2. Kingdom of Bahrain Facts  Government type : constitutional monarchy & Bicameral Legislature (National Assembly)  Religion : Majority Muslim (70% Shiite, 30%  Sunni), Christian, Jewish, Bahai (National  Assembly)  Literacy rate: 89% (2003 est.)  Language: Arabic (official), Persian, Urdu & English is widely spoken  Population : 718,306 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

3. History, People and Culture Tylos, Dilmun and Awal (ancient name) Bahrain was referred to by the Greeks as the centre of pearl trading, 1738 was ruled by one Family the “Al-Khalifa”. 1932 oil has been discover in Bahrain 1971 Bahrain became independent from British protectorate Bahrain Pearls Bahrain Ceramics

4. Libraries in Bahrain First public library 1946 12 Academic libraries 9 Public libraries Managed by Ministry of education 250 Schools Learning Resource Centers 5 Special Libraries & research Libraries New National Library that will be open in Dec 2008 Shaikh Isa National Library

5. Arabian Gulf University Library Library Automated System ( Horizon ) 40,000 volumes in Arabic & English 15 Specialized Online Databases 400 Printed Journal Inter-Library Loan Services Online Reference Services

6. Challenges Faced by Libraries in Bahrain The Need to established national consortium for the Academic Libraries in Bahrain Lack of qualified academic Librarians Training & Development ( limitations ) Undefined strategic planning for academic Libraries Encouraging the community to support fund raising For Academic libraries