Restricted Qatar Technical Report QATAR

Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre Establishment of an Information Centre

by J. Stephen Parker

Serial N o . F M R / P G I / O r , S / 8 4 / 2 0 1

United Nations Educational, J [ | Scientific and Cultural ^=- Organization

Paris, 1984

Q A T A R

ARAB GULF STATES FOLKLORE CENTRE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INFORMATION CENTRE

by

J. Stephen Parker

Report prepared for the Government of the State of Qatar by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Qatar Technical Report (Parker) FMR/PGI/OPS/84/201 26 January 1984

© Unesco L984 Printed in France

ABSTRACT

Consultant's mission report on the establishment of an Information Centre at the Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre, Doha, Qatar. Defines the aims and objectives of the Information Centre, including the creation of a regional computerised database on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States. Summarises the technical operations and user services required and provides a statement of furniture and equipment requirements for the existing premises and an outline of the accommodation requirements of a proposed new headquarters. Staff job descriptions are also provided.

CONTENTS

Page

PREFACE (iii)

1. BACKGROUND 1

2. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 2

2.1 The need for an Information Centre 2

2.2 Information users and their needs 3

2.3 Information sources 6

2.4 Guides to information sources 6

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INFORMATION CENTRE 8

4. TECHNICAL OPERATIONS 10

4.1 Introduction 10

4.2 Identification, selection and procurement of 10 information materials

4.3 Physical processing of information materials 11

4.4 Recording the existence of information materials 12 in the collections

4.5 Providing access by subject to records inthe- 12 database and to information materials in the collections

4.6 Conservation and preservation of information 13 materials

5. SERVICES TO USERS 14

5.1 Document delivery services 14

5.2 Literature-searching services 15

5.3 Reference and enquiry services 16

5.4 Current awareness services 16

Ü. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 18

7. MANPOWER 20

(ii)

Page

8. ACCOMMODATION AND EQUIPMENT 21

8.1 Existing premises 21

8.2 New premises 21

8.3 Computer requirements 22

9. TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION 25

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A - Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre : National 28 Liaison Offices in Member States

APPENDIX B - Job Descriptions 29

APPENDIX C - Requirements for Furniture and Equipment 33

APPENDIX D - General Library Equipment and Supplies 41

APPENDIX E - Outline of Accommodation Requirements for an 42 Information Centre in the Proposed New Headquarters

(iü)

PREFACE

This report is submitted in accordance with Unesco contract No. 672165.3, which required the consultant to:

"Travel to Qatar and in close co-operation with the Arab Gulf States authorities:

1. establish a general plan for the organization of the library of the Folklore Centre;

2. establish a timetable for the development of the activities of the library;

3. advise on the details of the initial steps to be undertaken by the library;

4. submit to Unesco a typewritten mission report in four copies not later than 19 January 1984."

The consultant arrived in Doha on Sunday, 4 December 1983 and departed on Sunday, 18 December 1983.

The preparation of this report would not have been possible without the whole­hearted co-operation and support of the Acting Director of the Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre, Mr. Ali Abdulla Khalifa, and his colleagues. Particular thanks are due to Mr. Abdul Rahman"Musämeh, óf the Oral Tradition section, to Mr. Alam Abdulla Al-Quaid, chief of the Publications section and temporarily act­ing as librarian of the Centre, and to Mr. Abdulla Saleh Al-Raissi, chief of the Public Relations section, all of whom provided invaluable advice and assistance to the consultant during his mission.

Special thanks are also due to all the Printing Section who worked hard on the consultant's behalf to type the draft report before his departure from Qatar.

Qatar - Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre Establishment of an Information Centre

TECHNICAL REPORT

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 The Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre was established In 1981 by agree­ment between the Governments of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Centre is located in Doha, the capital of Qatar. National liaison offices have been designated in each of the participat­ing states, including Qatar. A list of these is provided at Appendix A.

1.2 The principal objectives of the Centre are;

a) to collect and record the folklore of the Arab Gulf States ^

b) to carry out studies of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States and disseminate the results

c) to protect and preserve the folklore of the Arab Gulf States as an integral part of their national heritage.

1.3 One of the principal means by which the Centre intends to pursue these objectives is by establishing a library and documentation unit for the purpose of identifying, locating, collecting and recording all kinds of documents, including audio-visual materials, relating to the folklore"of the Arab Gulf States and of other countries and to folklore studies in general. The proposed library will be one of three technical service units providing support to the work of the four main research units, which deal respectively with the fields of oral tradition, the performing arts, customs and traditions, and crafts.

1.4 Although a number of field studies have already been initiated, some sections of the Centre, including the library and documentation unit, are not yet fully operational and their professional and technical staff have not yet been appointed. The Centre is at present housed in temporary premises, but intends to begin work on the design and construction of a new permanent head­quarters in the near future, with the aim of occupying the new building in about five years' time. A site for the new headquarters has already been allo­cated near the Ministry of Information.

1.5 The aim of this report is to provide advice to the Centre on:

a) the installation of a library and documentation centre in the existing premises;-

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b) the main requirements of the operating system of the proposed unit;

c) the main requirements for the provision of library and documentation services in the proposed new headquarters.

The proposals with regard to the operating system are intended to lay the founda­tions for a system which, whilst being capable of being implemented in the exist­ing premises, will also be capable of being transplanted to the proposed new headquarters at the appropriate time.

2. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

2.1 The need for an Information Centre

2.1.1 The folklore of the Arab Gulf States, like that of many other countries, manifests itself chiefly in the handicrafts and in the transient forms of the oral tradition, the performing arts, social customs and traditions. Only the first of these produces, as an integral part of the activity, a permanent result in the form of an object which may be collected and preserved for subsequent study. The methods by which such objects are produced, however, along with the tales, poems and reminiscences of the oral tradition, the plays, music and songs of the performing arts and the actions and habits of social customs and traditions, are only capable of being collected and preserved when they have been recorded in some permanent form.

2.1.2 Whilst this may appear self-evident, it is a point of particular significance in the present case, because relatively few records of the folklore of the Arabian Gulf .exist and many,,of the, traditional arts and skills are in danger of dying out completely. Many manifestations of the folklore of the region are related to occupations, such as pearl diving, or to ways of life, such as that of the desert bedouin, which have either vanished within living memory, or are fast disappearing as the social life of the region is transformed through its new-found wealth.

2.1.3 The creation of an accurate and comprehensive record of the folklore of the region is therefore-a matter of urgency as the older people who are, in many cases, its sole repositories, pass away. It was an awareness of this problem among the governments of the Arab Gulf States which led to the establishment of the Centre and the formulation of its first objective as being to collect and record the folklore of the region as an essential preliminary to protecting and preserving it.

The production of such records - ¿¡ a major task of the four research units, aided by the audiovisual and publications units. Their collection and preservation should be the primary task of the library and documentation unit, which will also be responsible for making them available for use. The publications unit also has responsibilities in this latter respect, particularly in terms of ensuring the

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wider dissemination of the records produced by the Centre and of studies based upon them.

2.1.4 It is clear, therefore, that the library and documentation unit will not only provide support to the research units and the other technical units by supplying them with information, bibliographic references and documents, but will also be itself dependent upon them for the supply of the sound and video recordings, written descriptions, films, photographs and other materials which will comprise its core collections of records of the folklore of the region.

The activities of the library and documentation unit and those of the research units and other technical services will therefore need to be very closely integrated and their respective responsibilities clearly defined.

2.1.5 It is suggested that the responsibilities of the library and documenta­tion unit for identifying, locating, collecting and recording documents relating to the folklore of.the Arabian Gulf should be recognised as embracing all kinds of records generated by the Centre, including, for example, the master recordings of songs, music and stories, original negatives of photographs, manuscript trans­criptions of oral and musical works, the records of surveys carried out by the Centre, and so on. This means that, on the one hand, the unit should assume responsibility for the archives of the Centre and, on the other, that it should make full use of all these sources, as well as of published sources in its own collections and elsewhere, in providing information on any aspect of the folklore of the region.

