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Is Your Library Building Sick? A Case Study from the Main Library of Sultan Qaboos University at Sultanate of Oman

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Abstract

This chapter aimed at throwing light on the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in Libraries, and the extent to which it is influenced by the internal environment of libraries. This was conducted through a case study of the main library of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), located in both the old and the new buildings. To achieve this objective, the study adopted a descriptive survey methodology for the collection and description of the data, as well as a case-study methodology applied to the library building of SQU. The most important findings of the chapter showed that both the old and the new buildings of the library suffer from SBS. Sinusitis, dryness of the throat, and eye-inflammations were some of the most prominent SBS problems which librarians of the SQU library suffer from in both buildings. The chapter concludes with the recommendation that it is essential to observe environmental dimensions when designing library buildings, taking into consideration the expected impact of SBS in library buildings on librarians. It is hoped that this chapter will contribute to the enrichment of the scarce Arab intellectual output concerning this topic.

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Correspondence to Sabah A. Abdul-Wahab .

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Abdul-Wahab, S.A., Salem, N.M.B. (2011). Is Your Library Building Sick? A Case Study from the Main Library of Sultan Qaboos University at Sultanate of Oman. In: Abdul-Wahab, S. (eds) Sick Building Syndrome. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17919-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17919-8_12

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-17918-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-17919-8

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