Sharjah: TECHz Magazine – Sahar El Alfy
The 13th Sharjah International Library Conference concluded with a call for libraries to strengthen their presence in community life, expand partnerships with educational institutions and local organisations, and involve users and students more closely in developing services.
Across its sessions and discussions, the conference also highlighted investment in librarians’ professional development and the use of emerging technologies and data to improve the user experience and measure the impact of initiatives.
Libraries will endure as long as knowledge does
Mansour Al Hassani, Director of Publishing Services at Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), said libraries will endure for as long as knowledge itself, and that cultural and knowledge institutions have a responsibility to sustain that role by developing services and strengthening libraries’ contribution to education, research and access to knowledge.
“Over three days, the conference sessions, workshops and professional meetings demonstrated that the future of libraries is closely linked to how well they understand and respond to people’s needs, how much they invest in developing their teams and services, and how effectively they build wider relationships with educational and community institutions,” he said. “The discussions between librarians and experts also provided practical experiences that can help advance library work.”
Al Hassani added: “The vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has established libraries as a central part of the emirate’s cultural project, reinforced their role in social development and expanded access to knowledge. Guided by this vision and the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA, we continue to develop our professional programmes and strengthen international partnerships so library professionals can exchange expertise and benefit from successful practices.”
Responding to everyday community needs
That focus on people’s needs carried into the final day’s sessions. In ‘Libraries as Critical Infrastructure: How Partnerships, Public Policy, and Community Leadership Build Stronger Communities’, Mastura Muhamad, Director of Selangor Public Library Corporation in Malaysia, said libraries become truly relevant when their services respond to everyday needs.
She highlighted Selangor’s transformation of libraries into learning centres and meeting points, including Transit Libraries that provide children with safe after-school environments, homework support and practical assistance. “We transform the libraries in order for us to help transform the societies,” she said, stressing the importance of supportive public policy and partnerships with NGOs, educational institutions and local communities.
The discussion then shifted to student engagement in school libraries. In ‘From Library to Knowledge Hub: Transforming a School Library Through Student Leadership’, Dana Ikhlef, Head Librarian at Al-Awael Bilingual School in Kuwait, presented the Knowledge Week and Library Ambassadors initiatives. She explained how involving students in activities increased engagement and helped reposition the library as an active learning hub combining technology with direct human interaction.
Peer learning turns discussion into practical ideas
The Knowledge Café created a dedicated space for direct professional dialogue, bringing librarians and experts together for individual and group discussions on nine topics, including community engagement, digital libraries, school library transformation, artificial intelligence, data and scholarly research, information security, teaching, academic libraries, and literacy and reading.
Extending that focus on professional learning, Alan Jacques, Library Consultant and Founder of Beyond Books in Dubai, shared lessons from two years of conversations with award-winning international school librarians in ‘International Librarianship – Lessons Learned, Successes Chronicled, and Insights from a Book’s Worth of Conversations’, focusing on common challenges, professional networks and professional publication.
Also focusing on students and school libraries, Ahmed Rabia, Librarian at Al Ittihad Private School Jumeirah in Dubai, presented ‘Transforming the Library Experience: Guided and Self-Directed Reading Using Destiny Discover’, examining how schools can match books to students’ reading levels and interests and use digital platforms and assessment data to support individual learning.
The final day also featured a poster session showcasing library best practices, certificate distribution and networking opportunities between publishers and librarians.
Held from November 7 to 9 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the conference was organised by SBA in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA), alongside the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair. It brought together 400 librarians, experts, academics and specialists from 16 countries for professional sessions, specialised workshops, best-practice presentations and networking between librarians and publishers.