2.1.6 To reflect these wide-ranging responsibilities, it is suggested that the unit might.be more appropriately described as an Information Centre rather than a library and documentation centre, although library and documentation services will form an important part of its work.

It has been suggested that the Centre should eventually establish a museum of folklore in the region and this too, since it will involve collecting, recording and preserving manifestations of folklore, should also be closely integrated with the Information Centre.

2.2 Information users and their needs

2.2.1 The main groups of potential users of the Information Centre, in rough order of priority, are likely to be:

a) research staff of. the Folklore Centre;

b) administrative staff of the Folklore Centre;

c) research staff of the national liaison offices;

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d) research staff of other institutions in the Arab Gulf States;

e) educators in the Arab Gulf States;

f) organizers of folklore performances in the Arab Gulf States;

g) folklore practitioners (performers, craftsmen, etc.) in the Arab Gulf States;

h) research workers, educators, organizers of folklore performances and folklore practitioners in other countries and in international organizations.

2.2.2 Whilst the information needs of each of these groups, insofar as they are the concern of the Information Centre, will naturally centre on the folklore of the Arab Gulf region, they may be different in emphasis and some groups may need information on other topics also. At a later stage, after some experience has been gained in meeting the needs of information users, but before substantial collections have been developed, a more thorough study of this topic should be carried out.

For the present, the principal information needs of the main group of users may be briefly summarized as follows, in rough order or priority:

a) the folklore of the Arab Gulf region;

b) the folklore of other countries;

c) the study of folklore;

d) information on management topics, including library, archive and information science, required for the effective administration of the Folklore Centre;

e) information on general subjects.

2.2.3 By cross-tabulating the main groups of users and the main kinds of information likely to be needed, it is possible to obtain a general picture of the interests of each group which may be of some help in developing the collect­ions and services of the Information Centre. Such a cross-tabulation is presented in Table 1 below.

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TABLE 1

Information Users and their Needs

User Group

Research Staff Folklore Centre

Administrative Staff Folklore Centre

Research Staff National Liaison Offices

Research Staff other Gulf Institutions

Educators Gulf States

Organizers Gulf States

Practitioners Gulf States

Researchers, etc. in other countries

Information Needs

Arab Gulf Other Study of Management General Folklore Folklore Folklore Topics Information

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

- - Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes - -

Yes Yes Yes - -

. Yes Yes - -

Yes Yes - - -

Yes Yes - - -

Yes - - - -

•

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2.3 Information sources

2.3.1 As indicated in section 2.1.2 above, relatively few records of the folklore of the Arabian Gulf exist and a major task of the Folklore Centre is to create them. The Folklore Centre itself, therefore, will be a major source of the most important kinds of information required by users of the Information Centre. Other institutions in the Gulf region and elsewhere, including not only research institutes, but also radio and television broadcasting stations and commercial firms such as the oil companies, also possess and continue to create such records.

2.3.2 The Folklore Centre and other institutions, including commercial pub­lishers, in the Gulf and elsewhere, are also engaged in carrying out and publish­ing studies of the folklore of the region, whilst those located in other countries also create and publish both records and studies of the folklore of their own and other traditions.

2.3.3 Whilst there is a certain amount of information about the study of folk­lore in general published in Arabic, the subject is international in scope and relevant sources may originate in almost any part of the world. The same applies to information on management topics and to sources of general information.

2.3.4 The main physical formats in which relevant information may be found are those listed in Appendix C, which deals with the furniture and equipment require­ments of the Information Centre (see section 8, page 21 below). Information may also be obtained by personal contacts, by telephone or through on-line access to computerized databases and national and international document delivery systems, including inter-library loans.

2.3.5 The wide variety of types of information sources, their varied physical formats and widespread geographical distribution will make it necessary for the Information Centre to have access to an equally wide range of guides to informa­tion sources in order to be able to identify and locate those which are most relevant to the needs of its users.

2.4 Guides to information sources

2.4.1 The main types of guides to sources of information in any subject are:

a) guides to research in progress;

b) directories of research institutions, publishers and other institutions engaged in creating and publishing records and studies;

c) directories of booksellers, film distributors and others engaged in distributing records and studies;

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d) directories of archives, libraries, documentation centres

and information centres maintaining collections of information sources and/or themselves disseminating information;

e) general and specialized bibliographies, discographies, lists of periodicals, etc., both retrospective and current;

f) published indexes and abstracts, general and specialized, restrospective and current;

g) publishers' catalogues;

h) booksellers' catalogues;

i) library catalogues;

j) union catalogues and lists;

k) computerized bibliographical databases;

1) current periodicals (review pages, news of new publications, etc.).

2.4.2 In order to be able to develop a comprehensive collection of information sources an the topics of interest to its users, the Information Centre must have access to a comprehensive range of guides to information sources of the kinds listed above. This access may be obtained:

a) by acquiring such guides for the Information Centre's own collections (or, in the case of computerized bibliographical databases, obtaining access on-line through a terminal located in the Information Centre);

b) by consulting the guides in another local library (in the case of computerized bibliographic databases, obtaining access on-line through a terminal located in another library).

2.4.3 As a general principle, specialized guides to information sources, i.e. those dealing specifically with folklore and, in particular, with the folklore of the Arabian Gulf, should, if possible, be acquired for the Information Centre's own collections. General guides. e.g. current national bibliographies or the catalogues of major general libraries, should be consulted in other libraries in Doha or, if neceasary, in other Gulf States.

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2.4.4 The consultant agraed to supply the Folklore Centre with a list of the major specialized guides to information sources after his return to the United Kingdom. However, it is thought unlikely that any comprehensive guide to all kinds of sources of information on the folklore of the Arabian Gulf exists at present. It must be recognized, in any case, that no guide to the records of Gulf folklore which are produced by the Folklore Centre can exist, under present circumstances, unless it is produced by the Centre itself.

2.4.5 It is therefore proposed that the Information Centre itself should create and make available a comprehensive database on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States, comprising not only the records and studies produced by the Folklore Centre and its national liaison offices, but also including all items held in its own collections and those of the national liaison centres and other institutions in the Gulf region, as well as other items on the subject published anywhere in the world in the past, present and future.

2.4.6 Two further studies will be needed before the proposals contained in this section can be implemented in full. These are:

a) a comprehensive survey of all available guides to information sources on folklore;

b) a feasibility study for the creation of the proposed database, including surveys of the holdings of the libraries of the national liaison offices and other institutions maintaining collections on folklore.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES "OF THE'INFOlOaATIOtT'CEKTRE

In the light of the foregoing, the aims and objectives of the Information Centre may be summarized as follows:

a) to collect, preserve and make available for use:

i) the physical manifestations and documentary records of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States, together with studies of this folklore and its origins, creation and significance;

ii) manifestations, records and studies of the folklore of other regions;

iii) works about the study of folklore, including methods of folklore study and institutions and programmes of folklore study in various parts of the world;

iv) guides to Information sources on folklore;

v) information sources on management topics relevant to the administrative needs of the Folklore Centre;

vi) general works of reference.

to create and make available for use a database on the folklore of the Arab Gulf region, comprising:

i) bibliographic records of documents and parts of documents relating to the folklore of.the Arab Gulf region, whenever and wherever published;

ii) location data showing the location of the items listed in the Information Centre, the libraries of the national liaison offices and other libraries in the Arab Gulf region;

iii) research data on the folklore of the Arab Gulf region collected during the course of studies carried out by the Folkore Centre and other institutions in the Gulf region;

iv) comprehensive indexing facilities to provide multiple-access points- to- -thA data contained -• -in the database;

v) facilities for on-line access from national liaison offices and other institutions in the Arab Gulf States and elsewhere;

vi) facilities for the production of hard copy of any part of the database.

to provide a full range of services to users including:

i) document delivery services

by means of lending, photocopying and inter-library loans and through on-line databases;

ii) literature - searching services

by means of printed bibliographies, the use of the Centre's own database and on-line access to data­bases in other parts of the world;

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iii) reference and enquiry servicas

iv) current awareness services

by means of the publication of an information bulletin designed to provide information on research in progress, on new publications and events connected with folklore.

4. TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 It is not possible, at this stage, to provide detailed step-by-step instructions for carrying out the various technical operations of the Information Centre. The preparation of a comprehensive procedure manual incorporating such instructions should be one of the first tasks of the Chief of the Information Centre after he is appointed. Some general considerations regarding technical operations are set out below.

4.2 Identification, selection and procurement of information materials

4.2.1 In order to be able to identify information sources of potential interest to its users, the Information Centre will need to acquire, or gain access to, the various kinds of guides to information sources referred to in section 2.4. The library of the University of Qatar and the National Library of Qatar both contain a few useful guides which could be consulted by the staff of the Information Centre, but many others, particularly those directly concerned with folklore studies, will have to be acquired for' thé Information Centre's own collections. The acquisition of such items should begin as soon as possible, using the list to be supplied by the consultant (see section 2.4.4) as a guide, so that the Chief of the Information Centre can begin to use them to build up the Centre's collections soon after his appointment.

4.2.2 Primary responsibility for the selection of materials should rest with the Chief of the Information Centre, assisted by its staff, but arrangements should be made for all members of the staff of the Folklore Centre, and the heads of the information units in the national liaison offices, to recommend items for procurement. The work of selection may be helped, particularly during the initial stages, by the adoption of a schedule of priorities based on the tabulation of users and their needs which is provided in Table 1 (page 5).

4.2.3 Items selected for addition to the collections may be procured by means of:

a) purchase

b) gift

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c) exchange

d) external document delivery services, including inter-library loan.

4.2.4 The main difficulty with regard to all forms of procurement will-be that of identifying and maintaining contact with- the wide variety of producers and publishers of the many different kinds of information materials required by the Centre, who are likely to be located all over the world. À considerable amount of staff time and effort will have to be expended on this task, particularly in the early stages of building up the Centre's collections. Because much of the relevant material will not be commercially published in conventional formats, it will probably not be possible to rely on commercial suppliers of books and periodicals to obtain more than a fraction of what the Centre wishes to procure.

4.2.5 Purchasing methods should be designed in accordance with the general accounting and audit regulations of the Folklore Centre.

4.2.6 Items received as gifts should not automatically be added to the collec­tions but should be evaluated in terms of their relevance to its needs in the same way as items which are to be purchased. This applies also to items received on exchange. The Folklore Centre has already received a number of items by this method from similar organizations in other countries, and this is potentially a valuable means of developing its collections.

4.2.7 Many items which are otherwise difficult or impossible to.acquire, such as articles in out-of-print issues of periodicals, may be easily obtained from document delivery systems such as that provided by the British Library Lending Division and by the vendors of many on-line databases. Whilst some materials, particularly books, are still supplied on inter-library loan and have eventually to be returned to the supplier, many are supplied as photocopies or microfiche and may be added permanently to the Centre's collections. The Chief of the Information Centre should ensure that contacts with such agencies are established at an early stage.

4.2.8 Many records of the folklore of the Arabian Gulf may be available only in local radio and television stations and special arrangements will need to be made to obtain copies of them. Some work of this kind has already been done in Qatar.

4.3 Physical processing of information materials

4.3.1 All materials acquired for the Information Centre's collections will need to be physically processed in some way before being made available to users. Items will need to be stamped or otherwise marked to indicate that they are the property of the Centre and provided with labels of various kinds to indicate

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where they should be located. Some items will need to be provided with special protective coverings or cases• À list of the general equipment and supplies which will be needed by the Information Centre is provided at Appendix D.

4.4 Recording the existence of information materials in the collections

4.4.1 All materials received for addition to the collections should be recorded in an accessions register containing the following information:

a) date

b) accession number (a running number allocated to all items in the order in which they are entered in the register)

c) author

d) title

e) publisher

f) price

g) supplier

h) type of document (book, audio-cassette, etc.)

i) classification/location code.

4.4.2 A bibliographic description of each item should then be prepared in accordance.with appropriate international norms (or obtained.from an appropriate central bibliographic agency) and- added feo-the--propo&ed database together with -local data such as the accession number and classification/location code. Details of individual items in the Information Centre's collections may be obtained by consulting the database; a complete printed catalogue of the collections, in loose-leaf format, may be produced from the database in as many copies as required and be updated as often as necessary.

4.5 Providing access by subject to records in the database and to information materials in the collections

4.5.1 The subject content of the documents recorded in the database should be summarised as part of the records. These summaries may be written in natural language, in the form of abstracts, or may consist of lists of keywords selected from a controlled indexing language or thesaurus; or both methods may be used. Records relating to documents which have been summarised in natural language may be retrieved by subject only ii. the software package ia use has a free text search­ing facility (see section 8.3.7 (d)).

4.5.2 Problems may arise, and relevant documents fail to be retrieved, if the terms used by the searcher to describe the subject in which he is interested are different from those used by the abstractor. The use of a thesaurus helps to avoid

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this problem by compelling both searcher and indexer to use a controlled voca­bulary in which only certain terms are permitted. Problems may arise if the subject of the document cannot be accurately described in the vocabulary of the thesaurus.

4.5.3 The consultant agreed to supply, after his return to the United Kingdom details of any thesauri relating to folklore which may be available. It is thought unlikely, however, that there exists any thesaurus designed specifically to cover the folklore of the Arab Gulf region and it may therefore be necessary for such a thesaurus to be prepared specially for use by the Information Centre and other institutions with an interest in this field.

4.5.4 The preparation of such a thesaurus should be one of the tasks of the Chief of the Information Centre, acting in consultation with the heads of the information units in the national liaison offices and with the help, if necessary, of a specialist consultant in this field. Any thesaurus prepared in this way would have to be multilingual, providing matched lists of terms in Arabic, English, French and German and possibly in other languages.

4.5.5 To facilitate access by subject to the actual documents housed in the Information Centre, a suitable subject classification scheme will be required. It is thought unlikely that any of the major general classification schemes, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification, the Universal Decimal Classification or the Library of Congress classification, will be suitable for a highly specialized collection such as that to be established in the Information Centre.

4.5.6 The consultant agreed to supply, after his return to the United Kingdom, details of any special classification schemes relating to folklore which may be available. If no suitable scheme exists, it will be necessary for a special scheme to be prepared in the same way as, and in close connection with, the specialized thesaurus referred to above.

4.6 Conservation and preservation of information materials

4.6.1 It is essential, in the severe climatic conditions experienced in Qatar during the summer months, to ensure that the materials contained in the Information Centre's collections are properly preserved and protected against damage. This applies particularly to the archives of the Folklore Centre and to other rare and valuable materials. In addition special storage conditions may need to be provided for audio-visual materials, particuarly the master tapes of original sound and video recordings prepared by the Folklore Centre, cine­matograph films and photographic negatives.

4.6.2 The existing premises of the Information Centre are air-conditioned, and there is probably little else which can be done at this stage in these premises to provide proper storage facilities for special types of materials.

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It will be Important to make adequate provision in this respect in the proposed new headquarters building, and the Chief of the Information Centre should review the present position shortly after his appointment and at intervals there­after to ensure that the existing collections are not deteriorating and that exceptionally rare, valuable or fragile materials are not added to stock without proper storage facilities being provided.

5. SERVICES TO USERS

5.1 Document delivery services

5.1.1 Document delivery services involve the provision of original documents, or copies thereof, to users who:

a) visit the Information Centre in person;

b) submit requests for documents directly to the Information Centre by post or by telephone;

c) submit requests for documents through the information units of the national liaison offices or through other libraries in the Arab Gulf States or elsewhere.

5.1.2 Original documents may be provided:

a) for use only in the Information Centre;

b) for use elsewhere.

