Department of Culture and Information - Sharjah [Statistics of the Department’s Libraries for 1999]

Abstract

This item is an institutional statistical dossier documenting the activity of the libraries of the Department of Culture and Information in Sharjah during 1999 through a continuous series of tables and charts measuring user characteristics and patterns of library use. The pages present data distributed by gender, nationality, age groups, occupation, and service hours, and they track the numbers of subscribers and users across the department’s libraries and branches, highlighting differences between months and among categories of patrons. In its structure, the material clearly adopts a comparative quantitative mode of presentation and provides the data in integrated numerical and visual forms intended to support administrative and analytical reading of the performance of the public libraries التابعة للدائرة.

The importance of the dossier lies in the fact that it goes beyond mere numerical counting and provides a practical basis for evaluating library services, understanding the social, occupational, and age composition of users, tracing fluctuations in use over time, and employing these indicators in planning, development, and decision-making. It also reflects the place of library statistics as a core instrument in public library management, in measuring community engagement with services, and in documenting the state of library work in Sharjah at the close of the twentieth century.