The Sultanate of Oman’s need for a cooperative network of learning resource centers: an exploratory study and a proposal for a model network
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70000/cj.2009.19.387Abstract
School libraries play an important role in supporting the educational process. Given the significant and notable recent development of education in the Sultanate, the emergence of new ideas and methods in the field of teaching and learning, and the introduction of technology and automated systems into the educational process, especially in teaching the school curricula, it was necessary for school libraries to also develop and evolve. Methods of providing their services to keep pace with these current educational and technological developments, as well as in order to advance the educational process and improve the services they provide to the educational environment. School libraries in the Sultanate have gradually transformed into what are called learning resource centers. They have not become dependent on traditional facilities only, but rather their sources have multiplied and diversified, and they have begun to provide their services in a comprehensive manner. Automated through the application of the Knowledge Horizons system, and since they are libraries that have a similar characteristic in resources, material capabilities, services, and interests as well, and carry the same goal, they have basic components for establishing a cooperative project among them in order to raise the level of services they provide to beneficiaries and also save time and effort for their workers and exchange experiences among them. Signs of the possibility of this cooperation have emerged through the Education Portal project launched by the Ministry of Education, which enables the Sultanate’s schools to be linked together through a single network.
Therefore, we aim, through this study, to present a proposal to establish a cooperative network between learning resource centers in the Sultanate, with a focus as a first stage on the schools of Muscat Governorate. Through the study, we will address the nature of the currently existing cooperation between learning resource centers in the Sultanate, and what are the areas of cooperation that could exist between them. Which we can present through this network, in addition to studying the obstacles that may hinder the establishment of the network. At the conclusion of the study, we will discuss presenting a proposed design for the cooperative network between learning resource centers, while clarifying the requirements for establishing this network, whether they are technical, human, or material requirements.
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Copyright (c) 2009 Buraik Mamary, Zamilah Al Solaimania
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.