5.1.3 Original documents which may be used only in the Information Centre will include the archives of the Folklore Centre, rare and valuable items and works of reference which are frequently used for answering enquiries. Those which may be used outside the Information Centre will normally be made available only on loan, and must be returned to the Centre after use. In both cases, it will be necessary to:

a) specify which categories of documents may be used in which way;

b) assign specific documents to the appropriate categories when they are added to the collections of the Information Centre.;

c) establish methods of indicating to users which documents belong to which categories;

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d) formulate regulations to ensure that the various categories of documents are used only in the way intended;

e) devise methods for controlling the use of documents in these ways;

f) design the forms and other stationery which are required to implement these methods.

5.1.4 These tasks should be carried out by the Chief of the Information Centre soon after he has been appointed and the results incorporated in a detailed procedure manual.

5.1.5 Copies of original documents will normally be provided for use outside the Information Centre. Depending on the format of the original, they may take various forms, including photocopies, microform copies, copies of audio- and videotapes, photographic prints, etc. Photocopies and similar low-cost copies of printed documents are normally supplied for permanent retention by the user and need not be returned after use. There is no reason why, using the equipment already available in the Folklore Centre, copies of reel-to-reel tapes, audio-cassettes and videotapes should not also be supplied in this way, provided no breach of copyright occurs.

5.1.6 The main question to be decided with regard to the supply of copies of documents is whether they should be paid for by.those requesting them or supplied free of charge. A decision on this point should be made after the appointment of the Chief of the Information Centre, at which time also regula­tions and methods for controlling the provision of copies should-also be formu­lated and incorporated into the procedure manual.

5.2 Literature-searching services

5.2.1 The Information Centre will need to be able to identify specific informa­tion sources required by its users and to produce reading lists and biblio­graphies on various aspects of folklore, particularly the folklore of the Arab Gulf region.

5.2.2 The main sources of this kind of information will be:

a) published bibliographies and other guides to information sources contained in the Information Centre's collections;

b) similar works available in other libraries in Qatar and in other Gulf institutions;

c) computerized bibliographic databases maintained in other countries which are accessible on-line from Qatar through the international telecommunications network.

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5.2.3 In order to develop its literature-searching services to the full, therefore, the Information Centre will need to:

a) develop its own collection of guides to information sources as quickly as possible;

b) establish good relationships with other libraries in Qatar and other Gulf States and gather information on their bibliographical collections;

c) establish and develop its own database on Arab Gulf folklore;

d) identify the most suitable on-line databases available, acquire the equipment needed to obtain access to them, and register as a user with the appropriate database systems through which the required databases are made accessible.

5.3 Reference and enquiry services

5.3.1 The Information Centre will need to be able to supply information at various levels, ranging from simple factual data such as may be found in directories, dictionaries,etc. to detailed responses to complex enquiries. Its ability to provide a satisfactory service in this respect will depend to a large extent on the quality of its collections but also on the quality of its staff.

5.3.2 Methods for recording the content of enquiries, the sources used in try­ing to answer them, and the x-esults achieved,--should be formulated by the Chief of the Information Centre soon after his appointment and incorporated in the procedure manual.

5.4 Current awareness services

5.4,1 In addition to providing documents and information in response to specific requests from users, the Information Centre should also take the initiative in supplying current information to its users. This may be done by means of:

a) a general current awareness bulletin which should include:

i) news of news and forthcoming publications, recordings, etc., issued by the Folklore Centre, the national liaison offices, other research institutions in the Arab Gulf region and elsewhere, and by commercial publishers;

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ii) details of documents of all kinds which have recently been added to the collections of the Information Centre and the information units of the national liaison offices;

iii) details of recent.articles in current periodicals, whether received by the Information Centre or not. These may be obtained from external on-line databases;

iv) details of the contents of current issues of periodicals received in the Information Centre. These may be pro­vided either by including in the bulletin photocopies of the contents pages of these periodicals, or by reproduc­ing the bibliographical entries and abstracts for articles which are to be added to the Information Centre's database;

v) information on research in progress in the Folklore Centre, the national liaison offices and elsewhere;

vi) summaries or copies of important news items in the press. This may be done in conjunction with the cuttings service already operated by the Folklore Centre.

vii) news of forthcoming conferences, seminars, courses, etc.;

viii) general news items concerning folklore activities in any part of the world.

b) a selective dissemination of information (SDI) service providing individual users with details of items newly added to the Information Centre's database in accordance with individual user profiles which have been registered with the database. This will require:

i) the preparation by the Chief of the Information Centre of a format for recording details of the information needs and interests of individual users (e.g. in music, a particular form of poetry, etc.)^ and

ii) a method for matching these user profiles against the contents of the database so that users receive details of documents on the subjects which interest them.

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5.4.2 The proposed currant awareness bulletin should be quite separate from any research journal which may be published by the Folklore Centre.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

6.1 The internal organizational structure of the Information Centre itself will be very simple, since it will only have a small staff. Its place in the organizational structure of the Folklore Centre as a whole is also quite straight­forward. The main questions in this regard concern the organizational relation­ships between the Information Centre and the libraries or documentation units of the national liaison offices.

6.2 It is clear that the Information Centre.will not be able to exert direct administrative control over the national units, but there are several ways in which the latter can contribute to, and benefit from, the activities of the Information Centre and it will be necessary to define the precise nature of these relationships and develop a suitable organizational framework to accommodate them.

6.3 The principal ways in which the national units will be able to contribute to the work of the Information Centre are by:

a) identifying and locating potential users of information on folklore in their respective countries and making them aware of the services provided by the Information Centre;

b) identifying information sources and guides to information sources on folklore which are created, published or located in their respective countries and advising the Information Centre of their existence;

c) producing local guides to information sources on folklore and making copies of them available to the Information Centre and to other national units;

d) providing input to the proposed database of Arab Gulf folklore in respect of the items referred to under b) and c) above and, in particular, in respect of items in their own collections;

e) procuring copies of information sources and guides to information sources published in their own countries on behalf of the Information Centre and the other national units;

f) providing document delivery services from their own collections to users of the Information Centre and of other national units;

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providing literature-searching services, based on their own collections of guides to information sources, to users of the Information Centre and other national units;

providing reference and enquiry services, based on their own collections and contacts with other local institutions, to users of the Information Centre and other national units;

providing input to any current awareness bulletins which may be issued by the Information Centre;

providing technical advice and assistance to the Information Centre in developing its collections and services;

participating in the development of training programmes for the staff and users of the Information Centre and other national units.

6.4 The principal ways in which the national units and their users will be able to benefit from the work of the Information Centra are by:

a) obtaining information, through the proposed database and current awareness services, on information sources and guides to information sources which may be avail­able for addition to their own collections, either .by direct procurement or through interlibrary loan from the Information Centre or other national units;

b) using the proposed database to conduct more effective literature searches for their own users;

c) using the proposed database to obtain cataloguing data in respect of items added to their own collections;

d) obtaining information in response to reference enquiries from their own users which cannot be answered from their own resources;

e) obtaining news of current activities in the field cf folklore through current awareness services provid d by the Information Centre;

f) obtaining technical advice and assistance from the Information Centre in developing their own collections and services;

g>

h)

i)

J)

k)

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g) participating in any training programmes for information staff and users which may be offered by the Information Centre«

6.5 The various national units and the Information Centre will thus need to be linked together in an information network, providing for interaction not only between the national units and the Information Centre, but also between different national units directly.

6.6 In order to establish and operate such a network, it will be necessary to create a management committee, consisting of the Chief of the Information Centre and the heads of the various national units and providing for participa­tion as observers by representatives of other important library and information units concerned with folklore in the Arab Gulf States, The chairmanship of such a committee should rotate among the members, with the secretariat being provided by the Information Centre or by the appropriate national unit. It should be possible to establish such a committee without difficulty within the existing management structure of the Folklore Centre.

