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Public Libraries in Kuwait: A Study of Their Resources,Facilities and ServicesYaser Y. Abdel-Motey PhD a & Husain Al-Ansari PhD ba Department of Library and Information Science , College of Basic Education , Kuwait E-mail:b Library Information Program , College of Social Sciences, Kuwait University , E-mail:Published online: 12 Oct 2012.

To cite this article: Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey PhD & Husain Al-Ansari PhD (2003) Public Libraries in Kuwait: A Study of TheirResources, Facilities and Services, Public Library Quarterly, 22:2, 23-37, DOI: 10.1300/J118v22n02_07

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Public Libraries in Kuwait:A Study of Their Resources, Facilities

and ServicesYaser Y. Abdel-Motey

Husain Al-Ansari

ABSTRACT. The study summarizes the development of public librariesand reviews key studies on public librarianship in Kuwait. The field studyassesses the public library system including its organizational structure, col-lections, facilities and equipment, information services, access, personnel,problems facing public libraries, and the librarians’ awareness of policies,job descriptions and career development opportunities. Findings, conclu-sions and recommendations for the improvement of the current situations ofpublic libraries in Kuwait are provided. [Article copies available for a fee fromThe Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address:<docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2003by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

KEYWORDS. Public libraries, Kuwait, library development, libraryplanning, library services

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM IN KUWAIT

Kuwait lies on the northern coast of the Arabian Gulf. Its total area is6,880 square miles. Kuwait’s population numbers approximately 2.2million, of which 36% are nationals and 64% are residents from differ-ent countries (Barraut, 2001, p. 34). Arabic is the official language ofthe country, but English is widely understood and used.

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Library and In-formation Science, College of Basic Education, Kuwait (E-mail: yaser@paaet.edu.kw).

Husain Al-Ansari, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Library Information Program, Col-lege of Social Sciences, Kuwait University (E-mail: H_Ansari82@hotmail.com).

Public Library Quarterly, Vol. 22(2) 2003http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=J118

2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.10.1300/J118v22n02_07 23

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The first public library in Kuwait was established in 1923 when agroup of eighteen citizens collected funds and books for its establish-ment and operation. “Al-Maktabah al-Ahliyah,” or the Peoples’ Li-brary, opened with a moderate collection of 1,500 books. However, dueto lack of regular support and several relocations, most of the collectionwas either lost or damaged.

In 1936, the Central Public Library was established by the Depart-ment of Education, the predecessor of the Ministry of Education, whichabsorbed the collection of al-Maktabah al-Ahliya (Bader, 1975). Thefirst branch of the central library was established in 1953 in Kuwait cityand Ahmadi Public Library was the first public library to be establishedout of the city in 1960. Other libraries were gradually established in dif-ferent areas of the country until the current number of 25 public librarieswas reached under the jurisdiction and central administration of the Li-braries Administration of the Ministry of Education except for the pe-riod between 1979 and 1988 when the public library system was theresponsibility of The National Council for Culture and Arts and Litera-ture (Al-Rumi, 2001, p. 29).

By 1990, the total collections of all public libraries numbered 294,033items and the total staff numbered 87. In addition, the Central State Li-brary, which was opened in 1986, had a collection of 140,000 volumesand a staff of 52 employees.

The majority of the public library collections were either looted ordestroyed during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Com-puters, bookshelves, card catalogs, and other library equipment was ei-ther looted or destroyed. Losses in collections in the public librarieswere estimated at 133,199 volumes (Al-Ali, 1992).

Kuwait’s 25 public libraries, which are completely financed by thestate, provide free services to the general public. The Libraries Admin-istration at the Ministry of Education manages public and school librar-ies. It provides central acquisition, cataloging, and processing services,and distributes ready-to-use materials to all school and public libraries(The Libraries Administration Facts, 2000).

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to:

1. Survey and assess the current status and problems of the public li-brary system in Kuwait in terms of staff, collections, facilities,and services.

24 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

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2. Examine the areas of policy, job description, job development, andpromotion opportunities for availability and clarity.

3. Suggest, on the basis of findings, recommendations for future de-velopment.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Studies in the field of library and information science in Kuwait arerare in general, and not many specifically concern public libraries inKuwait. However, there have been a few such studies; these are de-scribed below.

Al-Humood, Abdel-Motey and Rizq (1993) documented the damageto the information infrastructure in main types of libraries in Kuwaitdue to the Iraqi invasion in 1990, and reviewed the condition of these li-braries, including the national public library system.

A study by Abdel-Motey and Al-Humood (1993) provides a generalview of the situation in the field of librarianship in Kuwait before andafter the Iraqi invasion. The study reviews and assesses main types of li-braries and the effects of the invasion on them and on the education oflibrarians.

A study by Al-Humood and Abdel-Motey (1996) provides more ex-tensive coverage of the different types of libraries in Kuwait, tracingtheir development, and assessing current and future needs for resources,information services, library education, publishing, and informationtechnology. The study provides recommendations for the developmentof libraries and library and information science education.

Al-Ansari et al. (1999) surveyed a sample of public library users inKuwait, which revealed that 50% of the respondents do not use publiclibraries. Inadequate reading materials, space and facilities, poor circu-lation policies, and the insufficiency of user programs and services werethe major problems facing public libraries in Kuwait.

A study by Abdel-Motey (2001) reviews and evaluates personnelqualifications, stated duties, and actual practice of public librarians inKuwait in light of local and international guidelines. The field study in-vestigated how public librarians acquired the capabilities necessary forperforming their duties on the job, and what additional competenciesthey need to improve their performance. Findings, conclusions and rec-ommendations are provided for the improvement of the current situa-tion of public libraries in Kuwait. Public librarians were generallyfound to be underqualified and inexperienced. Their duties are limited

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey and Husain Al-Ansari 25

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to executing procedures and providing some traditional services. Aneed for more participation in planning, developing polices and ser-vices, collection development, and organization of resources wasidentified for public librarians, as well as a need for the Libraries Adminis-tration to invest in their education and training, which should include in-terpersonal and communication skills. The Administration is alsoadvised to hire more specialist staff with postgraduate education so thatthey may assess and develop public libraries in specialized areas.Finally, public librarians should be given the opportunity for independ-ent, creative and competitive growth.

Additionally, the IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines for Public Libraries(2001), although not specifically about public libraries in Kuwait, is ofgreat importance because of its international perspective. It offers stan-dards and guidelines to librarians worldwide to help them develop pub-lic libraries relevant to the information age. The guidelines cover thefollowing fundamental areas: the role and purpose of the public library,legal and financial framework, user needs, collection development, hu-man resources, management and marketing.

METHODOLOGY

To accomplish the three objectives identified in the purpose of thisstudy, a preliminary meeting was arranged by the researchers with theDirector of the Central Library Administration and the Supervisor ofTechnical Services and Research at the Ministry of Education. The pur-pose of the meeting was to explore the general situation of the public li-braries in the country and to present the objectives of this study, and toreview the questionnaires that were to be distributed to the public librar-ies and the Central Library Administration at the Ministry of Education.

Two questionnaires were designed by the investigators to gather dataon the current status of the public libraries in Kuwait. The first question-naire explored available resources, including staff, collections, and li-brary cooperative plans. The questionnaire was sent to the LibrariesAdministration since it is the central governing body and houses thecentral catalog and records for all public libraries. This part of the studywas supplemented by interviews with the Director, the Supervisor ofTechnical Services and Research, and a technical member at the Li-braries Administration.

The second questionnaire explored available equipment and infor-mation services at public libraries and identified problems and obsta-

26 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

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cles they face. The questionnaire was translated into Arabic andreviewed by three senior librarians before it was sent to the head of eachpublic library in Kuwait; interviews were also conducted with somepublic librarians to discuss the study and their responses.

A total of 25 questionnaires were sent to all head librarians; non-re-spondents were mailed a second copy of the questionnaire about threeweeks after the stated deadline for returning the questionnaire. The re-searchers received valid responses from 20 public libraries in Kuwait(80%), which is an indication of interest in the topic of study on the partof the librarians.

