08:00–09:00 Preconference workshop registration | Conference payment and badge pickup
10:00–16:00 Sharjah Library Conference registration for Nov. 6 and Nov. 7
Preconference I
9:00-16:00
This workshop is intended for academic librarians, library staff, and library administrators who need to demonstrate the value of their library by documenting their contributions to overall institutional effectiveness and/or to identify areas for quality improvement. Attendees are not expected to have previous experience applying the Standards.
Libraries in higher education are increasingly required to demonstrate their value and document their contributions to overall institutional effectiveness. The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Standards for Libraries in Higher Education is a framework for library planning and assessment that can be used for a variety of circumstances including annual planning, program review, and accreditation self-study. Through presentation, discussion, and group activities, learn how to use the Standards to communicate your library’s impact.
Workshop participants will be able to:
Presenters
Sharon Mader, Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of New Orleans Library, USA. Sharon shepherded the implementation of the ACRL Framework in 2017, including the development of the ACRL Framework Sandbox. She was a founding faculty member of the ACRL Immersion program, and the Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award winner in 2018.
Registration Fees
| Advanced | On-Site |
| ALA Member 900 AED ($250 USD) | ALA Member 1000 AED ($275 USD) |
| Non-Member 1000 AED ($275 USD) | Non-Member 1100 AED ($300 USD) |
Preconference II
9:00-16:00
This workshop is intended for librarians and library staff responsible for cataloging. This day-long workshop is essential for catalogers. Significant changes have taken place in the cataloging community, especially IFLA's Library Reference Model (LRM) and the 3R (RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign) Project on RDA. Catalogers need to understand these new concepts and processes. This preconference will explain them and address the impact including new entities, and elements and how these changes to your cataloging practice.
The afternoon hands-on session will focus on new approaches to authority data and the emergence of the Identity Management model. It will explore how you move from traditional Authority Control to an Identity Management model. You will learn how to create new RDA records using Identity Management tools like URIs, ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID); VIAF (Virtual International Authority File); ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) and WikiData.
Workshop participants will be able to:
Presenters
Rania Osman, Head of Library of the Future Section, Innovation, Research, and Technology Directorate, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt. She is chair of the RDA Arabic Translation team.
Tharwat Al-Olaimi, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, University of Sharjah, UAE. He has extensive experience in Resource Description and Access (RDA), and recently recognized by the ALA International Spotlight initiative.
Registration Fees
| Advanced | On-Site |
| ALA Member 700 AED ($190 USD) | ALA Member 800 AED ($220 USD) |
| Non-Member 800 AED ($220 USD) | Non-Member 900 AED ($250 USD) |
Preconference III
9:00-15:30
School librarians and school library programs can play a vital role in helping students consider and learn empathy, understanding, and tolerance. This full-day workshop will explore the different ways you can do this in your library, through books and activities, including virtual reality!
Using the concept “Windows and Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors” created in 1990 Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop about the importance of providing young readers with diverse books that reflect the “multicultural nature of the world” in which we all live, the workshop will delve into collection analysis, integration of inclusive books for all learners, and how you can now go beyond the books- connecting learners to the world through virtual reality (VR).
You will be able to learn about and try many different virtual reality tools insert and apps that can be used in your library, such as Viewmaster VR, VR Sketchnote, Merge Cube, Oculus Go, and more to create immersive experience that puts students into the shoes of others.
Workshop participants will be able to:
Presenters
Andrea Trudeau, Library Information Specialist, Alan B. Shepard Middle School, Deerfield, Illinois, USA.
Laura D’Elia, Library Teacher, Armstrong Elementary School, Westborough Elementary School Libraries, Westborough, Massachusetts, USA.
Registration Fees
| Advanced | On-Site |
| ALA Member 550 AED ($150 USD) | ALA Member 650 AED ($175 USD) |
| Non-Member 650 AED ($175 USD) | Non-Member 750 AED ($200 USD) |
| 9:00–9:45 | Registration Librarians’ Lounge, Sharjah Expo Centre Lobby |
| 9:45–10:30 | Opening Welcome— |
Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman, Sharjah Book Authority
Keynote—"Taking the Lead: Indispensable Librarians”
Wanda Brown, President, American Library Association, Dean of Libraries, Winston Salem State University, North Carolina, USA.
| 10:30–11:00 | Break and Library Exhibits |
| 11:00–11:55 | Session A (concurrent programs) |
Beyond Reality: Expanding Your Library’s Services to the Virtual
It’s no longer enough to build library services around the real world. Technology is enabling an entirely new set of worlds for libraries and our communities to explore and build, through the emergence expanded reality technologies. Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality comprise expanded reality -- collectively, they represent new modes for people to learn, experience, interact with, and explore knowledge, places, and activities that would otherwise be inaccessible. What should libraries be doing today to aide their users in these areas? What are the medium- and longer-term plans we should be making? And what in this brave new world might give us pause?