7. MANPOWER

7.1 The Information Centre will initially have a staff of two; a professionally-qualified librarian or information scientist as the Chief of the Centre, and an assistant. The creation of the proposed database on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States will, however, be a major task demanding virtually full-time attention from a suitably-qualified person, at least in the initial stages. It will therefore be necessary, within a few months of appointing the Chief of the Information Centre, to appoint also another professionally-qualified person with special responsibility for developing the database under his supervision. This person could also deputise for the Chief during absences and undertake other professional duties as required.

7.2 The recruitment of a suitable person as Chief of the Information Centre is the single most important and most urgent step which can be taken at present towards the full development of the Centre.- Until an appointment has been made, it will not be possible to make significant progress in implementing most of the proposals contained in this report, other than acquiring and installing the basic furniture and equipment. Whilst it is important that an appointment be made as soon as possible, however, it is also essential that it should not be made in haste. Great care should be taken to select a person with the right combination of academic and professional qualifications, professional experience and personal qualities, to fulfil the responsibilities of the post successfully.

7. 3 The Folklore Centre sought the help of Unesco some months ago in recruit­ing a suitably-qualified person on contract.- As far as can be ascertained, only one candidate, a non-Arabic speaker, was proposed. The Centre has therefore

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decided to try to recruit a suitable person directly, by advertising in the Arabic press. The consultant was asked to revise the draft job description submitted to Unesco, to provide a basis for such an advertisement. The revised document is reproduced at. Appendix B, together with outline job descriptions for the assistant to be appointed at the initial stage and for the database specialist who will be needed later. This last job description, however, should be reviewed by the Chief of the Information Centre after his appointment, in the light of his own experience and qualifications in this field.

7.4 The assistant should be recruited immediately after the Chief of the Information Centre has taken up his post.

7.5 If the Chief of the Information Centre and the database specialist are to be able to travel freely in Member States to undertake the tasks specified in their job descriptions, they will both have to be men.

8. ACCOMMODATION AND EQUIPMENT

8.1 Existing premises

8.1.1 Appendix C reproduces a statement of the furniture and equipment require­ments of the existing premises which was prepared.by the consultant in consulta­tion with Mr. Abdul Rahman Musameh and Mr. Alam Abdulla Al-Quaid. Appended to this statement are a floor plan of the existing premises and a provisional layout for furniture and equipment.

8.1.2 This statement was submitted to a local firm, identified by the librarian of the University of Qatar, which represents a number of foreign manufacturers of library furniture and equipment. A representative of this firm visited the Centre during the mission to discuss the requirements. Copies of the statement have been sent by this firm to its overseas principals with a request that they prepare and submit detailed layouts, specifications and quotations as soon as possible. These should be received by midr-January 1984. Once the Centre has selected a supplier and placed a firm order, delivery is expected to take between six to twelve weeks. It should therefore be possible for the Information Centre to be furnished and equipped by March or April 1984.

8.1.3 A list of other items of library and audio-visual equipment and supplies which may be required is provided at Appendix D.

8.2 New premises

8.2.1 A general outline of the accommodation requirements of the permanent Information Centre to be established in the proposed new headquarters is provided at Appendix E. This should be revised and expanded, and fully integrated into the

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design proposals for the new building as a whole, when the planning of the new headquarters begins.

8,3 Computer requirements

8.3.1 One of the most important items of equipment required is a micro­computer with suitable ancillary equipment and software, for use in:

a) creating and maintaining the proposed database on Arab Gulf folklore;

b) obtaining access to other on-line databases in other countries.

8.3.2 It will not be possible to prepare detailed specifications for the computer requirements of the Information Centre until the proposed feasibility study of the creation of a database of Arab Gulf folklore has been completed. At this stage, it is possible only to outline some general considerations to be taken into account.

8.3.3 Bath the hardware and software should be capable of handling.a database containing records in both roman and Arabic scripts. It is not possible to estimate the size of the database, and thus the storage capacity required, at the present time. It is clear, however, that floppy disk storage, of the kind used by the word^-processing machines installed in the Folklore Centre, will not be adequate for the purpose of creating and maintaining a database of any size.

8.3.4 The basic hardware requirements may be summarized as follows:-

a) microcomputer

b) hard disk storage

c) two monitors/VDUs

d) two roman and two Arabic keyboards

e) daisywheel printer with roman and Arabic printwheels (or separate printers for each script)

f) modem for connecting the computer to other on-line databases via the telecommunications network.

8.3.5 It is generally accepted in the computer industry that many of the smaller microcomputer manufacturers rill probably go out of business during thr next few >ears, leaving the market dominated by a relatively small number of major firms. In selecting a microcomputer for the Information Centre, therefore, it will be necessary to choose one which is not only capable of performing the required task,

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but is also supported by servicing facilities In Doha which are likely to be available for the foreseeable future.

8.3.6 These considerations are likely to place some limitations on the choice of software, since not all suitable software packages can be run on all makes of computer and some are sold together with a particular make of computer as a turn­key package.

8.3.7 Some basic technical considerations in the choice of software are:

a) the maximum number of records (e.g. bibliographic descriptions of books, etc.) which can be accommodated;

b) the maximum number of fields (e.g. in a bibliographic record, author statement, title statement, imprint, abstract) which each record may contain;

c) the maximum number of characters (letters, figures, etc.) which each field or record may contain;

d) what facilities exist for searching the.file of records (e.g. whether the file may be searched by free text, i.e. on any element appearing anywhere in the record, or only on specified elements, e.g. first word of the author statement, designated subject descriptors, etc.).

8.3.8 It will also be important to be able to "down-load" records from external on-line bibliographic databases and incorporate them, with the vendor's permission, into the database to be developed by the Centre.

Among suitable software packages described in a recent article are:

a) BRS/SEARCH (micro-mini version) Based on the IBM mainframe software package, STAIRS Record size: unlimited Database capacity: 500,000 records

b) MILOR (micro version) Based on a French mini-/mainframe software package Record size: 1,000 characters Database capacity: 500,000 records

1) Look, Hugh Evison. Database software for micros. Information World Review, 4 November 1983, pp. 1, 2 and 3.

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c) HOMER Based on the ICL mainframe software package, ASSASSIN Record size: 50,000 characters Database capacity: any number of records up to 72 megabytes

of storage NB: a turn-key system available only with the SUPERBRAIN

computer and hard disk unit

d) STAR Developed by Cuadra Associates, Santa Monica, California Record size: 500 fields (no limit.on number of characters) Database capacity: "limited only by hardware capacity" NB: a turn-key system available only with the Alpha

microcomputer

e) MICROCAIRS Based on the mainframe software package, CAIRS Record size: 2,000 characters/30 fields Database capacity: limited only by hardware capacity

f) STATUS-M Based on the.mainframe software package, STATUS, developed by the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, United Kingdom (a version is being developed by IAL-Gemini Ltd. for use on the Fortune microcomputer, with no limit on record size or number of records up to 50 megabytes of storage).

g) IN-MAGIC Developed by Ware-Eddison Associates, Cambridge, Massachusetts Record size: no limit: 75 fields may each be repeated

any number of times (e.g. for multiple authors) Database capacity: up to 250,000 records, depending on

hardware operating system

h) SCI-MATE Developed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Record size: 1,900 characters/20 fields Database capacity: not stated NB: this is a dual-purpose package designed for searching

on-line databases available through the DIALOG, BRS and ISI sy ~ems and for creating local databases. Records retrieved from the on-line searches may be added to the local database, which can be searched in free text.

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i) GOLDEN RETRIEVER Developed by the California Library Authority for Systems and Services (CLASS)

Record size: 1,460 characters Database capacity: 10,000 records with hard disk storage NB: designed for the IBM PC and compatible 16-bit micro­

computers.

8.3.9 This list is by no means exhaustive, but includes a number of packages which may be suitable for use in the Information Centre provided they can handle records in Arabic. The consultant agreed to provide details of another package, MICR0P0LYD0C, developed by the Norwegian Informatics Centre, after his return to the United Kingdom.

