الحاجة للإبداع في خدمات المعلومات و الأنشطة الثقافية للفئات الخاصة

Abstract EN

Arab Countries like all over the world have people who need library and information services to help them to conduct their role in the sustainable development of their countries.

Though they do not get enough attention from the librarian and information science specialist.

We mean by people with special needs: persons who because of their living conditions and/or physical, mental or cognitive disabilities are unable to access current library and information services.

These groups can include, but are not necessarily limited to, people in hospitals orphanage houses, homeless people, persons in nursing homes and other care facilities, the deaf and people with dyslexia and dementia.

Some go further to include the gifted and talented children.

Methodology implemented in this research depends on descriptive analysis for subject literatures and formal international statistics.

As well as the current awareness of field study.

The purpose of our study is to examine the special needs communities in Saudi Arabia and Egypt and to cross-validate its factor structure for information service provided in the context of early childhood education disabled children and other sectors of disabilities.

The study aims to identify the information providers in our countries and who well they are trained to use the latest information technology to provide such services.

The study revealed the need to a better training for the library and information specialists, and an evolution in the curriculum of the library science faculties to include the special needs.

More statistically significant differences were identified between the providers of information and the community of the special needs.

Our study concludes that a better information services will have some positive effect on the sustainable development of our countries, nevertheless there are lots of efforts to develop the information specialists’ skills and there is still scope for improving the situation.

Implications of these findings for current practice are discussed.