English abstract
Purpose - The study aims at identifying how far the health libraries in the Sultanate of Oman are ready to participate in health resource sharing and collaborative information network. Furthermore, the study intends to explore the current collaborative activities practiced by different health libraries, their equipments, staff preparation, and the basic restrictions and requirements to go behind the individual practices. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the readiness of Omani health libraries to participate in collaborative activities and be ready for national network, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 32 health libraries in the Sultanate of Oman. Findings - The results confirm that in spite of the limited collaborative activities and the absent of a well-defined policy for sharing and networking, the investigated libraries uttered their positive inspiration and willingness to be involved in a national consortia project regardless of their type, academic or hospital libraries. The absence of any clear and well-defined policy is due to the shortage of specialized health information professionals, 91% of the libraries' staff is nonprofessionals.
Originality/value - The research provides an inclusive and clear insight of the Omani health libraries readiness to share their resources and services. It also explores the reality that the increased cost of health information merged with the increased need of healthcare staff and the public as such to health knowledge resources. Services will enforce decision makers to recognize the importance of any type of consortia or collaborative project. The study, then, proposed that for the Sultanate of Oman, it is time for the better-equipped health libraries to initiate a collaborative project leading to a start point toward a national health information network.
