Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How could I use the automatic index to search for a book or a volume? 

When the search screen appears, you decide the way of search; write the word you would like to search for, followed by clicking on the word “agree”. If this screen is not there, press the key F2, it will come up. Then you choose the required book out of the books registered on this screen by clicking twice on it. If the chosen language was English, the data for the required book will appear. Then you take the book serial number and go to the shelves.

                                                                                                                           
* How could I borrow a book?
To do that you must open a membership file at the Library.

* What are the conditions for opening a membership file?
You must be one of the University affiliates (staff member, student or employee).

* Is there any membership for those who are not affiliated to the University? If yes, what are the conditions for this membership?

Yes, there is a membership for those who are not affiliated to the University. Membership conditions: Firstly: Insurance with SR 500 for each book; Secondly: bringing two photographs + copy of Identity Card + filling a borrowing form.

* What are the membership conditions for the University affiliates?

Students:
Bringing The University Card + photograph + present semester time table and filling the membership form.
Staff members and employees:
Bringing a copy of the University Card together with the its original for correspondence + photograph + filling the membership form.
                                                                                              
* What is the number of books that I could borrow each time and for what duration?

The number and duration for borrowing are different according to the class of each member as the following simple table shows:

* Does the library open in evening and what are the working hours?

Yes, the library open daily from 7:30am to 10:00pm (Saturday to Wednesday), but from 5:00pm to 9:00pm on Thursdays.

* Could I read and study at the Library even if I am not affiliated to the University?

Yes, you can read and study while you are observing the library instructions.

* How could I locate a book for studying or borrowing?

There is a conductor for readers who can help you locate the book.

* Is there any penalty for delaying the return of books to the library?

Yes, the penalty is barring from borrowing for a duration equal to the time of delay.

* Could I purchase some books?

No, this a library and not a bookshop; but you can photocopy within the limits of the system.

* Is there any arrangement for photocopying?
Yes, but with a maximum of 25 pages of a book or any other material.

* Could Periodicals be borrowed?
No, also references, manuscripts and official prints cannot be borrowed.

* Could I photocopy some articles of periodicals?
Yes, you can with the limits of photocopying; set out by the Deanship.

* What should I do if I have lost a book that I have borrowed?
You inform the borrowing employee. The regulations for a lost book will be applied on you.

                                                                                          
* What is the procedure in case of loosing a book?
According to the regulation, you will be free to bring two copies of the book or pay double its price.

* If I am too late in returning a book and then I requested a release, what is the practiced procedure in this case?
The borrowing system bars the user from borrowing for twice the delay period. In case you cannot wait for this period, there are other procedures that can be implemented by the Head of Borrowing Unit.

* Does the library open for women’s students? Are they allowed to borrow?
Yes, but in certain days and for specified periods, like Thursdays for a special duration and time. They are not allowed to borrow, but they can study and photocopy inside the library.

* Do all departments of the library open in evenings?
Yes, according to a specific plan; where some open for all week and others for certain days of the week.

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FAQs about Information and Databases:  

* What are the working hours for the department of Information Database?
Working hours are: Saturdays to Wednesdays from 7:30am to 2:30pm and from 5:00pm to 10:00pm.

* How could an abstract be obtained for a research in a specific subject? How could a full text of an article in a periodical be obtained?
A researcher can find research abstracts by searching the publishers and databases websites, which allow also the obtainment of full text of these articles.

                                                                                     
* Is it possible to obtain a full text from other firms in case of unfeasibility of obtaining it from the publishers and databases websites?

The Deanship avails full text of articles from The British Library in case of unfeasibility of obtaining them from their sources at the Library. The search in the publishers’ websites requires the following steps:
Firstly: Writing Website title (URL).
Secondly: Entering the username and password.
Thirdly: Choose the “Search” key.
Fourthly: The search uses the keys: Basic Search or Advanced Search.

* How could an article full text be obtained in case of unavailability at the library?

In case of unavailability of full texts in their traditional or electronic resources at the Library, the Deanship presents to the University affiliates the service of obtaining full text from the British Library as follows:

Staff Members          Five Articles
Lectures                   Five Articles
Graduate Students     Four Articles
Bachelor Students     Three Articles

They are entitled to get these numbers each semester.

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FAQs about the Internet Service: 

* How could I enter the Library Page in the Internet?
Enter through the website: http://library.kau.edu.sa or through the University website: www.kau.edu.sa and clicking on the Deanship of Library Affairs from the list of Deanships.

                                                                                                              
* I am a student; how could I get a Statement?
Firstly: Enter the University Website: www.kau.edu.sa
Secondly: Click on Electronic Services to get the choices: (Regular students, Old Affiliated Students, New Affiliated Students). Choose your class.
Thirdly: Enter University Index Number and then the Secret Number (For new students it is the identity card number less the first left digit).
Fourth: Choose the form and the statement. Follow the printing steps.

