The Educational Role of the Holy Mosque Library in Makkah in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ways to develop it

TEXT

The study examined the educational efforts of the Holy Mosque Library in Makkah within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on their alignment with Goals 4, 9, 11, and 16, while identifying challenges and opportunities for development. Using a descriptive analytical approach, the study applied quantitative and qualitative content analysis to published materials on educational activities and community and knowledge services announced on the library’s website from 1444 AH to 1446 AH. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 15 purposively selected library staff members, each with five to ten years of professional experience. The reliability of the research tools was verified using Holsti’s and Kappa’s formulas, producing high reliability coefficients. The analysis identified 40 developmental activities and showed variation in their alignment with the selected SDGs. Goal 4 (Quality Education) ranked first, with a high alignment level of 50%, followed by Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) with a moderate alignment level of 30%. Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) each showed limited alignment at 10%. Interviews revealed staff members’ strategic awareness of the importance of digital transformation and multilingual services in serving the Guests of God and supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 effectively. Key implementation challenges included administrative constraints, financial limitations, high technical infrastructure costs, and the linguistic, cultural, and background diversity of the library’s diverse local and international audience