ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries A p ril 1984 / 175 S u lt a n Q a b o o s U n iv e r s ity in O m a n B y H a r v e y V a r n e t L ib ra ry C oordinator S u lta n Q aboos U niversity M u sca t, S u lta n a te o f O m a n A modern library facility under construction in a more peaceful part of the M iddle East. H e l l o from O m an! W h e re is O m a n , d id you say? T h a t’s th e sam e question I asked a little over a y ear ago w h e n R ic h a rd P a lm e r of S im m ons C ollege to ld m e a b o u t th e plans b ein g m a d e for S u lta n Q aboos U niversity. S u lta n Q aboos b in Said is th e ru le r of t h e S u l t a n a t e o f O m a n , t h e s e c o n d l a r g e s t c o u n try — a fte r Sa’ud i A ra b ia — lo cated on th e A ra ­ b ia n P e n in su la ’s so u th east coast. O m a n occupies a n a r e a o f a b o u t 2 7 2 ,0 0 0 s q u a r e k i l o m e te r s (106,000 sq u a re m iles). T o th e w est O m a n is b o r­ d e re d by th e U n ited A rab E m ira te s a n d Sa’u d i A ra ­ b ia , a n d to th e south by th e P eople’s D e m o c ra tic R ep u b lic of Yem en. O m a n is d iv id ed in to several d istin c t g eo g rap h ic zones. T h e m ost fe rtile p a r t of th e c o u n try is th e B a tin a h coastal p la in stre tc h in g from th e UAE b o r­ d er a t K h a tm a t a l’M a la h a for 300 km (190 miles) to th e M uscat are a . T h e B a tin a h p la in is a n alm ost u n b ro k e n b e lt of c u ltiv a tio n u p to 30 km (20 miles) in w id th b e tw e e n th e sea a n d m o u n ta in s. Across th e n o rth e rn section of th e S u lta n a te ru n s th e H aj- ja r m o u n ta in ra n g e, w h ich reaches 3,075 m eters (10,250 feet) a t its highest p o in t, th e Jebel Sham s. B etw een th e n o rth e rn a re a a n d th e D h o fa r p ro v ­ ince lies a la rg e stre tc h of d esert, san d d u n e , a n d stony p la in . M u sa n d a m , fa rth e r n o rth a n d se p a ­ ra te d from th e rest of th e c o u n try , is extrem ely rocky a n d isolated w ith sheer cliffs d ro p p in g d o w n to th e sea a n d alm ost no c u ltiv a b le la n d . O m a n ’s clim a te varies co n sid erab ly fro m region to region. D u rin g th e su m m e r p e rio d fro m A pril to O c to b e r th e coastal a re a is very h o t a n d h u m id , M uscat re g u la rly re c o rd in g te m p e ra tu re s of 45° C. (1 1 2 ° F .) w i t h 9 0 % h u m i d i t y . I n th e c o o le r m o n th s, N o v e m b e r-M a rc h , d a y tim e te m p e ra tu re s in th e c a p ita l a re a d ro p to a p le a sa n t 2 0 -3 0 ° C . an d a ir co n d itio n in g is no lo n g er necessary. In th e in te ­ rio r it is h o t a n d d ry w ith th e exception of som e h ig h e r locations w h e re it is te m p e ra te th ro u g h o u t th e year. T h e s o u th e rn region is also m o re te m p e r­ a te , a lth o u g h h eav y ra in s fall b e tw e e n Ju n e a n d O cto b e r. E lsew h ere ra in fa ll is low a n d irre g u la r. T h a t ’s en o u g h to u rist in fo rm a tio n , except to say t h a t it is n o t all d e s e rt h e re a n d th e c o u n try is stark ly b e a u tifu l. In 1980 th e S u lta n a n n o u n c e d t h a t a m o d e rn , tech n o lo g ically -o rie n te d u n iv ersity w o u ld be co n ­ s tru c te d , to be o p en ed in th e F a ll of 1986. A F o u n ­ d a t i o n C o m m i t t e e w a s f o r m e d t h a t i n c lu d e d O m a n i, B ritish, A m erican , a n d o th e r scholars. T h e o u tlin e of th e univ ersity w as developed a n d th e first five colleges w e re a n n o u n c e d as A g ric u