* What is the search method for a specific subject?
Enter the Internet Explorer and write the name of one of the search engines like; www.google.com or www.altavista.com or www.ask.com to inter it. Then write the key words in the place assigned for it in the search engine and click enter. Follow the remaining steps.

* What is the Exact Match Search Method?
To search using exact phrase, the quotation marks outline the phrase to be searched. For example to search for internet education using the Exact Match Method, your write: “internet education”. The results obtained will contain only the two words and not just only one of them. 

* What is the Wildcards Search Method?
This method facilitates using the star (*) instead of a number wildcards. All the words that are connected with the letters of the search phrase appear in the search results. The table below illustrates some examples:

* What is the Required Search Method?
The plus sign (+) is put between the key works that the information associated with it in the internet, must be found. The plus sign in the search query is useful in adding the word after it to the search process. No space is left between the plus sign and the word. The minus sign (-) is used for excluding the search results that come out of the word after the minus sign.

                                                                                    
* What are the Boolean Operators?
They are words or symbols that define the relation between the components of the search phrase in the search query. They are important for searching large indexes and multiple databases. They are put between the key works of the search query. They are written in capital letters, for the search engine to distinguish them from the neighboring key words. Spaces are left before and after them.

* What are the most important Search Engines?
The most known search engine includes:

Alta Vista: www.altavista.com
Yahoo: www.yahoo.com
HotBot: www.hotbot.com  
Northern Light: www.northernlight.com
Infoseek: www.infoseek.com
Ask Jeeves  www.askjeeves.com
Beaucoup: www.beaucoup.com
Excite: www.excite.com
Euroseek: www.euroseek.com
The Amazing Picture: www.ncrtec.org
Naseej Arabic Website: www.naseej.com
Maktoob Arabic Website: www.maktoob.com
Ayna Arabic Website: www.ayna.com

* What are the working hours for the Internet and Electronic Library Unit?
The unit opens daily from 8:00am to 2:00pm and from 5:00 to 9:00pm except on Thursdays and Fridays.

* What is the allowed time to be spent in using the Internet?
The allowed time for using the Internet depends on the classes of users:

Staff members, Lecturers and Graduate Students till they finish the search.
Employees                          One hour daily
Bachelor students                One hour daily

* What is the possibility of printing and what is the number of allowed pages to be printed?
It is allowed for the user to print the scientific matter, statement and tuition time table, on condition that the subject to be printed is academic and drawn out of the internet and not coming from outside the library and stored in a floppy disc. It is allowed to print a maximum of 20 pages. If the scientific matter exceeds this limit, it can be stored in a floppy disc subsequent to the consent of the laboratory supervisor.

* What is the possibility of having a copy of a specific programme in the Electronic Library?
It is allowed for the user to have a copy of programmes that are not tagged with authorship rights.
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FAQs about Technical Procedures: 

* What is the total number of books in the library?
About 600,000 books.

* What is the procedure for purchasing a book from an external publisher, and what is the price of a specific book?
The name and address of the publisher is obtained from the Procurement Unit. The purchaser then sends a letter requesting the book. The price of the book is found in the publishers’ list.

                                                                                       
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FAQs about the Periodicals Services: 

* What is a periodical?
It is a print issued in serial numbers at regular time intervals (weekly, monthly or annually). It has one distinguished title for all numbers. It is edited by a number of authors. They are very important in general libraries, specialized libraries, university libraries and research libraries. The budget for periodicals exceeds that designated for other information resources.

* What distinguishes a periodical from a book?

The Periodical is distinguished by the following:

* What are the types of periodicals?
أTheir types include:

* What is the difference between the reviewed and unreviewed periodical?
The reviewed periodicals are those in which all articles and researches presented by scientific researchers for publishing are exposed to peer reviewing according to known foundation, and for the scientific research to follow a scientific style in documentation and resources; and with appending a list of resources and references at the end of the research paper.

                                                                                                             
* In what way does the Periodical Unit of the Deanship secure the various periodicals?

This is done through:

* What are the scientific journals issued by King Abdulaziz University?

* What are the Library and Information Journals available at the Periodical Unit?

The Library and Information Journals are:

                                                                                    
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FAQs Concerning the Special Collections Unit: 

* What is the number of Masters’ and PhD theses in this unit? What is the arrangement for photocopying theses? What is the process of supplying the Library with theses?
They are more than 4373 theses. It is allowed for the student to photocopy a maximum of 25 pages from a thesis. Most theses come through donations by authors or addressing the university that issue them. The KAU Graduate Studies Regulations obligate the researcher to deposit a number of copies of his/her thesis at the Central Library before endorsing the thesis.

