they noted that the elective component did not allow for enough opportunity to
specialize or offer subjects in core critical practice. This is an interesting point to note,
however the article fails to further discuss which areas the students would have liked to
have received more training in, however the authors stated that although the course
had added subjects about digital libraries, the content was not necessarily up to date.
Another study conducted at one LIS school in the US, to investigate if LIS curriculum is
being delivered that teaches skills and knowledge to equip students in a rapidly
changing environment, found that in general library managers were satisfied with the
skills of graduates from the LIS programme (Chow et al., 2011). The study also found
that the most successful skills managers were looking for were more general skills such
as communication and that some skills such as cataloguing were seen as skills that
could be learnt on the job. These studies clearly show that employers are looking for
LIS graduates that have skills and knowledge of both general skills and specific LIS
skills and knowledge, but most importantly that graduates can be flexible and
adaptable in the constantly changing digital environment.
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.
Discussion of findings
In total, 109 respondents responded to the survey. Based on an analysis of staff
information for libraries obtained from the Qatar National Library Directory of
Libraries in Qatar, it is estimated that the total number of survey respondents (n¼109)
represents approximately 25 per cent of the total library workforce currently (as of
2014) based in Qatar.
Background information
Nationality. The results of this question were quite clear with an overwhelming
majority of respondents hailing from the USA (21 per cent), followed by the UK (16 per
cent). The next most populous group by nationality were Qataris, numbering 10 per
cent of respondents, with Canadians and Egyptians ranking joint fourth with 9 per cent
of respondents each.
The fact that the two largest respondent groups were from the USA and UK is not
surprising and most probably links to the point mentioned above regarding the need