SIBF/ALA Library Conference Turns Three

From left: Khaled Ahmad Halloume, Hassan Momani, ALA Past President Sari Feldman, Jassim M. Jirjees, Asmah Saad Assim, Muna Abdulla, and Azeyaa Ahmed at the 2015 SIBF/ALA Library Conference. Photo: ALA International Relations Office

The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF)/American Library Association (ALA) Library Conference looks set for a strong future as preparations for the third event get under way.

As ALA’s most ambitious international professional development collaboration to date, the library conference will be hosted at the 35th SIBF, November 8–10 at the Sharjah Expo Centre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The shared location provides an opportunity for attendees to combine professional development with exploring and acquiring materials for their libraries. In 2015, SIBF hosted more than 1.2 million visitors and 1,547 publishing houses from 64 countries that exhibited more than 1.5 million books in 210 languages.

Sharing Sharjah Experiences

Hesham Mohamed, senior librarian and emerging technology specialist, and Salwa Elmeawad, senior librarian and staff technology trainer, at Queens (N.Y.) Library, shared their learning and experiences from the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF)/American Library Association (ALA) Library Conference in a series of workshops in Cairo, Egypt, in November 2015. Aimed at public, school, and academic libraries, the workshops covered topics ranging from new technology to leadership skills.

For public libraries

“Tech Educational Services in Public Libraries: Advanced Practices.” In this workshop, Mohamed and Elmeawad revisited a presentation they gave at the 2015 SIBF/ALA Library Conference. Mohamed discussed the NYC Social Apps Project, which connects schoolchildren with teachers who provide homework assistance, and Elmeawad presented on technological advancement and the need for corresponding staff training.

“Collaborative Leadership and Management in Libraries: Basic Workshop.” Hosted by the Cultural Center and Library Experts Group, this workshop focused on enhancing leadership and management skills by applying new methods of collaborative leadership to develop customized library service based on user needs. Participants learned how to identify community needs and to reach out to the community. They also learned the types of collaboration that need to be established between different library departments and between external civic and governmental organizations in order to deliver specific services.

“From Centralization to Noncentralization for Better Library Services: An Advanced Workshop.” This advanced leadership workshop, hosted by the 6th of October City Public Library in Cairo and Library Experts Group, was designed to teach the differences between organizational paradigms and help attendees determine which paradigm would be suitable for a given public library. The audience learned the organizational hierarchy based on each paradigm and how to establish a suitable hierarchical system that would help library staff adapt to both technological changes and community needs.

“Library Experts 4th Round Table: American and Egyptian Experiences in Managing Multibranch Public Libraries.” This round table, conducted by Elmeawad and hosted by the Library Experts Group and Misr Public Library in Port Said, Egypt, was attended by librarians from all major Egyptian cities.

For academic libraries

“Collaborative Leadership and Management for Academic Libraries.” Hosted by the American Window of the US Embassy in Cairo, Library Experts Group, Cairo University, and the Central Library of Cairo University, this workshop introduced important leadership concepts in academic libraries. The audience learned how to implement organizational strategies to manage contemporary academic libraries, including establishing communication channels to increase the collaboration between the library, faculty members, and students; learning skills needed to evaluate library resources and databases; and learning outreach methods to students and faculty members and how to engage them in educational activities.

For school libraries

“Instructing Students to Conduct Research and Make Successful Presentations.” Hosted by the Millennium Language School, this workshop taught school librarians new techniques to reach out to students to encourage them to use the library, including how to use research tools to train students on how to develop instructional research classes, recognize authoritative resources for their research, and create successful presentations. Presenters also showed how to engage the students in educational activities to prepare them for higher education.

SIBF, with its motto “For the love of the written word,” is one of the largest book fairs in the world and one of the most exciting literary events in the region. The SIBF/ALA Library Conference ties in with the UAE Cabinet’s declaration that 2016 is “UAE Reading Year,” marking the start of an “integrated national literacy strategy and a framework to produce a reading generation and establish the UAE as the capital of cultural and knowledge content.”

The international roster of expert presenters and keynote speakers for the 2016 conference includes ALA President Julie B. Todaro and Miguel Figueroa, director of ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries. Todaro’s speech will focus on “The Expert in the Library,” while Figueroa will discuss how societal trends affect planning for the library of the future and managing change in libraries.

Other topics of discussion will include new trends and technologies, digital content, innovative spaces and services, marketing, assessment, rebranding and proving the value of the library, staff and leadership development, and promoting the love of reading. Two concurrent full-day preconferences will offer in-depth training on RDA for nonbook materials and creating an institutional repository. Talks are under way with the Sharjah Ministry of Education about a special preconference for school librarians. All sessions are presented in Arabic or English with simultaneous translation, and all event materials and communications are prepared in both languages.

In response to attendee feedback, the 2016 conference will increase the length of its programs to allow for more interactivity and a greater focus on specific topics. Time will continue to be built into future programs to encourage attendees to share ideas, experiences, and challenges.

In 2015, almost 300 librarians from academic, public, school, government, and special libraries attended from more than 20 countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, and the US. They shared ideas and information as they took part in three days of programs and training, a poster session, and lively networking, with the exhibits area offering an added meeting point.

Attendee Khalid Ismail, chief librarian at Al Khawarizmi International College in the Philippines, said that in 2014 he came by himself; in 2015 he brought five specialist librarians from his staff; and this year he hopes to attend with 10. “We need to get new ideas and develop our skills with practices from other areas,” he said. School librarian Mona Alsheikh said that she came “to find out what’s new in school libraries that I didn’t know before.” Tony Mulliken, chairman of Midas Public Relations in the United Kingdom, who was actively involved in getting the SIBF/ALA Library Conference off the ground, commented that “Sharjah, as the cultural capital of the UAE, is proud of its passion for books and has some of the most beautiful libraries in the world and wants to modernize, professionalize, and make these libraries important destinations for learning and entertainment.”

Platinum sponsors for the 2016 conference include the American Psychological Association and Ingram. The International New York Times is a first-time Gold Sponsor. The conference is built on an ongoing collaboration between the Sharjah Book Authority, Combined Book Exhibit, and ALA.

For a look back at the 2015 conference, visit bit.ly/27RD8Wu. For information and to register, visit ala.org/sibf and track #SIBFALA16 on Twitter. You can also find links to the 2015 programs, recordings of the presentations, photos, and a list of the poster sessions, presenters, and topics at ala.org/sibf.

Successful collaboration in the Middle East continues

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