PROFILE OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES SYSTEM

Organizational Structure

The central administrative body for Kuwait’s public library system isthe Libraries Administration of the Ministry of Education, which buildsthe collections, provides technical support, including cataloging andclassification, and supervises 25 public and 555 school libraries. Publiclibraries are financed by the State, providing free services to the generalpublic (The Libraries Administration Facts, 2000).

Public libraries are staffed with head librarians, librarians, assistant li-brarians, hall attendants, and support staff (Abdel-Motey, 2001). Thepublic libraries in Kuwait are organized under the Libraries Administra-tion. The existing organizational structure consists of the Director of theLibrary Administration, who reports to the undersecretary of education,and his two assistants: one for technical services and research who super-vises the collections development, technical services, and research divi-sions; and one for administrative services and facilities, who supervisesthe divisions of administrative services, processing and binding, and theeducational information (Ministry of Education, 1994). Figure 1 illus-trates the hierarchy of the Libraries Administration.

Policies, Job Descriptions and Career Development

Although the public libraries in Kuwait have written policies, clearjob descriptions and a ladder for career development (The Libraries Ad-ministration Manual, 1999), an analysis of the responses to the ques-tionnaires shows that many public librarians are not aware of them, asindicated in Tables 1 and 2.

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey and Husain Al-Ansari 27

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Written policies, clear job descriptions, and a ladder for career develop-ment do not seem sufficiently publicized and clear to the employees.Twenty-two respondents (36.7%) indicated that either there is no policy,job description, and clear ladder for job development and promotion foremployees or that they don’t know, indicating a poor awareness of theworkplace and profession. Responses concerning on-the-job professionaldevelopment opportunities showed higher unawareness since 30 (50%) ofthe respondents indicated that such opportunities are not available or thatthey don’t know about them. Opportunities in this area are limited in vari-ety and availability as confirmed through comments added by respondents.

Access

All 25 public libraries are open 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-10:00p.m., Saturday through Wednesday. Six libraries open on weekends, i.e.,

28 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

General Director of theLibraries Administration

Supervisor for technicalservices and research

Supervisor foradministrative services

and facilities

Building collectionsdivision

Administrative servicesdivision

Processing and bindingdivision

Educational informationdivision

Research division

Technical servicesdivision

FIGURE 1. The Hierarchy of the Libraries Administration

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Thursday and Friday, on a rotation basis, one being in each of the six Ku-waiti governates, as shown in Table 3 (Ar-Rumi, 2001). Although these li-braries have limited collections and resources, both in quantity and formatvariety, and offer limited services, they have not organized any cooperativeor document delivery programs amongst themselves or with other libraries.

Staff

Public libraries in Kuwait employ 184 staff members, the distribu-tion of which is illustrated in Table 4. Of the public library staff, 108(58.6%) hold a college degree, and 46 (25%) have qualifications in thefield of library and information science. The Central Libraries Adminis-tration employs 108 staff members, of whom 48 (44%) hold a collegedegree, and 25 (23%) have qualifications in the field of library and in-formation science (The Libraries Administration Facts, 2000). These

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey and Husain Al-Ansari 29

TABLE 1. Librarians’ Knowledge of Policies, Job Descriptions and Profes-sional Development

Subject surveyedResponses from public libraries

Yes No Don't know

Does the public library system have a writtenand applied policy regarding human resourcesdevelopment?

15(75%)

4(20%)

1(5%)

Does the public library system have clear jobdescriptions for all employees?

15(75%)

5(25%)

-

Does the public library system have a clearladder for career development and promotions?

8(40%)

9(45%)

3(15%)

Total38

(63.3%)18

(30%)4

(6.7%)

TABLE 2. Librarians’ Knowledge of Professional Development Opportunities

Subject surveyedResponses from public libraries

Yes No Don't know

Does the public library system offer trainingopportunities for employees?

10(50%)

10(50%) -

Does the public library system offer continuingeducation opportunities for employees?

12(60%)

7(35%)

1(5%)

Does the public library system offer conferenceand seminar attendance opportunities foremployees?

8(40%)

11(55%)

1(5%)

Total30

(50%)28

(46.6%)2

(3.4%)

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numbers are far below what is necessary to carry responsibilities, as in-dicated by the public librarians: “shortages in qualified personnel” wasamong the problems they identified. International standards also sup-port these findings.

IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines (2001) require 33% of staff, excludingmanual staff, to be qualified librarians; in Kuwait, only (46) 25% of per-sonnel employed in public libraries are qualified (holding college quali-fications in librarianship). Furthermore, while the public libraries andthe Central Libraries Administration employ only 69 qualified librari-ans, the number suggested by the Guidelines is one per 2,500 of the pop-ulation, or 880 for Kuwait. According to these Guidelines, Kuwait has ashortage of over 811 public librarians.

Collections

The combined holdings of the public libraries are approximately442,262 volumes, many of which are outdated or redundant. These col-lections concentrate primarily on traditional subjects such as literature(17%), geography and history (15%), social studies (17%), and religion(12%). Only 8% of the collections are in the area of pure sciences, 10% inapplied sciences and 7% in languages other than Arabic, primarily Eng-lish (The Libraries Administration Facts, 2000). The number, types, andformats of these resources are far below any standards or guidelines for-mulated to insure the satisfaction and benefit of users. IFLA suggests col-lections to be between 1.5-2.5 books per capita, or an average of 2 percapita (IFLA/UNESCO, 2001, p. 56). If these criteria were applied to thesituation in Kuwait, the public libraries’ collections should number ap-proximately 4.4 million books; however, the total collection of Kuwait’spublic libraries is approximately 442,262, which amounts to a shortageof 3,957,738 million books. This was also supported by findings of thefield study, which identified problems facing public libraries. “Shortages

30 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

TABLE 3. Libraries Open on Weekends on Rotation in Kuwaiti Governates

Governate Library Location

Capital Dayah Dayah Complex

Farwanyah Ardyah opposite to Farwanyah Governet

Hawalli Hawalli Hawalli Complex

Mubarak Al-Kabeer Jaber Al-Ali Jaber Al-Ali Complex

Sabah Al-Salem Sabah Al-Salem Complex

Al-Jahra Al-Oyoon Al-Oyoon Complex

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in collections” and “shortages in allocated budgets” were among prob-lems identified by public library professionals in Kuwait.

Facilities and Equipment

The provision of basic facilities in Kuwait’s public libraries is sum-marized in Table 5.

Table 5 shows that all libraries have phone, fax, TV, and photocopi-ers; less than half of the public libraries in Kuwait feature computers inthe library. Most libraries still operate with manual systems and house avery traditional collection of mainly books. Recommendations and al-locations should be provided to correct this situation.

Information Services

Information services provided by public libraries are still traditionalin nature and are usually limited to circulating books, photocopying ma-terials, and providing some basic reference services with on-site printreference collections. The information services provided by Kuwait’spublic libraries are summarized in Table 6. The questionnaire listed thefirst five basic services in Table 6. Librarians were asked to add anyother services that are available at their libraries; these additions arealso indicated in Table 6.

The information services offered by the libraries are basically limitedto circulation and photocopying. The loaning system is manual and re-quires the user to present a photo ID and a deposit of 5 Kuwaiti dinars,or approximately 17 U.S. dollars, per book. All the public libraries offersome sort of reference or guidance service to users; however, such ser-vices are poor due to the lack of qualified staff and adequate materials.

32 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

TABLE 5. Public Library Facilities

Facility Not available Available Total responses

Telephone line - 20 20

Audio equipment 2 17 19

Fax machines - 20 20

TVs - 20 20

Video players 2 18 20

Computers 11 9 20

Microforms 16 1 17

Photocopiers - 20 20

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Of the 179 employees in the public libraries, only 43 (24%) have quali-fications in the field of library and information science (The LibrariesAdministration Facts, 2000). One fourth of the surveyed libraries offerstory hour for children and only 3 (15%) have Internet connections.Current awareness, telephone reference services, archives of magazinesclips are services offered only in rare cases.

Problems and Obstacles Identified by Public Librarians

Table 7 presents the public librarians’ evaluation of the problemsfacing public libraries in Kuwait.

According to Table 7, the professionals ranked the problems in thefiles in order of severity in the following order.

