Principles in Planning Library Education Programs in the Muslim World

ABSTRACTFour major principles for planning library education programs in[the] Muslim World are considered of importance: the environmentalneeds, the application of programs, the cultures, backgrounds andtraditions of the nation, and the future changes. The Muslim World isacquiring expertise largely from non-Muslim nations throughrecruiting expert planners or through sending their students todeveloped countries to acquire knowledge, then apply it. Bothapproaches are seen to have some problems at the time of acquisition andapplication of planned programs. These problems are discussed andplanners are expected to be aware of these principles before they starttheir plans. Blind application of library technology is considered themain reason for the failure of library education programs in someMuslim World countries. A balance of application, in accordance withthe four principles, is recommended.IntroductionI. The Muslim WorldWhat is meant by the phrase “the Muslim world” is those countrieswhich have a high percentage of Muslims compared to non-Muslims.The Muslim World is a part of what is called “less developed countries,”“developing countries,” the “Third World,” or the “South.” The phases areused to refer to those countries-including the Muslim world-which areless advanced in technologies due to the existence of many factors, someof which are: ...