ltu re , E d u c a tio n a n d Is la m ic S cien ce s, E n g in e e r in g , M edicine, a n d Science. T hese colleges a re to be s u p p o rte d by a L ib ra ry , a M edical L ib ra ry , a C e n ­ te r for E d u c a tio n a l T echnology, a C o m p u te r C e n ­ t e r , a n d a L a n g u a g e C e n te r . A d m in is tr a tio n , w orks, housing for stu d en ts an d staff, sports areas, a c u ltu ra l c e n te r, a stu d e n t c e n te r, a n d a m osque co m p lete th e cam p u s, lo cated in Al’K h o u d h , n e a r Seeb a b o u t 40 km (25 miles) from M uscat. B ecause of o th e r successful w o rk in th e M id d le E a st, D ick P a lm e r w as h ire d in 1982 as th e lib ra ry c o n su lta n t to p re p a re th e in itia l brief. W h a t d ev el­ 176 / C ‹b R L N e w s oped w as a p la n for a com prehensive lib ra ry th a t w ill be fully a u to m a te d , c a p a b le of seatin g 400 us­ ers, w ith a volum e c a p acity of 200,000. T h e re la ­ tively sm all volum e c a p acity is possible because of th e c o m m itm e n t on th e p a r t of th e u niversity to use th e latest in teleco m m u n icatio n s technology. T h e lib ra ry b u ild in g w ill also house th e C e n te r for E d u ­ c a tio n a l T echnology (television, p h o to g ra p h y , au- Virtually any kind of equipment is available in Oman. dio, graphics) a n d th e C o m p u te r C en ter. C o o rd in ato rs w ere h ire d in 1982 an d 1983 to b e ­ gin im p le m e n ta tio n of th e “ b rie f s ,” a n d t h a t ’s w h e re I c am e in last S eptem ber. As one soon learns, if you h ave a skill— expect it to be used. M y in itial lib ra ry assignm ent w as ex p an d ed a n d n o w I also oversee th e d ev elo p m en t of th e C o m p u te r C e n te r, th e C e n te r for E d u c a tio n a l T echnology, th e M edi­ cal L ib ra ry , an d som e aspects of th e C ollege of E d ­ u ca tio n (c u rricu lu m m aterials areas). T h e m a in task a t h a n d is to ensure th a t th e co n ­ s u lta n t’s rep o rts a re tra n s la te d into b uildings, staff, an d e q u ip m e n t. As w ith any rep o rts, th e re is a co n ­ s ta n t re fin in g process w h e n h arsh re ality greets an a b s tra c t concept. T h e case of th e sm all TV studio th a t c o u ld n ’t be e x p an d ed d u e to s tru c tu ra l consid­ eratio n s m akes this p o in t. T h e solution w o rk ed ou t w ith th e arch itects m akes th e are a w o rk a b le b u t n o t ideal. So for m e, this position is a continuous le a rn in g process. I w o rk w ith p a p e r c re a te d by co n su ltan ts I h a rd ly know (except P alm er) w hose background s are q u ite v arie d . T h e c o m p u te r c o n su lta n t is B rit­ ish; th e lib ra ry a n d C E T co n su ltan ts are A m eri­ c a n , o n e e a c h fro m M a s s a c h u s e tts , V e r m o n t, S outh C a ro lin a , an d C alifo rn ia. This brings up th e p ro b lem s w ith c o m m u n ic a ­ tions. T h e university c o n tra c to r a n d th e arch itects are U . K . -b a se d . I t is a n ev e r-en d in g logistics task to keep p ro p e r c o m m u n ic a tio n going from O m a n to U .K . to U.S. M ail is alw ays too slow; telexes are quick b u t never fully satisfactory; telep h o n e calls are expensive a n d a w k w a rd d u e to tim e differences (nine hours difference from E a ste rn S ta n d a rd to O m a n ). S om ehow th e w o rk all gets done, b u t one has to le a rn to be c o m fo rta b le w ith anxiety w hile w a itin g to h e a r from others fa r aw ay. T h e re are o th e r in h e re n t challenges to be d e a lt w ith . H o