English abstract
This study aimed to identify the impact of rising subscription prices of electronic information sources on academic libraries in Oman, through the identification of the reality of subscription to electronic sources of information, and to identify the effects of high prices of electronic sources of information, and learn about the plans and strategies adopted by libraries in addressing the issue of high prices of electronic sources of information. The study used a qualitative approach and open interviews as a study tool for data collection. Ten academic libraries were selected as a study sample. The directors of all the participating libraries were interviewed in addition to departmental staff responsible for managing electronic sources. To achieve the objectives of the study, a thematic analysis was applied that consisted of the following sequence of processes: encoding data and dividing them into major themes, renaming them as themes and sub-themes and linking them to the objectives of the study and then extracting the study results. The study found that awareness of the importance of electronic sources of information and the development of infrastructure hardware, the Internet and the expansion of the education process speeded up the pace of transformation of Omani libraries to an electronic environment. It was also suggested that Omani academic libraries' desire to shift to electronic sources was being challenged by the rising prices of electronic sources of information. In addition, the study found that this rise in subscription rates has had a negative impact on Omani libraries and in consequence the libraries have responded in a number of different ways, notably by totally refraining from subscribing to high price sources. The study concluded by making certain recommendations for strategies to address the issue of rising prices of electronic sources of information; the most important being to raise awareness among the academic libraries of the importance of sharing electronic resources, and for them to engage in the Scientific Research Council initiative aimed at providing electronic resources for libraries through a system of sharing. Also, the Ministry of Higher Education as a supervisor of the higher education sector should get the libraries to sit round a table together in order to come to a collective and binding agreement on the minimum electronic sources to be provided in libraries.
