From left: President of the Special Libraries Association, Arabian Gulf Chapter, Dr Rashed Al Zahrani; Chairman of the National Council for Culture and Arts, Sheikh Mashaal Bin Jassem Al Thani; and Qatar University President Prof Sheikha Abdullah Al Misnad at the opening ceremony of the 14th annual conference of the SLA-AGC on Tuesday.

Doha • Graduates from library schools in the Gulf cannot find suitable jobs in their respective countries due to a lack of opportunities, according to Dr Rashed Al Zahrani, president of the Special Libraries Association, Arabian Gulf Chapter (SLA-AGC).

Al Zahrani is in Doha attending the 14th annual conference of SLA-AGC being held at the Ritz Carlton hotel.

Talking to The Peninsula yesterday on the sidelines of the conference, Al Zahrani said, "There are eight library schools in the Gulf, affiliated to various universities — five in Saudi Arabia and one each in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. However, graduates from these schools find it difficult to get suitable jobs in the public sector due to the lack of a government policy to employ them. They have been forced to work in fields that do not suit their area of study."

One solution to the problem is to upgrade the skills of these graduates so that they can find suitable jobs in the private sector, he added.

He said libraries in the region, as elsewhere in the world, are now digitalising their systems to compete with the internet. Printed books are being replaced by e-books that provide easy access to a wide range of information.

"Internet poses the biggest challenge for libraries. However, every new technology will have its charm for a while and most people would return to the traditional ways when that initial attraction fades away," said Al Zahrani.

He said the habit of reading has not changed even after the arrival of the internet or e-books. "People still like to read the printed versions rather than the electronic copies. If they don't find books, they would take print outs from the internet or CDs for the convenience of reading," he added.

The three-day conference, hosted by Qatar University, has brought together library and information specialists from the Middle East and the US. It features a vendor exhibition, presentations and roundtable discussions.

The conference is themed "achieving quality in libraries and information services: Building a culture of continuous improvement in Arabian Gulf libraries".

Besides Al Zahrani, Qatar University President Prof Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, and the Chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts, Sheikh Mashaal Bin Jassem Al Thani, were present at the opening ceremony that included a video-linked speech from SLA President-Elect Gloria Zamora.

In his welcome address, Sheikh Mashaal said, "This conference stresses the crucial importance libraries and information services play in the life of our schools and academic institutions. Recommendations and information disseminated during this event will have significant benefit to the wider community in Qatar where the demand for and use of information technology and services

are widespread".

"Libraries stand at the heart of every institution," said Sheikha Abdullah. "By hosting this event, the Qatar University has underlined the priority it places on the need for optimum standard in library and information services. Under Project Rawafed, we have invested heavily in upgrading the infrastructure of the library. We are employing all modern technologies and methodologies to raise the standard of our students' knowledge and performance in and out of the classroom and our library's capability is being reinforced to cater to the needs of our students and faculty as well as to strengthen and improve the skills of the library staff", she added.