The Libraries Conference concluded yesterday the sixth edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, in cooperation with the American Library Association, with the participation of more than 400 librarians and those involved in its field.
During the two-day conference, more than eight main sessions, 12 sessions and accompanying workshops were presented by more than 22 speakers, with the participation of more than 400 librarians and librarians from around the world.
The conference concluded with a speech by Michael Dowling, Director of the Office of International Relations, at the American Library Association, in which he thanked the panelists and participants. Wanda Kay Brown, president of the American Library Association, and dean of libraries at Winston Salem University, also paid tribute.
“Over the course of two days we have seen many sessions, which we believe have contributed to answering many of the questions about libraries, but without feedback we may forget about some important things, which makes me emphasize the importance of feedback,” Dowling said. We have participants' suggestions and ideas. ”
The closing day of the conference witnessed the organization of a number of keynote and accompanying sessions, including a plenary session entitled “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Libraries”, by Jason Griffey, an associate member of Harvard's METALAP, who discussed the role of information technology, as well as libraries and smart buildings in terms of technology. He also presented a session titled “Libraries and Blockchain”, in which he discussed ways to enable libraries to apply them to individual property.
A session entitled “Digital Preservation in Libraries” by Jeremy Menti, Head of Digital Library Services at the University of Utah Library, highlighted the history of the development of digital preservation practices in libraries and the importance of seeking digital preservation strategies to ensure content preservation.
In a related context, a session entitled "Comics and Non-Fiction Comics in Libraries: Encouraging Reading" convened a crowd of authors and librarians to explore opportunities to use non-fiction illustrated literature to encourage young people to read. In addition to the main sessions, the closing day witnessed the organization of a number of sessions and accompanying discussions, including a session titled “Public Libraries in Malaysia: Communicating with the Needs of the Community”, “Designing a Inquiry for School Libraries”, a “Flashing Discussion for School Libraries” and “Oral History” Role of all libraries.