8.3.10 It is not suggested that a suitable software package can or should be selected on the basis of the limited.information given above, but the list does serve to indicate that several suitable packages, at least for databases in roman script, do already exist.

8.3.11 It should, perhaps, be mentioned here that the DHLr-1000 word processors at present in use in the Folklore Centre are not suitable for creating and main­taining a database of the kind envisaged; they are dedicated word processors suitable only for office use.

9. TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

9.1 The following timetable for implementation is intended to provide a general indication of the main sequence of actions- required to- implement the -provisions of this report. It will need to be modified and expanded after appointment of the Chief of the Information Centre.

9.2 Immediate action

9.2.1 Library equipment manufacturers to prepare and submit specifications and quotations for furniture and equipment (section 8.1.2).

9.2.2 Consultant to supply

a) list of major specialized guides to information sources (section 2.4.4);

b) details of thesauri relating to folklore (section 4.5.3);

c) details of any special classification schemes relating to folklore (section 4.5.6).

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9.2.3 Folklore Centre to study this report and decide on the extent to which it should be implemented.

9.3 January 1984

9.3.1 Initiate process of recruiting Chief of Information Centre (section 7.2).

9.3.2 Receive and evaluate specifications and quotations for furniture and equipment and place an order with the chosen supplier (section 8.1.2).

9.3.3 Begin to procure specialized guides to information sources using the list supplied by the consultant as a guide (section 4.2.1).

9.4 March/April 1984

9.4.1 Receive and install furniture and equipment (section 8.1.2).

9.5 May/June 1984

9.5.1 Chief of Information Centre to take up his appointment (section 7.2).

9.5.2 Recruit assistant (section 7.4).

9.6 After appointment of Chief of Information Centre

9.6.1 Commence sttrvey-of-available guides --fee-- information sources -(section 2.4.6 a)).

9.6.2 Commence feasibility study for proposed database (section 2.4.6 b)) .

9.6.3 Recruit database specialist (section 7.3).

9.6.4 Prepare detailed specifications for computer requirements (section 6.3.2).

9.6.5 Prepare specialized thesaurus (section 4.5.4).

9.6.6 Prepare specialized classification scheme (section 4.5.6).

9.6.7 Create database (section 2.4.5).

9.6.8 Establish contact with document delivery agencies (section 4.2.7).

9.6.9 Organize document delivery services (section 5^-^)-

9-6.10 Prepare schedule of priorities for selection (section 4.2.2).

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9.6.11 Identify and register with on-line databases (section 5.2.3).

9.6.12 Convene management committee for regional information network (section 6.6).

9.6.13 Initiate current awareness services (section 5.4.1 a) ).

9.6.14 Initiate SDI services (section 5.4.1 b) ).

9.6.15 Carry out study of the needs of information users (section 2.2.2).

9.6.16 Prepare detailed design proposals for Information Centre accommodation in proposed new headquarters (section 8.2.1).

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APPENDIX A . ARAB GULF STATES FOLKLORE CENTRE : NATIONAL LIAISON OFFICES IN MEMBER STATES

1 - Mr . Eid Al - Faraj Popular Arts Superintendent Ministry of Information , P.O. Box 17 Abu - Dhaby - Ü . A . E

2 - Miss Najla Ali Al - Khalifa Director of Heritage Ministry of Information P . O . Box 253 Manama - State of Bahrain

3 - Mr . Mohammed AI - Ali AI Khudhier Information Centres Director Ministry of Information P . O . Box 8752 Riyadh - Saudi Arabia

4 - Director of the Folklore Centre Al - Masbah - Baghdad Republic of Iraq

5 - Director of Manuscripts and Documents Ministry of Na.tional;.Heritage, P.O. Box 668 Muscat - Sultanate of Oman

6 - Mr . Yousif Ahmed Popular Arts Supervisor Directorate of Culture & Arts Ministry of Information Doha - State of Qatar

7 - Mr . Ebrahim Mubarak Esmaile Director of Institutes and Arts Ministry of Information Kuwait P.O. Box 498 State of Kuwait

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APPENDIX B. JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Chief of Information Centre

Job title: Chief, Gulf Folklore Information Centre

Location: Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre, Doha, Qatar

Duties: To establish and develop the Gulf Folklore Information Centre as a major international source of documentary and other records of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States and a major regional source of information on the folklore of other areas

To create and maintain a computerised database on the folk­lore of the Arab Gulf region in cooperation with the inform­ation units of national liaison offices in seven Arab Gulf States

To develop an information network on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States in cooperation with the information units of the national liaison offices and other institutions in the region with an interest in its folklore

To create and maintain a multilingual thesaurus and a special­ised classification scheme to organise and provide subject access to documentary and other records on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States, working in collaboration with particip­ants in the proposed information network

To develop and implement document delivery, information retrieval and current awareness services to users of the Information Centre

To prepare and implement a procedure manual defining the working methods and procedures of the Information Centre

To promote the use of the Information Centre by research workers and others in the Folklore Centre, the national liaison offices and other institutions in the Arab Gulf States and elsewhere

To participate in the planning of permanent accommodation for the Information Centre in the proposed new headquarters of the Folklore Centre

To participate in the development of training programmes for information staff and users in the Information Centre and the national liaison offices and other institutions in the Arab Gulf States, in cooperation with participants in the proposed information network

To supervise the work of the subordinate staff of the Information Centre.

Qualifications : University degree of equivalent in the social or human sciences or the performing arts, preferably with special­isation in one or more aspects of folklore

Postgraduate qualification (masters' degree or equivalent, or higher) in library and information science, preferably

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Languages:

Experience:

Personal qualities:

with specialisation in computer applications or database systems.

Arabic (preferred mother tongue), English, French and/or German.

Minimum of five years' experience in a specialised library, documentation centre or information centre, preferably dealing with folklore or some related aspect of the social or human sciences or the performing arts

Substantial practical experience with the library and biblio­graphic applications of computers and with other modern information and documentation techniques

Substantial experience in the compilation of thesauri and/or specialised classification schemes, preferably in relation to folklore or some related aspect of the social or human sciences or the performing arts

Practical experience of participation in library cooperatives or information networks, preferably at a regional level in the Arab world

Experience of planning and conducting training courses for information personnel and users.

Ability to communicate effectively with information users, particularly research workers, and with information personnel, both in the Information Centre and in other institutions

Managerial and negotiating skills

Adaptability and readiness to accept and implement change

Willingness to travel, both within the region and elsewhere

Stable, cheerful personality and ability to get on well with others

Sound physical and mental health.

Assistant

Job title:

Location:

Duties :

Technical assistant, Gulf Folklore Information Centre

Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre, Doha, Qatar

To assist the Chief of the Information Centre and other professional staff in ti e day-to-day running of the Information Centre, in particular in respect of:

(a) preparation of orders for books and other items to be added to the collections of the Centre

(b) maintenance of records of items on order and operation of a system for recording receipts

(c) physical processing of items received

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(d) preparation of bibliographic records of items items received, under the supervision of the professional staff

(e) maintaining the collections in good order

(f) making loans and photocopies of items required by users

(g) dealing with enquiries from users, if necessary by referring them to a professional staff member

(h) preparing material for incorporation in current awareness bulletins, etc.

Qualifications: High school leaving certificate or the equivalent

Certificate of training in library or information work (desirable)

Arabic (preferred mother tongue), English. French and/or German desirable.

Previous practical experience of working in a specialised library or documentation unit (desirable).

Orderly and methodical habits

Service-oriented outlook

Adaptable

Stable, cheerful personality and ability to get on well with others

Sound physical and mental health.

