Units of the Central Library

1. Administrative Affairs Division:

This is one of the most important divisions in the General Secretariat of the Central Library. It is responsible for managing staff affairs, accounts, administrative services, media, and public relations. It includes the following unit:

A. Human Resources Unit – Responsibilities:

• Management of the library's divisions and units
• Managing citizen affairs
• Handling the library’s financial accounts
• Archiving administrative documents
• Tracking employee leaves
• Monitoring college libraries

2. Technical Procedures Division:

This division includes the following units:

A. Acquisition Unit – Responsibilities:

• Developing the library’s collections
• Providing all printed and non-printed materials
• Collaborating with colleges in selecting new books before purchasing from publishers
• Supplying branch libraries with books
• Submitting an annual inventory report of the library’s contents to the university presidency
• Keeping track of the latest publications and best-selling books worldwide

B. Exchange and Gifts Unit – Responsibilities:

• Enhancing the library collection through donated books
• Exchanging resources with other university libraries
• Evaluating and reallocating surplus donated materials to other university libraries

C. Cataloging and Classification Unit:

This unit is responsible for cataloging and classifying books received from the acquisition section, following the Dewey Decimal Classification System, which is widely used in Iraqi libraries. Other responsibilities include:

a. Automated Cataloging:

• Cataloging books and other library resources using automated systems
• Using computers for automated cataloging
• Applying modern international cataloging standards

b. Automated Retrieval of Printed Books:

• Providing researchers with automated access to all library resources
• Enabling quick search capabilities using the library system

c. Classification:

• Classifying foreign books according to their subject
• Classifying Arabic books according to their subject
• Classifying theses and dissertations
• Classifying reference books
• Classifying periodicals

3. Electronic Systems Division:

Today’s world is experiencing a massive revolution in information technology, communications, and electronic publishing. These developments have radically changed the methods of storing and exchanging information. Due to the rapid growth of electronic information resources and the diverse needs of researchers, libraries must update their resources and services. In line with these developments, the Electronic Library Division was established at the Central Library of the University of Anbar to meet the needs of researchers and users. It includes the following unit:

A. Electronic and Virtual Library Unit – Responsibilities:

• Providing researchers, postgraduate students, and university faculty with access to research papers published by publishers affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
• Acquiring the latest resources in all fields by registering researchers in the virtual library and activating individual accounts
• Classifying all incoming CDs according to subject
• Distributing copies of CDs to other libraries
• Uploading theses and dissertations into a special system for user access
• Enabling users to search all digital resources using the digital library program
• Allowing researchers to obtain copies of digital sources on CDs for a nominal fee

4. User Services Division:

This division includes the following units:

A. Circulation Unit – Responsibilities:

• Facilitating the borrowing of library materials for students, researchers, and faculty
• Preserving, maintaining, and arranging publications for easy access
• Assisting readers in using electronic catalogs
• Recording frequently requested books to increase their availability

Note: The traditional card-based lending system was replaced with an automated retrieval system starting in the year 2017 (date not provided). This system allows automated access to all library materials and supports fast searching through an integrated library system.

B. Reference Unit – Responsibilities:

This is a critical and sensitive unit that helps users find information, supports reading and research, and answers user inquiries. Lending is for internal use only. Other tasks include:

• Guiding and assisting users
• Preparing and organizing reference materials
• Working directly with users to analyze their queries and support their research

C. Periodicals Unit – Responsibilities:

This unit deals with regularly published materials such as newspapers, academic journals, newsletters, reports, etc. Periodicals may be weekly, monthly, or quarterly and are issued under a single title with sequential numbering. Lending in this unit is for internal use only.

D. Theses and Dissertations Unit – Responsibilities:

This unit holds doctoral dissertations and master’s theses in Arabic and English, received from colleges at the University of Anbar and other Iraqi universities, across various disciplines. Lending is for internal use only.

5. Independent Units (Not Affiliated with Any Division):

A. Manuscripts Unit:

This unit is responsible for collecting manuscripts from various local and international libraries in both paper and digital formats to make them accessible to researchers. A foundational collection of manuscripts in various academic fields has been gathered and stored on dedicated hard drives after being cataloged and classified.