Dubai Public Library Welcomes in 2017 with New Educational Initiatives

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate's dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, is celebrating the success of the Dubai Public Library’s first 2017 educational initiatives, which took place at Al Twar, Al Rashidiya and Al Mankhool Public Libraries during the early weeks of the year. The activities attracted an impressive 436 participants, including children, young adults and adults, and have strengthened the role the library plays within the community by demonstrating its importance for spreading diverse knowledge. 

Fahad Al Mamari, Director of Dubai Public Library at Dubai Culture, said: “Dubai Public Library has welcomed in 2017 with a range of educational activities, which support the National Strategy for Reading 2016-2026 by promoting positive reading habits from early childhood and encouraging all members of our society to visit the library. During the first weeks of 2017, our activities have attracted high numbers of participants and shown families and children how much our network has to offer – from book readings to photography sessions.”

One of the key activities organised during the first week of 2017 was the ‘Small Author’ session with Emirati writer Badria Al Shamsi. The session was held at Al Twar Public Library and ran for four days, welcoming children from 11 to 16 years old. Over the same period, Al Rashidiya Public Library hosted its ‘In Reading We Have Life’ workshop under the supervision of Professor Alia Al Shibli, which was attended by a crowd of eager students aged between 13 to 16 years old.

Al Mankhool Public Library has also hosted two educational initiatives so far this year. The first was presented by writer and poet Hamssa Younis and attracted mothers, thanks to its focus on ‘Reading and its Impact on the Child’, and the second was a reading of ‘The Patient Will Not Forget’ with writer Nafe Al Yas, aimed at adult participants. Before the New Year had even begun, 22 children were also offered the opportunity to participate in a course teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.

The Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children. A number of the branches feature multi-purpose halls, classrooms and exhibition spaces, and all branches of the Dubai Public Library are connected via computer systems. This has allowed the network to establish close links with other modern libraries across the world, providing access to vast sources of information on a diversity of topics in both Arabic and English.