The Role of Smart Device Applications in Enriching the Knowledge Community and Enhancing User Services in The National Archives

Based on its role as centers responsible for preserving the official memory of the state and society, the National Archives spare no effort to reach all categories of users (researchers, historians, genealogists, media professionals, and others). To achieve this, they seek to get benefit from technological developments to enhance their role in society, improve their services, and increase access and interaction with the public. This study explores smartphone applications in the National Archives, the reasons of its use, and its importance in enhancing services provided to users. The study also describes and analyzes the characteristics of these applications, and the challenges that the National Archives faced in developing them. It includes smartphone applications in the National Archives of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. The study utilized the descriptive method, and a suggested points’ list to analyze the characteristics of these applications. The study has revealed that the National Archives in UK, USA and UAE developed eighteen applications for smartphones and mobile devices. 50% of these applications covered political topics, whereas 16.8% of them covered historical topics, and the remaining 33.2% constituted applications for distinct topics, such as old money, genealogies and web archives for government institutions. The study concludes with suggestions for Arab archives centers that plan to develop successful applications for smartphones and mobile devices.