3. Database specialist

Job title: Information Specialist, Gulf Folklore Information Centre

Location: Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre, Doha, Qatar

Duties: To assist the Chief of the Information Centre in creating and maintaining a computerised database on the folklore of the Arab Gulf region, in particular by:

(a) participating in the design and implementation of the proposed database, including the selection of suitable hardware and software and the specification of input and output requirements

(b) preparing data for input

(c) arranging for and monitoring the input of data from national liaison offices in seven Gulf States

(d) specifying the technical requirements for on-line access to the proposed database from national liaison offices and other institutions in the Arab Gulf region

Languages:

Experience:

Personal qualities:

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and elsewhere and assisting in the implementation of such access

(e) investigating the conditions under which down-loading of relevant data from other on-line databases into the proposed Gulf folklore database may be undertaken and advising the Chief of the Information Centre as to its feasibility and cost

To assist the Chief of the Information Centre in:

(f) developing an information network on the folklore of the Arab Gulf States

(g) creating and maintaining a multilingual thesaurus and a specialised classification scheme for the folklore of the Arab Gulf States

(h) the general work of establishing and maintaining the Information Centre.

Qualifications: University degree or postgraduate qualification (masters' degree or equivalent, or higher) in library and information science or computer science, preferably with specialisation in database systems.

Arabic (preferred mother tongue), English, French and/or German.

Minimum of three years experience in the creation and development of multilingual databases and the use of on-line information systems, preferably involving microcomputers

Experience of working in a specialised library, documentation centre or information centre, preferably dealing with folklore or some related aspect of the social or human sciences or the performing arts

Experience in the compilation of thesauri and/or specialised classification schemes.

Ability to communicate effectively, particularly on technical matters to non-specialists

Adaptable

Willingness to travel, both within the region and elsewhere

Stable, cheej ful personality and ability to get on well with others

Languages:

Experience:

Personal qualities :

Sound physical and mental health.

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APPENDIX C REQUIREMENTS FOR FURNITURE S EQUIPMENT

1) The Arab Gulf States Folklore Centre was established in 1981 by agreement between the governments of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

2) The principal objectives of the Centre, which is located in Doha, Qatar, are:

1) To collect and record the folklore of the Arab Gulf States.

2) To carry out studies of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States and disseminate the results.

3) To protect and preserve the folklore of the Arab Gulf States as an integral part of their national heritage.

3) The Centre is at present housed in temporary premises, but intends to begin work on the design and construction of a new permanent headquarters in the near future, with the aim of occupying the new building in about five years' time. A site for the new headquarters has already been allocated near the Ministry of Information.

4) One of the principal means by which the Centre intends to pursue its objectives is by establishing an Information Centre which will comprise the archives of the Folklore Centre and a multimedia library and will provide a range of library, documentation and information services to the research staff of the Centre and to other research workers.

5) The aim ofthe Information Ce/itre.. will- be ....to. .identify* locate and record, collect, preserve and make available the documentary records of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States, together with studies of its origins, creation and significance; records and studies of the folklore of other regions; works about the study of folklore; and general works of reference.

6) The Information Centre will contain information sources in a wide variety of formats, including:

* Manuscripts : internal documents, rare manuscripts. * Printed material: books, reports, theses, periodicals,

newspapers, press cuttings, maps, etc. * Microforms : microfiche, roll microfilm, jacket

microfilm. * Illustrations : prints, original paintings, drawings and

designs, photographic prints and negatives, slides, overhead transparencies, etc.

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* Audio-Visual Materials: gramophone records, audio cassettes, reel-to- reel tapes, cinematograph films, videotapes, videodiscs, tape-slide, packages, films, etc.

* Computer Records : microcomputer diskettes or hard discs.

7) The Information Centre will be used chiefly by the research staff of the Centre and by other researchers, and possibly by educators and organisers of performances working in the field of folklore. It will not normally provide services to the general public.

8) The Information Centre will initially have a staff of two, its chief and an assistant. All records of the materials contained in the Centre will be maintained on a microcomputer, which will also be used to create a database on the folklore of the region in general.

9) In the temporary headquarters of the Folklore Centre, the Information Centre will be accommodated in two rooms connected by a vestibule, as shown on the attached plan. The main requirements of furniture and equipment for each room are outlined below. However, it is difficult to specify precisely the amount of storage space required for the various kinds of documents listed above, as the development of the collections is only just beginning and a comprehensive survey of the information sources available has not yet been carried out. It is therefore essential that the installation be as flexible as possible to facilitate changes in the future. It is also essential to make the maximum possible use of the limited space available .

10) Room A (39 sq-m):

This will be the main public room. It should accommodate the following:

1 x staff workstation for supervisory and clerical duties; tasks such as unpacking books, etc., will be done in Room B . Comprising:

Standard height desk Swivel chair on castors Telephone

1 x visitors' chair for use by persons consulting the staff member on duty

8 x study places (max.) Each providing desk top space 90cm x 60cm(min.)

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and a comfortable upright chair suitable for use for long periods of study.

Each study place should be equipped for the use of audio­visual materials, i.e. listening to audio cassettes or gramophone records, viewing slides or film strips.

A possible disposition of 8 study places is shown on the attached layout. Four places are ranged along one wall, providing a continuous flat surface on which items such as maps, prints, overhead transparencies, etc., may be consulted by more than one person at the same time. The two end places are shown specially extended to accommodate bulky equipment such as a microform reader or a VDU. The remaining four places may be conventional study carrels, preferably with individual lighting.

Shelving/storage/display facilities for:

2,000 volumes of books,etc. 40 current periodicals and recent back issues 200 maps and prints 500 gramophone records 2,000 audio cassettes 1,000 microfiche/jacket microfilm 500 roll microfilm/film strips 100 overhead transparencies 100 video tapes 50 tape-slide packages.

Accommodation for:

Gramophone record turn-table and amplifier video recorder + VDU audio cassette player and amplifier microfilm reader auxiliary VDU terminal for micro-computer

11) Room B ( 26 sq-m ) :

This will accommodate office space for the chief of the unit and staff workroom and storage space. Users may also need to use this room from time to time, under staff supervision, when consulting materials stored here or using the microcomputer. The room shouLd- accommodate the following:

Office furniture for the chief of the unit

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Comprising: Desk with typing return Swivel chair on castors Storage space for stationery, etc. Shelving Telephone 3 visitors' chairs Occasional table

Workstation for microcomputer :

Comprising: Space for English/Arabic keyboards, VDU, disk drive unit, printer, modem One swivel chair on castors. Storage for disk- ettes or hard disks. (N.B. the type of computer to be installed has not yet been decided.)

Staff workspace for unpacking, sorting and processing materials received:

Comprising: adequate desk top space for different processes storage space for packing materials, stationery, etc. swivel chair on castors telephone

Secure shelving/storage facilities for: internal documents rare manuscripts original paintings photographic negatives reel to reel tapes cinematograph film

12) Vestibule ( 6.25 sq-m ):

This area may be used for storage provided that no obstruction is caused.

13) Other areas:

The vestibule leads off a large landing which also gives on to other departments and provides a good location for a display drawing attention to the collections and services of the Information Centre. This area should accommodate the following:

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Free standing vertical display unit, total surface area (one side), 8 sq-m max. Horizontal glazed display case, lockable, total display surface area approx. 1.5 sq-m

14) Special considerations:

Floor loading : The accommodation allocated for the Information Centre is on the upper floor of a two-storey building designed as a private house, and it is not certain that the floors could support free standing, fully-loaded bookshelves. As far as possible, therefore, all shelving units should be wholly or partly wall-mounted.

Electricity :

The electricity supply is 240v. The location of the existing sockets is shown on the attached plan, but additional sockets can be installed, or the existing ones relocated, if required. This does not apply to the airconditioning units and their electrical sockets and switches.

Flooring :

The entire area shown on the attached plan is close carpeted.

Dimensions :

The dimensions shown on the attached plan are as accurate as possible, but the rooms do not appear to be completely regular and allowance should be made for small discrepancies of up to 5cm.

Lighting :

The approximate location of the lighting units is shown on the attached plan. Each is a flush-mounted ceiling fitting containing 4 fluorescent, tubes of 20 W output. The Information Centre will be regularly open after dark and natural daylight in the two rooms in not adequate without artificial lighting.

