الملخص الإنجليزي
This study aimed to identify the reality of using crowdsourcing to develop information services, and to identify the factors affecting the outcomes of using it. The study also explores the effectiveness of using crowdsourcing through Twitter to develop information services. The study relied on the qualitative approach represented in action research to achieve the objectives of the study and to provide answers to the research questions. The effectiveness of using crowdsourcing technique for improving information services has been explored through five procedural stages: diagnostics, action planning, action taking, evaluation, and determined learning. The researcher used three tools to collect the research data: open interviews, content analysis of the sampled accounts in Twitter and users' and suggestions and observations regarding main library services. The study included four Omani information institutions which are the Main library of Sultan Qaboos University, The National Center for Statistics and Information, The National Museum and The National Records and Archives Authority.
The results of the study revealed that crowdsourcing was not used in the development of information services, but it has been used for other purposes. Also it was revealed that several factors influenced the adoption of using crowadsourcing to develop information services, including factors related to the institution for instance the
Institutions trust in crowds' capabilities, crowd for instance ways of addressing topics in discussion, service to be developed for instance the nature of service and type of the needed development, and finally the platform used to conduct the study for instance features of Twitter network that are represented in inability to delete the
undesirable tweets. The results of the research proved that using crowdsourcing to develop information services could be effective. The study also suggests a model that can be used to test the changes in organizations, especially the adoption of crowdsourcing as a framework to achieve the objectives of the institution, especially in the planning processes.
