Continuing Education for Catalogers in Saudi Arabia

Studies have revealed that LIS programs of the four library schools in Saudi Arabia are traditional, and their cataloging courses do not cover new trends and issues in the organization of information. As a result, graduates of these schools lack the required skills for various cataloging positions, especially in an electronic library environment. Once hired, they need to embark on a continuing education program to develop these skills. The paper aims to review continuing education programs for catalogers offered by various library schools, human resource development institutions, automation vendors, and professional associations in Saudi Arabia. Several other continuing education opportunities available to catalogers, such as Web-based training, professional reading, and electronic discussions lists, are also discussed.