Information Technology Department:
The Department supervises, and day-to-day follows up, the maintenance of the automated systems used, servers and workstations in libraries, and provides solutions and proposals for the problems encountering the systems users from library staff and visitors. It does the technical coordination between the automated system companies and other relevant parties in the University, such as the Communications and Information Technology Department, to determine the most appropriate specifications for choosing and maintaining the devices, equipment and making the necessary updates for systems.
The Department oversees the management and operation of the Library Management Automated System (Sierra) and the management of the Machine Indexing Final User Interface Web (Sierra Web-OPAC) of the library, which enables searching the library index through a standard web browser. The Department also oversees the e-portal of the Directorate of Library Affairs which provides access to the Saudi Digital Library and the Digital Store of the University of Bisha.
The Department also supervises the organization and holding of training courses for training the employees on the use of Sierra system and the method of searching the automated index for beneficiaries, training courses to introduce the Saudi Digital Library, how to use it and access its sources through the e-portal of the Directorate of Library Affairs.
Beneficiary Services Department:
The Beneficiary Services Department provides many direct services to the public and visitors of the libraries of the Directorate of Library Affairs, such as the services of book borrowing and advice, guidance and assistance on research.
The book borrowing service is the most significant services provided in libraries to all beneficiaries, so that it allows all staff and students of the University of Bisha to take advantage from and borrow the books outside the library in accordance with the regulations of the approved polices of book borrowing. People who are neither employees nor students of University of Bisha can register membership in the library and take advantage of the book borrowing services, along with the other services.
This Department supervises the guidance of students and teaching staff on methods of searching the Library Management Machine Indexing, introducing its characteristics and advantages, assisting students in their search for references and books, finding books on the shelves for the students, and responding to questions and inquiries received by the Directorate of Library Affairs through contact addresses of the Directorate of Library Affairs.
Technical Procedures Department
This Department is one of the most significant and vital departments in the Directorate, because it performs the most important process, i.e. providing sources and references for beneficiaries, on which all the services provided by libraries are based.
Supply Unit
This Unit oversees the implementation of the supply policies that are adopted in the Directorate, makes the selection processes for lists of books, meets the needs of different colleges, and takes into account the curricula and needs of scholars. This is done through a lot of communication processes between publishers and the competent authorities of the colleges to follow up on updating the lists, know the state-of art updates in the market and present the same to the teaching staff to choose therefrom which suits the needs of the programs, and then prepare the final lists of order and purchase.
Indexing and Classification Unit
This Unit is the backbone of libraries as it undertakes the receipt of books after ordering them and performs sorting, processing, classification and shelving operations. The bibliographic description data for books (machine indexing) is entered into the Library Management System (Sierra) to facilitate the beneficiaries searching for books. The technical operations include printing barcode, stamping the anti-theft marks on books, preparing the backbone as per the book classification and then placing the books in their right locations to facilitate access through the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System, which is adopted by the libraries of the University of Bisha.
Gifting and Exchange Department
This Department oversees the organization of gifting and exchanges between the Directorate and other parties. Exchange is usually between a group of the Saudi universities' libraries and some government agencies through a clear and codified exchange mechanism between the authorities.
The Department supervises the reception of gifts which the University receives from the universities, bodies and research centers within the Kingdom and abroad, from the government agencies, and from some of the printing and publication houses, as well as the personal gifts from authors or libraries to some people.
Public relations section:
This section is the interface for the Deanship of Library Affairs and the focal point between them and all sectors of the university and society. This section undertakes to introduce the library and its services that it provides through participation in conferences and exhibitions. It also supervises the organization of delegation’s visits to the Deanship and prepares and organizes events, workshops and internal exhibition, and also supervises process of coordinating reservation of retreats and classrooms for researchers and research teams.
Private Communities
Academics scientific papers unit: Supervising coordination of master's and doctoral theses issued from Bisha University or from outside it.
Private Libraries Unit: supervising coordination of personal libraries that were gifted by their owners to the Deanship, such as:
* Library of His Highness Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.
* Foundation Library of Sheikh Muhammad Bin Saleh Al-Uthaimin Charitable.
* Sheikh Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al Shaya Library known writer
The Distinguished and Rare Collections Unit: It is a collection of graphic books about the Two Holy Mosques and other locations or topics that are considered distinguished and rare.
Subscribers are allowed to view the private collections only within the section, and it is not allowed to be borrowed. However, it may be copied in accordance with the rules and regulations.