Electronic document delivery in academic and research organizations in the Gulf States: a case study in Kuwait.

Outlines the nature of research and publishing in Arabic, the attempts to encourage resource sharing in the Arab Gulf States, the existing arrangements for interlibrary lending and the development of electronic document delivery systems that facilitate interlibrary lending. A case study examined the availability of relevant technology and personnel with appropriate expertise in three major libraries in Kuwait: Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, and the National Scientific and Technical Information Center. Questionnaires and interviews, intended to assess staff attitudes and perceptions, were used to examine the reasons why the Ariel system of Electronic Document Delivery appeared to have not yet been adopted, although it has been increasingly used in other parts of the world for more than 10 years. The paper notes that the adoption of this new technology in Kuwait is supported in principle, but is hindered by lack of awareness, skills and motivation, and speculates about the wider implications for the Gulf States

Factors Underlying Technology Adoption in Academic Libraries in Kuwait

The study analysed factors shaping adoption of technology in academic libraries in Kuwait. The research was based on interviews conducted with library directors, staff and users, combined with observation and document analysis. A major aspect of the Kuwaiti context was a relative lack of financial restraints and an enthusiasm for technology within society as a whole. Other important influences shaping technology adoption specifically within libraries were the top down decision making style and a quest for prestige, in a context of a lack of library culture among users, shortage of professional staff and a strong, perhaps exaggerated, faith in technology as a solution to problems

Web 2.0 + Library = Library 2.0 / What is Library 2.0?

The emerging of new programming languages for the web such as: Java and XML and the integration of it such as: asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX)has promised new transformation for more dynamic web applications and more interactive between online users. There are dramatic increases in web usage worldwide, statistics shows more than one billion online hosts out of the entire world population which is six billion, activate on the Internet. New technological advent emerged as result and commonly known by Web 2.0. This assignment will present the definitions and will demonstrate the scholar’s views about Web 2.0. Also, this assignment will cover briefly the states of the Web 2.0 activities in Middle East area, specifically the Gulf Cooperation Countries. At the end the researcher will focus and explore some of the Web 2.0 activities that developed and changed the libraries environment and caused the shifting to what is currently known by the Library 2.0 (L 2.0)

Internet and Privacy

The concept of privacy is hard to understand and is not easy to define, because this concept is linked with several dimensions. Internet Privacy is associated with the use of the Internet and most likely appointed under communications privacy, involving the user of the Internet’s personal information and activities, and the disclosure of them online. This essay is going to present the meaning of privacy and the implications of it for Internet users. Also, this essay will demonstrate some of the issues that are presented in the literature, as well as exploring different authors’ perspectives on Internet and Privacy concerns

Data Communication & Networking

The aim of this report is to demonstrate the technologies now in place and those emerging, which can provide high-bandwidth data communications. The objectives of this report are to explain recent subscriber demands, to identify the inadequacy of PSTNs for high-bandwidth data, and to illuminate the different types of connections that have been used in recent communication technology. This report begins with an introduction to and an explanation of the importance of recent user demands, and further on, browses the types of networks and the differences between public and private networks. Service paradigms and methods of connection are examined to achieve a better understanding of recent technology protocols. At the end of the report, network technologies are evaluated in order to explore the basic components for each technology and the differences between them. The information in this report is intended to be general, in scope and presentation, in order to make this report adequate as a reference guide for all IT departments located in any organization or company. This report evaluates recent technology and how it has promoted procedures and applications for doing business, and evaluates how the technology has differentiated special technologies to meet recent user demand

One of the Academic Information Centres in the State of Kuwait

The expansion of Internet use nowadays has caused this century to be known as the technology century. This essay explores the impact of electronic information via Internet technology and how it has affected the form of the services that are provided by an academic library, The Engineering & Petroleum Library, in the State of Kuwait. The essay starts with a general introduction to characteristic developments in recent technology, the appearance of the Internet as a communications method and its effect on the library’s type of services and its daily service procedures, leading toward the conclusion of this essay, which is that Internet technology enforcement is continuously propagating new kinds of activities and the myriad formation of electronic information vessels

