Cultural Foundation - Abu Dhabi: National Library - Library Services

Abstract

This item is a brief statistical dossier on library services at the National Library of the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi during 1999. The first page presents data on subscribers distributed by gender and selected social, occupational, or educational characteristics in tabular and schematic form, revealing the general composition of the library’s registered users. The second page provides a statement of the kinds of books consulted during the same year, with numerical and proportional distributions across fields of knowledge, and a distinction between Arabic and foreign books through tables and pie charts.

The item serves both a documentary and an evaluative function, as it allows a quantitative reading of the characteristics of the library’s user community and of patterns of reading within the institution. It also offers indicators that can be used to assess use trends, monitor the balance among subject areas, and support service planning and collection development in the national library.