الملخص الإنجليزي
The study aimed at identifying the reality of collaboration between the Learning Resource Centers in the Colleges of Applied Sciences in the Sultanate of Oman through the following: (1) Identify collaborative activities between the learning resource centers in the colleges, (2) Identify the benefits that have been achieved by networking between resources centers in the colleges, (3) Display the factors that affect collaboration between the learning resource centers in the colleges. The study follows a qualitative approach to achieve a deep understanding and a clear way of expression of the relevant work done by those in charge of collaborative programs. The researcher uses open personal interviews as a study tool, covering the following: (19) interviews with workers at learning resource centers in the colleges in Oman and with officials from Ministry of Higher Education centers.
The range of results produced by the study included the following: (1) The collaborative network and the union catalogue are the most important elements of collaboration between the learning resource centers in the colleges of Applied Science. (2) The benefits of collaboration to these centers include savings in time and effort in the completion of daily business, exchange of experiences, solvingworkers'problems, and facilitating the process of electronic subscriptions. (3) There are administrative, technical and financial difficulties that impede collaboration between the learning resource centers.
The study concluded with the following recommendations that will hopefully contribute to creating a rich environment for collaboration between the learning resource centers: (1) The Directorate General of the Applied Science Colleges need to develop the relevant infrastructure and networking in the colleges. (2) Learning resource centers in the colleges need to develop their online websites and provide indexes to provide collaborative information services in the centers. (3) The Omani Library Association has to play a proactive role in the field of training and qualifying employees in academic libraries in Oman, to familiarize them with new developments and the use of collaborative office software.
