Paper Title
EVALUATION OF LIS EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA: INFORMATION SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM AT IMAM ABDULRAHMAN BIN FAISAL UNIVERSITY AS A CASE STUDY

Abstract
The paper aims to briefly examine the history and development of the Information Science Undergraduate Program offered by Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University/Saudi Arabia. It also aims to assess this LIS program in light of the LIS Foundational Knowledge Areas (FKAs) Model offered by the IFLA Guidelines for Professional Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Programmes.The study started with an introduction highlighting key aspects of LIS education and its development. The academic's perception of LIS education and LIS Education in Saudi Arabia were highlighted as well by the author producing a new piece of knowledge about the development of LIS education in Saudi Arabia. The study, then, explained the methods used and data collection tools leading to the discussion of findings and the study's originality and contraptions. The present study is one of the very few researches focusing on the LIS education in Saudi Arabia; it is also the only known study that examines the undergraduate Information Science Program at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Therefore, it has recommendations and implications not only for the examined program but also for researchers and academics interested in LIS education in Saudi Arabia. This study can aid researchers who are interested in LIS education in Saudi Arabia as it provides a fresh overview of the current educational status. It is also the first study to evaluate LIS education in light of IFLA’s FKAs, providing researchers with a practical example of evaluating LIS education in a standardised way. Additionally, the examined LIS school can also benefit from this study by considering its findings when implementing the yearly or quinquennial renovation. Other LIS schools can follow the steps of the current study to evaluate their own LIS academic programs.