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Electronic information is becoming prevalent worldwide, and its use is growing exponentially as more and more users are recognizing the potential that it offers in terms of access and delivery. However, with the introduction of new tools for e-information searching and retrieval, users have to readjust their information-seeking behavior to cope with the corresponding changes. The University of Sharjah library is steadily increasing its investment in e-resources to offer ubiquitous access to the growing body of literature in areas that interest the community it serves. This study reports the findings of a survey conducted to investigate the information-seeking behavior of medical students at the medical library. Results showed evidence of use of e-resources, but they did not explicitly establish that some of the major problems mentioned by participants did hinder the information searches of the respondents. An extensive literature review sets the background for the study.

PurposeThis paper aims to reflect on the development of a new learning environment within the library at the University of Sharjah (UOS), United Arab Emirates. It seeks to discuss e‐learning, and how it can be supported by the library web‐based services.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines the current developments in the UOS learning environment and the need for the library to strategically prepare contributions to such developments in pursuit of effective collaboration and partnership with faculty in the process.FindingsThe paper argues that the capabilities of learning management systems (LMS) such as Blackboard have a great potential for libraries in becoming an active partner in the learning process. Strategies adopted by the UOS library place it in a strong position to play an effective role in e‐learning environment through the Blackboard platform.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper concentrates on the case of the UOS library strategies to integrate its services in the evolving e‐learning environment. Although it is difficult to generalize from this case, it can, nevertheless, serve for drawing general conclusions about how those strategies can be applicable to other institutions.Practical implicationsStrategies for the delivery of e‐information services are paving the way for the library's integration in the UOS e‐learning environment. These strategies can serve as a checklist for other libraries to successfully integrate their services into, and in support of, the e‐learning environment.Originality/valuesThere is very little documented literature on the topic of the role of the library in the e‐learning environment in Universities in the UAE. This paper helps fill that gap. It provides useful insights into the development of the e‐learning environment at UOS and how library strategies can be implemented for a collaborative integration in LMS platforms.

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Knowledge management is gaining prominence in academia and practice. The need for organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to empower themselves through knowledge management cannot be ignored. Yet, not much empirical evidence on the subject can be found in the literature. This study investigates the effect of the following factors: organizational culture, organizational infrastructure, technical infrastructure, management support, reward and vision clarity on organizational performance in terms of efficiency, customer satisfaction, decision‐making, quality of work, and financial benefits. A questionnaire was used to collect data from general managers, functional managers, IT managers and chief knowledge officers from a variety of business companies from private and public sector drawn from Dubai Financial Market website. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results show that all investigated knowledge management dimensions are implemented in UAE organizations subject of this study. They are also significantly correlated with performance improvement except reward.