1. Lack of staff incentives 80%2. Shortage in allocated budgets 77%3. Lack of IT & modern communications 73%4. Lack of users’ information literacy 70%5. Shortages in buildings and areas 63%6. Lack of professional development 57%7. Shortage in qualified personnel 50%8. Lack of standards and guidelines 50%9. Unsuitable furniture 48%

10. Problems/policies & procedures 40%11. Shortages in collections 38%12. Lack of cooperation 43%

This ranking was achieved by assigning values to each response (greateffect = 3, medium effect = 2, low effect = 1, no effect and don’t know =

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey and Husain Al-Ansari 33

TABLE 6. Public Libraries Information Services

Service Available Comments

Circulation 20 Limit of 2 books, and a 5 KD1deposit per book

Photocopying 20 .030 KD charged for each copy

Reference 20

Story hour 5

Internet 3

Currentawareness

1 Added by one public librarian

Telephonereferenceservices

1 Added by one public librarian

Clips archive 2 Added by two public librarians1

1 KD = approximately 3.3 US dollars

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0) and calculating the total value for each statement. The percentage fol-lowing each statement is the percentage of the total possible score.

The problems identified above are addressed in the conclusions andrecommendations that follow.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Most criteria explored by this study to draw a profile of the public li-brary system in the country have revealed serious deficiencies thatthreaten that system. Major areas requiring immediate improvement areidentified below as recommendations for improvement.

1. Written policies, job descriptions, and a ladder for career develop-ment have to be sufficiently publicized and made clear to the em-ployees at the public libraries in Kuwait. The foremost problemsidentified by public librarians were all related to low satisfactionlevels as sensed by researchers through personal interviews. Othermajor problems identified by public librarians include: lack of staffincentives, shortage in allocated budgets, and a lack of IT and mod-ern communications. More incentives for public librarians arethought to be necessary, as well as clear opportunities for profes-sional growth and added benefits to reward excellent performance.

34 PUBLIC LIBRARY QUARTERLY

TABLE 7. Evaluation of Difficulties and Obstacles Facing Public Libraries

Problems and obstacles Greateffect

Mediumeffect

Loweffect

Noeffect

Don'tknow

Shortage in qualified personnel 6 3 6 1 -

Shortage in allocated budgets 11 5 3 - 1

Shortages in collections 3 1 12 3 -

Lack of staff incentives 11 6 3 - -

Problems related to policies andadministrative procedures

3 3 9 3 -

Lack of information literacy 7 8 5 - -

Lack of IT and moderncommunications

9 7 3 - -

Lack of standards and guidelines 4 6 6 3 -

Unsuitable furniture 6 4 3 6 -

Lack of cooperation betweenpublic libraries

2 4 12 - -

Lack of professional developmentfor staff

3 10 5 - -

Inadequacy of buildings 9 3 5 2 -

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A revision of the organizational structure of the central adminis-trative department might be useful; separate administrative bodiesfor school and public libraries in the country might prove effectiveand give room for improvement and development. The introductionof a department for information technology and networks under thelibrary administration is another recommendation of this study.

2. The public library system needs to overcome the acute shortage ofsufficient qualified personnel, and provide better opportunities foremployee training and self-development. Qualified personnel areobviously an essential element for any concurrent developments inthe libraries and their services, since they will undertake responsi-bilities in the public libraries. This problem can be remedied if suf-ficient positions and attractive incentives were to be provided.

3. Collections at the public libraries are in critical need for evalua-tion and development, since they consist mainly of Arabic booksin traditional areas and some periodicals and neglect areas such asscience and technology. With under half a million volumes inpublic libraries, the shortage is almost four million according toIFLA guidelines. The size, types, and formats of these resourcesare also below any standards or guidelines that consider the satis-faction and benefit of users.

4. The deficiency in public library facilities and equipment is similarto other assessed criteria. Minimal facilities such as telephonelines, faxes, and photocopiers were available in all libraries; how-ever, less than half have computers in the library. The provision ofsuitable equipment and facilities is an essential element for the de-velopment of these libraries and their services, which could bene-fit from the decreasing cost and increasing performance of newtechnologies. The IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines stress the impor-tance and means necessary to overcome this problem:

To take advantage of the opportunities information and com-munications technology present there is a basic need for lit-eracy, computer skills and a reliable telecommunications net-work. The risk of a growing gap between the information richand the information poor has never been greater. This gap isnot just an issue between countries at different stages of devel-opment but also between groups and individuals within coun-tries. The United Nations report says, “Determined efforts areneeded to bring developing countries–and poor people everywhere–into the global conversation.”

