Omani libraries and their role in supporting the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Libraries and information centers are expected to play an important role in helping to achieve the goals of sustainable development, as libraries are the first source of information and knowledge and are the basis for launching the implementation of all future development plans. Usually, when we talk about libraries we talk about librarians, as all the expected role of libraries is done by them. Their belief in their role in supporting the achievement of development plan goals and their work with the other specialists in various sectors is the basis for the success of countries and societies in their pursuit of sustainable development plans. This study aimed to find out the awareness of librarians in the Sultanate of Oman of the important role of libraries and information centers in achieving the sustainable development goals, and the role of libraries in the Sultanate of Oman in supporting and achieving the goals of sustainable development 2030. A survey was sent to 44 librarians in the Sultanate of Oman to identify their level of awareness of the role of libraries in implementing sustainable development plans. The study concluded that there is a relative awareness among librarians in the Sultanate of Oman about sustainable development and its 17 goals. This awareness needs to be strengthened by various parties, and the majority of the sample members believe that libraries are a major contributor to achieving sustainable development goals, while half of the studied sample had never attended specialized workshops to raise awareness of sustainable development and its goals. The majority of the sample is keen to work with available resources to achieve these goals. On the other hand, administrative complexities and limited financial resources are the main obstacles that impeded libraries from achieving sustainable development goals. The participation of libraries in achieving the goals of sustainable development varied from workshops, lectures and awareness initiatives to providing information sources and encouraging research and scientific publishing.