Data communication

The aim of this report is to explain the limitations inherent in communications across a communicational telephone link, and also to explore the concept of layering for the internet and TCP/IP protocols. The objective of this report is to browse the problems that hamper data transmission over a Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) and to see how these dilemmas are defeated. Also, this report explains the layers involved in internet communication, specifically the TCP/IP. This report begins with an introduction to the need for communications. Subsequently, the report demonstrates the telephone and at the outset, the use of it, and how it has changed progressively to follow the demands of modern communication. The end of the report explains the need for the layer model, especially the TCP/IP and how it was generated from a previous network model, the OSI layers scheme. This report shows the rapid changes and the dilemmas that are facing present day communications. The information that is used for the report subject headings was all derived from different resources, such as books, websites, and journal articles

Adoption of Electronic Document Delivery in the major academic and research establishments in the Gulf States : a feasibility study in Kuwait

The concept of "resource sharing" between libraries was encompassed by the original aims of the Gulf States Cooperation Council, and the need for it has been stimulated by the increased amount of published information, and by users’ increasing expectations that information will be rapidly supplied, regardless of their distance from its source. To outline the problems and potential, the paper outlines the nature of research and publishing in Arabic, the attempts to encourage resource sharing in the Gulf States, and the existing arrangements for Inter Library Lending. The paper also outlines the development of Electronic Document Delivery systems that facilitate Inter Library Lending

Electronic document delivery in the Gulf States : a feasibility study in the major academic and research establishments in the State of Kuwait

Meshal Shehab Al-Fadhli, Msc. Electronic Information Management. Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, 2005. Professor: Ian M. Johnson. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers that inhibited three major academic establishment libraries in the State of Kuwait: Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), and the National Scientific and Technical Information Centre (NSTIC) from implementing Electronic Document Delivery to enhance the Inter Library Loan services, although it has been increasingly used in the western countries for more than 10 years. A case study was conducted to examine the availability of relevant technology and personnel with appropriate expertise in these Kuwaiti academic libraries. Data were collected from reviewing the available literature, from interviews, and from ground observation. In addition, 40 questionnaires were distributed to librarians, who were working to provide the Inter Library Loan service at these three Kuwaiti academic establishment libraries to assess staff attitudes and perceptions. According to the study results, there are several of barriers that inhibited these Kuwaiti libraries from adopting new technologies to develop their services. However, the major factors are a need for understanding the importance of the resource sharing concept, familiarity and confidence in using IT, through having intensive courses, and serious initiatives to overcome the shortage of professional staff in these libraries

The Influence of Nano CaCO3 on Nucleation and Interface of PP Nano Composite: Matrix Processability and Impact Resistance

Polypropylene (PP) is a commodity material that has been increasingly used in different industries in the past two decades due to its versatile properties when enhanced with additives. Homo polypropylene, in general, has weak mechanical properties and limited chemical resistance; thus, using a different type of fillers to adjust such properties to fit the required applications opened a large market for this commodity. Understanding the interface constituent between the polymer matrix and the added filler and the nucleation behavior is a key to fine control of the enhancement of PP properties. In this study, PP was incorporated with nano calcium carbonate (CaCO3) at 2 and 5 wt% in the presence of maleic anhydride (MAH) to overcome the weak interface due to low polymer polarity. The mix was compounded in a twin screws extruder at a temperature range of 180–200 °C ; then, the prepared samples were left to dry for 24 h at 25 °C. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was used to study the interface adhesion of the nanofiller and the curved revealed that at 2% of nano CaCO3 PP structure remained the same and the nano experienced good adhesion to the polymer matrix. The mechanical impact resistance results showed a real enhancement to the polymer matrix of the nanocomposite by 37%. Moreover, DSC results showed a faster crystallinity rate due to the nanofiller acting as a nucleating agent and rheology tests indicated that low content of nano additive (2%) has better processability behavior, with suitable viscosity complex values at high frequencies