Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts, heritage, and literature, is participating in the 37th Sharjah International Book Fair at Expo Centre Sharjah, taking place from 31st October – 10th November, 2018, under the theme ‘Story of Letters.’
Dubai Culture will showcase at its pavilion a range of valuable books which may be found in Dubai Public Library branches, especially those based on the biography of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan which will take precedence over other displayed books. This comes as part of the many initiatives launched by the Authority from the year’s outset to celebrate the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ initiative in the United Arab Emirates. The book ‘Rashid: The Leader Who Envisioned the Future’ will also be showcased and the Al Safa Art and Design library, launching later this year, will be promoted.
Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said: "Dubai Culture emphasises the spreading of reading as a culture in the community. Our participation in the exhibition underpins our interest in reading, learning, and the promotion of both in the community as part of many initiatives and events launched by the Authority throughout the year to support the National Strategy for Reading in the United Arab Emirates. With our participation during this year's Sharjah International Book Fair, we prepared an integrated programme of activities and events that will attract a large number of visitors to the exhibition and introduce them to our goals and projects aimed at serving the cultural, arts, heritage, and literary sectors."
Dubai Culture will organise several programmes and activities in the exhibition with the aim to attract more visitors and interact with them through panel sessions, seminars, discussions, and meetings, as well as through hosting authors to sign newly launched books. Morning programmes will also be designated for school students whereas evening programmes will be open to the public. The Authority's pavilion will be available for adults and young people and will also host a myriad of activities for children, including interactive storytelling sessions and workshops. Young authors will also have the opportunity to present and discuss their new works and releases, and to sign them for visitors.
The Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children. Some branches feature multi-purpose halls, classrooms, and exhibition spaces, and all branches of the Dubai Public Library are connected via computer systems. This has established close links with other modern libraries, providing access to vast sources of information on a diversity of topics in both Arabic and English.