Sharjah: The challenges faced by national libraries around the world will be discussed during the ‘National Libraries Summit’ at the headquarters of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) from November 8 to 9 in conjunction with the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).
SIBF itself will be held from November 3 to 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
During the summit, participants will analyse the present state of national library curation, discuss complex challenges faced by library professionals as they build and interpret collections, and look into practical approaches to address them.
The summit also aims to be a platform for professionals in national libraries to share current practices and learn new approaches to curatorship. It will boost networking opportunities geared towards international collaboration.
The free-to-attend event, held under the theme ‘Visibility, Engagement, Impact, and Collaboration’,will convene 50 national library directors and senior staff from 20 countries in Europe, North America, Africa and the MENA region.
Programme outline
The two-day event will host four panel discussions on the key issues and challenges facing national libraries in the region and around the world.
The summit will take off with two panel discussions on Day 1. The first session titled ‘Visibility through Communications’ will focus on getting users back into national libraries post the COVID-19 pandemic. The second session is titled ‘Engaging Digital Users’.
The Day 2 programme also includes two sessions – ‘Impact on Society and National Strategies’, and ‘Cooperation and Partnerships among National Libraries’.
The summit will also feature four networking breakout sessions on both days for participants to explore collaborations and partnerships.
The summit is being co-organised by the American Library Association. The International Federation of Library Association’s National Libraries Section and the Arab Federation of Libraries and Information are the event’s co-sponsors.
