By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Focusing on the vital role public and metropolitan libraries play in communities, an international library conference is set to be held in Doha next week.
Qatar National Library (QNL), of Qatar Foundation (QF), will host the annual Metropolitan Libraries (MetLib) conference, better known as MetLib 2016 Qatar, between April 23 and April 28.
Held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, MetLib is organised by the Metropolitan Libraries Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
MetLib 2016 Qatar will be organised under the overarching theme of ‘Pearls in the desert: unleashing Potential.’ MetLib 2016 Qatar is hosted under the overarching theme of Pearls in Desert: Unleashing potential. Just as a pearl inside a shell, the potential within every human needs nurturing in order to develop into a great skill or ability, according to Dr Claudia Lux, Qatar National Library’s Project Director.
“The conference is being held for 47 years and this is the first time it’s happening in this region, and we are very proud that we can deliver. Also there will be papers submitted from the region including from Qatar,” she said at a press conference yesterday.
MetLib 2016 Qatar marks the first year the conference has received paper submissions from the MENA region. “We have a few papers from Qatar which will include about on child development and on library association with the public,” she added. Engineer Saadi Al Said, Director of Administration and Planning at Qatar National Library was also present. More than 100 participants will attend the conference with many of them form Qatar and the region, according to Al Said.
MetLib 2016 Qatar will discuss a number of topics relating to the role of public libraries in unleashing the potential of their patrons of all ages and types, what innovative services public libraries can adopt to help fulfil this role, the different partnerships that can lend support in this regard, community learning and unleashing the library staff potential through opportunities for professional and personal development.
The annual conference aims to provide an ideal platform for members of metropolitan and public libraries to share progressive ideas for the enhancement of the worldwide information services sector. It also envisions to create an extensive and long-lasting knowledge-sharing network. Alongside senior leadership of QNL, IFLA and other regional and international libraries, MetLib 2016 Qatar will be attended by librarians and industry professionals, providing key insights into what role libraries can play to unleash the potential of its patrons (children and adult alike), the community, as well as its own staff and how it can fulfil this role through innovative services and partnerships.The Peninsula
