The concept of the library of the future has been discuses extensively throughout the past decade. The development of Internet resources currently underway is a step in this direction. However, methods of organizing electronic resources are still far from ideal. This paper will trace library cataloging from manual to electronic organization as well as review current attempts to organize electronic information objects and related issues. A vision of what cataloging could evolve into in the electronic world is proposed at the end, along with a discussion of what needs to be done to realize this vision.
PACE stimulates images of books and library shelves to help users browse through the catalog.
The results show that a simple browsable retrieval interface performed as well as a second-generation OPAC in terms of retrieval speed and search success. The Arabian Gulf libraries stand poised at the threshold of networking, which promises the sharing of resources through co-operation and provides the individual library with greater access to resources. Several libraries in the gulf region have acquired sophisticated systems and there is a great potential to develop library networks. This paper highlights both the benefits and the problems associated with networking in libraries and discusses the circumstances that are forcing several information centres in the Gulf region to begin thinking seriously about library networking. The paper will briefly describe the development of an important networking tool, the Union List of Scientific and Technical Periodicals in the gulf region, and its current status and should serve as a springboard for further discussions related to library networks in the Gulf.