* What is the number of contents of the audiovisual unit consisting of tapes, acoustic records, audio discs, scientific visual materials or video tapes? What is the applied arrangement in case of requesting borrowing or copying from this unit?
Tapes and acoustic records: 226 scientific materials; visual materials: 1406 scientific materials; video tapes: 610 scientific materials. For borrowing, a form is filled with complete data of the required scientific material and the data of the borrower, accompanied by the identity card of the student, which will be given back when the borrowed material is returned. For copying, a special form is filled accompanied by an empty tape for recording the material in.

* What are the official prints present in this Unit? What is their name?
It contains the documents and official prints issued by corporations, ministries, institutions, companies and local, gulf, arab and international banks, in addition to research and statistical reports, development plans, manuals, system and organizational structures. Most of these prints come through gift and exchange. This Unit contains more than 23000 official prints.

* What is the arrangement for photocopying from the official Prints Unit? Is it possible to borrow an official print?
A researcher can photocopy what is needed after filling the photocopying form accompanied by the Identity Card which will be given back after the return of material. An official print is a sort of statistics, plans, manuals and reports that need not to be borrowed and hence only available for studying or photocopying.

* What is the definition of a microfilm, microfiche and microcard?
Microfilm is film tape coiled around a film reel. Its size is 16mm or 35mm. Its length depends on the duration of the material. It contains huge amount of documents like periodicals, manuscripts, theses, indexes, abstracts and bibliographies. Microfiche is a transparent card with an area of 14x10cm that contains the same documents mentioned above.

*How can these materials be read? Is it possible to borrow them? What is the number of microfilms present at this Unit?
The Unit contains special devices for reading and printing the materials on microfilms. The microfilms are not for borrowing as it is seldom for the user to acquire the expensive devices for reading them. The Unit contains 70485 documents on microfiches, 8438 documents on microfilm, and 95500 documents on microcard.

* What are the scientific materials present at the Maps and Cities Charts Unit? Is it possible to borrow? What is their name?
It contains images, figures, descriptive geographical, geological and agricultural maps and maps of cities, roads and climates for the Arab and Islamic States, in addition to the constructural and demographical designs for all cities of the Kingdom. They cannot be borrowed but they available for studying and photocopying only. The Unit contains more than 990 scientific materials.

* What is oldest manuscript present at the library? In what way does the library procure manuscripts? What is the arrangement for photocopying at the Manuscript and Special and Distinguished Library Unit?
The oldest manuscript is a fancy copy of a Holy Koran hand written in 391 AH by Abu Alhasan Ali Ibn Hilal famous by Ibn Albawaab. The oldest original manuscript is a book on theology hand written in 803 AH by Yahia bin Sharaf Alnawawi. The procurement process is either by purchase and donation or by exchange of copies of documents only. It is possible to photocopy a manuscript in case of presenting an official letter from the body requesting the photocopy or by a letter from a university requesting the photocopy of the manuscript for the purpose of scientific study by a graduate student. The photocopying is possible also in case of exchange, on condition that the copy of the manuscript given to the Library is not available.

* What is the number of manuscripts in this Unit? Do the manuscripts have special indexes?
The Unit contains 2407 original manuscripts, more than 700 manuscripts copied on paper, 2288 manuscripts copied in microfiches and 195 manuscripts copied on microfilms. Yes the Unit contains 13 volumes of indexes for manuscripts.

* What are the Special and Distinguished Libraries present at the Unit? Do the books at these libraries available for photocopying?
They are: Sheikh Mohamd Nasseef Library; Shiekh Hasan Bahkali Library; Sheikh Mohmed Ali Alsononsi Library; H.R.H. Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Library, The Two Holy Mosques Library and The Red Sea Library. All books are available for photocopying only; and not for borrowing. A maximum of 25 pages of any book are allowed for photocopying.

* What is the number of units in the Special Collections Department?
The special collections department consists of 12 Units that are located on the third floor.

* How could materials be procured for the Special Collections Department?
This is done through donation and exchange with governmental bodies as well as by purchase.

* How could a researcher obtain the materials from the Special Collections Department?
This is done through a computer search in the Horizon System, the Library website in the internet or through the specialized employees in the Department.

* Is it possible to borrow the special collections materials?
All materials in the Special Collections Department are not available for borrowing, due to their importance and unavailability in their sources if they were lost; but it is possible to photocopy inside the library.

                                                                                         
* What is the maximum number of pages of a thesis are allowed to be photocopied?
The theses are available at the University Website in the internet. Most requests are for abstracts that are also available at the University Website. A maximum of 25 pages of each thesis are allowed to be photocopied.

* How could one get a photocopy of a manuscript?

Manuscripts photocopying is arranged according to the following bases:

* What are the applied forms in the special collections department?

They are the following: