Guidelines for the development of library and information services in developing countries with special reference to Iraq

The development of any country is regarded as the function of the availability, organisation and utilization of its resources. Information has come to be w idely recognised as a resource as valuable as other resources of matter, energy and human skill. This recognition is evident through the attention given by the countries in the developed areas of the world to the collection, organisation and utilization of information. The result as one can witness now is the establishment and maintenance in these countries of advanced library and information services, where sophisticated technology (e. g. computers and other electronic devices) is being applied. Since developing countries like Iraq, with which we areespecially concerned,, are undergoing a development process and almost all of them have been adopting a planning procedure as an instrument of policy in their own development, the availability, organisation and utilization of information is essential for them. The only way to meet this is by ensuring the availability of efficient infrastructures that perform the functions of collecting, organising and retrieving information on a nationwide basis. Therefore developing countries need to: recognise information as an essential component in the individuals, and society1development, question the deficient and fragmented state of their library and information services, recognise the deficiencies of these services and take the measures necessary for their development. This study demonstrates the value of information in development, reviews the activities concerned with collecting, organising and retrieving information, questions the present state of library and information services in developing countries with special reference to Iraq, highlights their deficiencies and the, factors contributingýto these deficiencies, and provides guidelines for solution. This study was based on an extensive literature survey, personal interviews, visits and on-site observations.