Yaser Y. Abdel-Motey and Husain Al-Ansari 35

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Public libraries have an exciting opportunity to help to bringeveryone into this global conversation and to bridge what isoften called “the digital divide.” They can achieve this by pro-viding information technology for public access, by teachingbasic computer skills and by participating in programmes tocombat illiteracy. (p. 12)

Budgeting allocations for these libraries should increase, as wellas the librarians’ freedom and authority to use their budgets tomeet users’ current needs. They should look beyond the govern-ment for non-traditional sources of income such as donations andfund raising. A system for scheduled and efficient maintenanceshould also be devised to address the deteriorating situation thathas developed and accumulated over the years from inefficientmaintenance at these libraries.

5. Information services provided by public libraries are still highlytraditional in nature, as evidenced by the manual systems still be-ing used in all public libraries. Information services generally donot go beyond circulating books, photocopying materials, andproviding some basic reference services with on-site print refer-ence collections. Only 15% of public libraries have Internet con-nections. Necessary improvement and development should startwith cooperation among public libraries and between them andother libraries and bodies in Kuwait and abroad. The use ofnon-traditional sources, information technology and networks isanother area of needed improvement.

REFERENCES

Abdel-Motey, Yaser and Nahla Al-Humood. 1993. “Librarianship in Kuwait After theGulf War.” Digest of Middle East Studies (DOMES) 2:1, 40-49.

Abdel-Motey, Yaser Y. 2001. “Public Librarians in Kuwait: A Study of Personnel,Duties and Practice.” Arab Journal of Library and Information Science 21: 4, 4-18.

Al-Ansari, Husain Ahmed, Badriah Al-Ali and Saniah Balshah. 1997. Daleel Al-Maktabat Wa Marakiz Al-Maloomat Be-Dawlat Al-Kuwait (Directory of Librariesand Information Centers in the State of Kuwait). Kuwait: Kuwait University, Li-braries Administration.

______. 1992. A Study of supply and demand of library and information workers inKuwait: Five-year projections and recommendations for human resources plan-ning. Ph.D. dissertation, The Florida State University.

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Al-Humood, Nahla and Yaser Abdel-Motey. 1996. “The profession of librarianship inthe state of Kuwait: a study of the effects of the Iraqi aggression and future plans fordevelopment (in Arabic).” Presented to The International Conference on the Effectsof the Iraqi Aggression on the State of Kuwait. The Centre of the Gulf and ArabianPeninsula Studies 2, 279-320.

Al-Humood, Nahla, Yaser Abdel-Motey, and Abdallah Rizq. 1993. Libraries and In-formation after the Iraqi Invasion and the Liberation of Kuwait (in Arabic). Ku-wait: College of Basic Education.

Ar-Rumi, Hanan B. et al. 2001. Public Libraries in Kuwait: Establishment and Devel-opment. Kuwait: Ministry of Education, Libraries Administration.

Badr, Ahmed. 1975. Libraries in Kuwait. Encyclopedia of Libraries and InformationScience. Vol. 14. New York: Marcel Dekker.

Barrault, Michel. 2001. Regards Kuwait. Translated by Nadia Fairbrother.Vesoul-France: Michel Hetier.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and UnitedNations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2001. ThePublic Library Service: IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines for Development. Munchen:Saur.

Ministry of Education. 1994. Hierarchy of the Libraries Administration (Decree num-ber 27964/1994). Kuwait: Ministry of Education.

The Libraries Administration. 2000. The Libraries: Facts and Figures 98-99 (inArabic). Kuwait: Ministry of Education, Libraries Administration.

The Libraries Administration. 1999. The Work Manual for Public Libraries: Polices,Rules, Instructions (in Arabic). Kuwait: Ministry of Education, Libraries Adminis-tration.

Received: 06/05/01Revised: 07/03/02

Accepted: 09/18/02

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