Information Retrieval Methods in the Saudi Digital Library and Ways to Develop Them

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the methods of retrieving information available on the Saudi Digital Library by faculty members in the Library and Information Departments in two Saudi universities, to reveal the difficulties facing faculty members in obtaining information, and to present their proposals for developing the Saudi Digital Library in the service of scientific research. The study sample included 48 faculty members from the two universities. The study relied on the descriptive survey approach, and data were collected using a questionnaire. The study reached several results, the most important of which are: that the most used electronic sources by the study sample are university theses and periodicals, and that all study sample use the Saudi Digital Library, and that there are difficulties and obstacles represented in the lack of sufficient experience in searching the databases available in it, as well as the difficulty in reading and translating the electronic sources available in it, with the scarcity of Arabic electronic sources. The study recommended the necessity of adding a direct communication service with beneficiaries in the Saudi Digital Library, keeping pace with some artificial intelligence programs, and employing them in the Saudi Digital Library, and employing training courses and initiatives related to data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.