Methodology
A survey was sent to library professionals, LIS students and library managers in
Qatar. This survey was based on the Nexus Census survey conducted in Australia
(Hallam, 2008). The survey contained 43 questions, comprising a mixture of open,
closed, multiple-choice and matrix questions. However, the number of questions each
respondent was asked to answer varied according to their qualification status,
employment status and job role. Questions were predominantly quantitative in nature,
although supplementary qualitative feedback was also sought for certain questions. All
issues studied in the survey were attributed to one of five broad categories, each of
which was selected to ensure a coherent and comprehensive analysis of the current and
future state of the library profession across the State of Qatar. These five categories
were: demographic data; educational status; employment information; professional
skills; professional development. Comparative analysis of the data collected from the
questions in each of these five categories was also undertaken in order to identify any
trends, relationships, differences or similarities in the data and in so doing gain a better
understanding of any important causal issues or contributory factors.