provide however are inadequate and their role is seen as being purely to serve the needs of the parent institution rather than as forming part of a national information system. Educational; religious and social factors have tended to produce ~ ~g:e~n:e~r~a~l~l~~~ative attitude to books and libraries in the area. inefficiency, shortages of skilled staff, problems of materials supply and the absence of relevant information systems reduce the effectiveness of libraries once they have been established. Ways must be found to reorganise these university libraries so that they can both provide a more efficient service to academic staff and students and make a wider contribution to national development. A university library should form part of the national library/information system supplementing the services of other libraries. It should also be capable of providing a direct information service to those outside the university community. If any real progress is to take place however Gulf governments must first be persuaded of the contribution libraries can make not just to education but the development process as a whole.

Despite their rapid economic and social development over the last twenty years, no Arabian Gulf country has developed an effective library system. At a comparatively early stage in their educational development Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have each established their...