Applications of Recommendation Systems in the Catalogs of Arab and Foreign National Libraries: A Comparative Study

We are living in the era of information explosion, where data is generated at a pace that surpasses users’ ability to process it effectively. To address this challenge, various tools—especially recommendation systems—have been developed to help users filter and discover relevant information. These systems play a key role in library environments, particularly within search and retrieval systems.This study adopts a descriptive methodology combining both survey and comparative approaches. It investigates the use of recommendation systems in the catalogs of Arab national libraries and compares them with their foreign counterparts in terms of systems used, recommendation mechanisms, types of recommendations, methods of generation, and presentation formats.Findings show that 79% of foreign national libraries (15 out of 19) and 60% of Arab national libraries (6 out of 10) offer some form of recommendations. These include King Fahad National Library, Qatar National Library, and others. In contrast, libraries in Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, and Mauritania lack such features. There is notable variation in the systems used, with a common trend toward integrating recommendation mechanisms into existing library platforms. The German National Library stands out for using an independent system (BibTip).The study also highlights the diversity of technical approaches and data sources used. It concludes that Arab national libraries have significant potential to improve their systems and offer users a more effective and personalized search experience.