w w ill w e b u y books? F ro m th e U nited States? G re a t B ritain ? In O m an ? L ocal prices are steep. W h a t a b o u t a u to m a te d cataloging? W h a t a b o u t periodicals? A nd w h a t is th e best w a y to es­ ta b lis h fo rm a l re la tio n sh ip s w ith lib ra rie s fro m w h ich w e w ill need to b o rro w m ate ria ls (e .g ., th e B ritish L ib ra ry L en d in g D ivision, th e L ib ra ry of C o n g re ss, th e N a tio n a l L ib r a r y o f M e d ic in e )? W h e n do I get to see all th e a p p ro p ria te people? T rav el is expensive. A n o th er a re a th a t is evolving a t th e m o m e n t is w h e th e r w e w ill eq u ip th e university th ro u g h local vendors, in te rn a tio n a l ten d ers, o r som e c o m b in a ­ tion. T h e in terestin g p o in t h ere is th a t th e re is v ir­ tu a lly any k in d of e q u ip m e n t av a ilab le in O m a n . This has been a p le a sa n t surprise, for m y ex p ecta­ tions w ere th a t audiovisual, television, an d co m ­ p u tin g e q u ip m e n t w o u ld be m in im ally available. Som etim es it is nice not to h av e y our suspicions confirm ed. T h e staffin g for th e lib ra ry w ill in clu d e tw e n ty professional positions, several high-level tech n ical positions, a n d a su p p o rt staff th a t w ill b rin g th e to ­ ta l to sixty. T h e o rg a n iz atio n w ill be a tech n ical services/public services split, w ith th e fo rm e r con­ cern ed w ith all of th e a u to m a tio n activities an d th e la tte r sp en d in g a g re at deal of tim e te a c h in g s tu ­ dents h ow to use a lib ra ry . T his brings m e to e d u c atio n . F ro m th re e schools a n d a few h u n d re d boys en ro lled in 1970, th e e d u ­ c a tio n a l system has evolved to 473 schools a n d 142,866 stu d en ts (35% fem ale). T h ere has been tre m e n d o u s g ro w th in th ir te e n y ears a n d m o re g ro w th is pro jected . U ntil 1986 stu d en ts w ill still need to leave O m a n for a university ed u c atio n . W h e n S u ltan Q aboos U niversity opens its doors in th e F all of 1986, th e re w ill be places in th e first y ear for up to 582 q u alified stu d en ts from a pool of 3,000 p o te n tia l can d id ates. T h e stu d en ts w ill e n c o u n te r som e difficulties. T h e university w ill be in effect a sm all city. S tu ­ dents from th e in te rio r w ill h av e to ad ju st to a new life style, an d th e style of ed u c a tio n w ill re q u ire a d ­ ju stin g to as w ell. S tudents w ill be expected to be active learn ers. F o r m ost, th e ir previous ed u c atio n w ill h av e been m ostly passive, w ith th e lec tu re or ro te le a rn in g style p re v a le n t. In a d d itio n , fo u r of th e five colleges w ill teac h in E nglish, a second la n ­ guage to O m anis. D is ta n c e a n d c o m m u n ic a tio n d e la y s a re th e m ost d ifficu lt things to cope w ith here. T h e pace of life is a b it m ore m o d era te d : things do get done, b u t th e re is no need for over-com pulsiveness. A m eri­ cans m ay find it h a rd to slow d o w n a bit. O n e of th e tru e bonuses is b ein g in a co u n try w h ere people are so h o sp itab le a n d frien d ly , an d w h e re you alw ays feel safe. A rid e to a village in th e in te rio r c a n w in d u p w ith y o u r s h a rin g coffee, d a te s , a n d w o rld v iew s w ith so m eo n e m e t by chance. A rab h o sp itality is leg en d a ry a n d deserv­ edly so. I t is also of g re at in te lle ctu al b en e fit to w ork w ith a diverse gro u p of people. W e are O m a n i, B ritish, A m erican , N ew Z e a la n d e r, Sudanese, I n ­ d ia n , an d D an ish . T his is no t y o u r ev ery d ay U.S. A p ril 1984 / 177 g ro u p of a c ad em ics. You a c q u ire a n e d u c a tio n a b o u t various co u n tries sim ply by discussing w h ere you a n d y o u r colleagues a re fro m . F o r m e, th e p rim a ry reason for co m in g to O m a n w as th e o p p o rtu n ity to be in on th e d ev e lo p m en t of a u n iv e rs ity fro m th e b e g in n in g . T h e r e a r e n ’t m a n y such ch a n ces a risin g in th e U n ite d S tates these days. I t ’s very exciting to know th a t w h a t you do is considered im p o rta n t a n d th a t y o u r ideas w ill becom e o p e ra tio n a l realities in th re e years. You h elp to p la n b u ild in g s a n d th e n you w a tc h th e m go up. You o rg a n iz e staffin g p a tte rn s a n d w rite job descriptions a n d th e n you begin to re c ru it. All th a t lib ra ry co u rsew o rk so long ago seems to com e to ­ g eth er w h e n you a re really s ta rtin g from th e b e g in ­ ning. I t ’s a long w a y from hom e, b u t co m in g to O m a n has b ro u g h t b o th p e rso n a l a n d p ro fessio n al r e ­ w ard s. So fa r, all is going very w ell indeed. ■ ■ Library standards and accreditation in Puerto Rico M o re t h a n one h u n d r e d lib ra ria n s (in c lu d in g sixty a c ad em ic lib rarian s) g a th e re d in San J u a n , P u e rto R ico, this p ast D ec em b er to address th e p ro ­ cess of a c c re d ita tio n an d lib ra ry e v a lu a tio n . T h e conference w as sponsored by th e Society of L ib r a r ­ ians of P u e rto Rico a n d o rg a n iz ed by th e Society’s p re sid e n t, D r. L u isa V ig o -C ep ad a. R epresentatives of th e D e p a rtm e n t of E d u c a ­ tio n , th e C ouncil on H ig h er E d u c a tio n of P u erto Rico, th e U niversity of P u erto R ico, a n d th e Associ­ atio n of C ollege a n d R esearch L ib rarie s each p re ­ sented p ap e rs d u rin g th e m o rn in g sessions. In th e afte rn o o n w o rk in g groups addressed th e issues of: • im p ro v in g th e self-study process; • im p ro v in g th e ev a lu a tio n of P u e rto R ican li­ braries; • in c re a s in g th e p ro d u c tiv ity a n d effectiveness of lib ra ry p ro g ra m s a n d services; • e s ta b lis h in g n o rm s a n d guides fo r d iffe re n t kinds of lib raries in th e lig h t of th e P u e rto R ican re ­ ality; a n d •re c o m m e n d a tio n s to p e rtin e n t entities to be used in th e ev a lu a tio n a n d a c c re d ita tio n process. O n th e follow ing d a y A C R L ’s executive d ire c ­ to r, D r. Ju lie C a rro ll V irgo, m e t w ith th e lib ra ry d irecto rs of th e n in e U niversity of P u e rto Rico c a m ­ p u ses. T h e g ro u p s y s te m a tic a lly re v ie w e d th e A C R L C ollege L ib ra ry S ta n d a rd s a n d m a d e som e re co m m e n d atio n s on th e ir revision for th e A C R L C ollege L ib r a r y S ta n d a rd s C o m m itte e h e a rin g s d u rin g th e ALA M id w in te r M eeting in W a sh in g ­ ton. V irgo also sp en t a n ex ten d ed p erio d of tim e w ith th e U niversity of P u e rto R ico’s a c tin g p re sid e n t, D r. Luis A. Sojo, discussing issues of m u tu a l co n ­ cern in h ig h e r e d u c atio n . T h e h o sp itality a n d enth u siasm of o u r P u e rto R i­ can colleagues en c o u rag e th e d ev e lo p m en t of still closer ties, p e rh a p s th ro u g h th e fo rm a tio n o f a P u e rto R ican c h a p te r of A C R L . ■ ■ Dr. L u is A . Sojo, D r. Julie Virgo, a n d Dr. L uisa V igo-C epada.