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ARAB GULF STATES

FOLKLORE CENTRE

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Floor plan

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ARAB GULF STATES FOLKLORE CENTRE

Information Centre

Key to floor plan

P = plug: 3-pin 13 amp. electrical socket 8 cm. square approx. Distance from floor to bottom of plug 45-50 cm. approx.

S = Switch: electric light/power switch 8 cm. square approx. Distance from floor to bottom of switch 1.35-1.40 m. approx. (not including airconditioning switches).

T = Telephone jack: 5 cm. square approx. located immediately on top of wiring channel (see below).

L = Light fitting at ceiling level (dimensions and locations shown are only approximate).

AIRCON = airconditioning unit and associated wall-mounted switches Distance from floor to bottom of unit 1.30 m. approx. Distance from floor to top of unit 2.00 m. approx. Switches are located between these distances.

Dotted line = wall-mounted wiring channel at floor level, height 7 cm. depth 1.5 cm.

NB There are no skirting boards. Door frames only on one side of each door, as shown. Window frames flush to wall. No space above windows. Windows are curtained at present, but blinds could be fitted if required. Overall height, floor to ceiling 2.60 m. approx.

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APPENDIX D. GENERAL LIBRARY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

The list below is intended to indicate the kinds of general library equipment and supplies which are likely to be needed when the Information Centre begins to function. The Chief of the Information Centre will no doubt wish to acquire additional items also.

The reference and page numbers quoted are to the current catalogue of a British library supply firm, Don Gresswell Ltd., which was loaned to the Folklore Centre by the Librarian of the University of Qatar. They are quoted here because the catalogue contains illustrations of most of the items listed, which will help the staff of the Folklore Centre to identify them. Similar items may be available on the local market or from other suppliers, as well as from Gresswell. Several items would, in any case, need to be produced locally in Arabic, but they have been listed here as a reminder that they will be needed.

Reference Item Page

412 Numbering machine 422-5 Library labels (assorted sizes and colours) 341-2 Library label protectors 418 Accessions register

2803, etc. Periodical recording cards 1290 Automatic date stamp 413-4 Ink for automatic date stamp 1227 Ownership stamp 1310 Reservation slip 681-2 Multiple copy order sets 1701-4 Display stands and easels 1126 Desk book stand various Pamphlet boxes (range of sizes available) various Book and archival repair tapes and dispensers 355 Book repair centre 965 Book cleaner 2524 Guillotine

Bind-o-Matic and covers 2876-7 Letraset (Arabic sheets available) various Card index boxes and cards* 2117 Kik-Step 1996 Documentation preservation storage kit

7 7 7 7 8 9 9 9 11 11 13 13 14 19 20 20 21 21 24 26 40 59

* for general use, not for library catalogue, which will be incorporated in the computerised database

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APPENDIX E. OUTLINE OF ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENTS FOR AN INFORMATION CENTRE IN THE PROPOSED NEW HEADQUARTERS

1. . INTRODUCTION

It is not possible, at this stage, to provide more than a general indication of the accommodation requirements of an Information Centre in the proposed new Headquarters of the Folklore Centre. The detailed requirements, partic­ularly in terms of the numbers of documents to be housed, the number of readers' seats to be provided and the space required for staff offices and workrooms, should be worked out by the Chief of the Information Centre at a later stage as part of the general planning process for the building as a whole.

2. BASIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The area accommodating the Information Centre should be centrally located in the headquarters building with easy access from all departments. It should be simple and functional in layout and be designed for maximum flexibility with a minimum of internal loadbearing walls and with column spacings determined in accordance with a carefully selected module designed to accommodate standard shelving units, readers' tables and chairs and other standard items of furniture and equipment, without requiring floor layouts which are inconvenient or waste­ful of space.

2.1.. .Entrances and exits

There should be only one main entrance and exit for users. Public emergency exits should be provided as required by fire regulations and there should be a separate entrance and exit for staff.

2.2.. .Acoustics

No attempt should be made to achieve absolute silence in the Information Centre. A low level of general background natae-is more acceptable since it reduces the likelihood of users being suddenly disturbed by slight noises. Nevertheless, traffic flows and floor surfaces should be designed to keep the general noise level low and activities which are particularly noisy should be acoustically screened from the main study areas. The building as a whole should be designed to minimise noise annoyance from external sources.

2.3.. .Handicapped users

Full consideration should be given in the design and layout of the Information Centre and in the provision of services and facilities, to the special needs of handicapped users, including blind users.

2.4. Smoking

Smoking should not be allowed in the public areas. In staff work areas, it should be fortidden in high risk areas such as storerooms.

3. AIMS AND FUNCTIONS

3.1. The aim of the Information Centre will be to identify, locate and record, collect, preserve and make available:the documentary records of the folklore of the Arab Gulf States, together with studies of its origins, creation and significance; records and studies of the folklore of other regions; works about the study of folklore; and general works of reference.

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3.2. The principal functions to be performed in the Information Centre will be:

administration of the Centre development and maintenance of the collections maintenance of a database on Arab Gulf folklore maintenance of the archives of the Folklore Centre provision of general library, documentation and information services liaison with external information systems, services and programmes organisation of exhibitions, displays, cultural events and meetings.

3.3. The principal groups of users to be served will be:

research workers educators organisers of folklore performances folklore practitioners (musicians, etc.).

3.4. The main types of information materials to be housed will be:

archives and manuscripts books and bound volumes of periodicals current periodicals and newspapers reports and pamphlets cuttings and photographs gramophone records, audiocassettes, vidéocassettes and videodiscs films, filmstrips, slides and overhead transparencies pictures, prints and maps artefacts of Gulf folklore (handicraft products, etc.).

3.5. The principal users services and facilities to be provided will be:

research and study facilities reading, viewing. and_ listening facilities reference and enquiry services lending of information materials photocopying services current awareness services (production and distribution of bulletins) provision of catalogues and other guides to the collections provision of access to external information systems and services exhibitions and display cultural activities toilets.

3.5. The principal managerial and technical operations to be performed will be:

administration creation and maintenance of a computerised database acquisition of information materials processing of information materials preservation and conservation of information materials distribution of information materials withdrawal and disposal of information materials ancillary operations (preparation of exhibitions, etc.).

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3.7. The main types of staff to be accommodated will be:

managerial and professional (librarians, computer specialists, etc.) technical secretarial and clerical skilled manual (binders, etc.) unskilled manual (cleaners, etc.).

3.8. The main staff facilities and services to be provided will be:

separate staff entrance male and female toilets and restrooms kitchen facilities „

3.9. The main functional areas in the Information Centre will be:

entrance area general reading and study area enclosed study rooms with viewing and listening facilities exhibition and display area archives of the Folklore Centre staff offices and workrooms reserve collections of little-used materials special storage for rare and valuable materials toilets and kitchen areas.

4. MECHANICAL SERVICES

4.1. Airconditioning should be designed to maintain internal conditions of 15-20°C and relative humidity of 55-65%. The plant should be capable of maintaining the required conditions at all times. Emergency backup plant will be needed for archives collections and special stores for rare and valuable materials.

4.2. Toilet areas should be provided with mechanical extract systems to give at least six air changes per hour.

4.3. Both hot and cold water supplies will be needed in the toilets, kitchen and workroom areas. Drinking water coolers should be provided for use by both staff and users.

4.4. The artificial lighting installation should be designed in accordance with international recommendations for building interiors. Special lighting schemes will be required for exhibitions and displays and for archives collections and special stores for rare and valuable materials.

4.5. Adequate arrangements must be made to protect the Information Centre and its contents, particularly the archives and the collections of rare and valuable mate'ials, from theft, loss or damage by fire, by storms or by other adverse weather conditions' „

4.6. Several telephone extensions will be required in the workroom and office areas and at staff workstations in the reading and study areas and a modem will be needed tc connect the information Centre's computer to external information systems.