Ken Varnum, Senior Program Manager for Discovery, Delivery, and Library Analytics Library Information Technology, University of Michigan Library, USA.
How to get People to Use the Public Library
Getting people to use the public library can be a challenge. The Misr Public Libraries in Egypt had seen a decline in the number users a few years ago. This program explains how the Misr Public Libraries turned it around by studying the community and the nature of various age groups and their interests which led to a clear vision and the development of a plan. The number of users has steadily grown since then through creative and innovative activities that have attracted back past users as well as new users.
Ahmed Aman, Coordinator of Misr Public Libraries, Misr, Egypt.
Transforming Your School Library
A school library can be a welcoming place full of wonder, curiosity, and joy! Learn from an elementary librarian and a secondary librarian who transformed their libraries into active learning spaces. With an emphasis on innovative and engaging instruction while not losing sight of the importance of people and relationships, this session will demonstrate how libraries and librarians have the potential to transform the culture of a school through simple changes that can have a widespread and lasting impact.
Andrea Trudeau, Library Information Specialist, Alan B. Shepard Middle School, Deerfield, Illinois, USA.
Laura D’Elia, Library Teacher, Armstrong Elementary School, Westborough Elementary School Libraries, Westborough, Massachusetts, USA.
| 12:00–12:55 | Session B (concurrent programs) |
Libraries and Information Freedom
What roles are there for libraries in promoting information freedom? And how can libraries and librarians make a difference in society. Learn how libraries are making an impact in various countries and regions.
Imen Aloui, Library Director, Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs de Tunis, Tunisia
The Value of Libraries Measuring Outcomes
Nashville Public Library was chosen as the 2017 Public Library of Year in the United States as a model for the nation and the world for its programs, services, and collections, and its cooperation with other public agencies, departments, and local businesses. Measuring outcomes now is key for any type of library, as the Association of College and Research Libraries has joined the Public Library Association to look at new ways to collect data and how it relates to making program improvements, creating additional programs, and eliminating programs that no longer meet the needs of your community.
Kent Oliver, Library Director, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
School Librarians of the Year: Sharing Stories, Lessons, and Keys to Successes
This year’s recipients of the School Librarians of the Year Awards, organized by the Emirates Literature Foundation, will show you how they created successful school library programs. Learn new ideas to implement in your library.
Abeer Mohammed Salem Hamad AlHusani, Librarian, Muhra Bint Ahmad School for Basic Education, Ras Al Khaimah, AUE
Teejay Button, Secondary School Librarian, Raha International School Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Alan Jacques, Secondary Librarian, Uptown School, Dubai, UAE.
| 13:00–14:00 | Lunch and Library Exhibits |
| 14:00–14:55 | Session C (concurrent programs) |
Library Lightening Talks - Five quick presentations that will inspire you with quick glimpses of latest innovations, interesting ideas, and new technologies or services.
School Librarians Helping Teacher’s Teach
How can school librarians connect with teachers, and become an integral in curriculum development. Hear from one of this year’s Librarians of the Year about an innovative program going on that can be replicated in your school or system. The Open University and the UK Literacy Association have been running a Teachers’ Reading Group which increases teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and encourages them to include reading for pleasure into the curriculum.
Mary Rose Grieve, School Librarian, Hartland International School, Dubai, UAE.
Libraries Fostering Tolerance in Their Community
Across the world, divisiveness, hatred, and violence against others is a major threat. Tolerance is a hallmark of progressive and civilized societies, whose members enjoy equal rights, opportunities and respect regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds, or their gender. This program will showcase the Sharjah Public Library’s efforts to promote understanding, respect, and multiculturalism through an array of programs and activities that can be modeled and replicated.
Eman Bushulaibi, Director of Sharjah Public Libraries, UAE.
| 15:00-15:50 | Session D (concurrent programs) |
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Assessment through Practitioner Research
This session will explore how librarians can engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to develop practitioner research projects to assess student learning and improve teaching, especially in the context of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The presentations examine problems in teaching and learning, such as: How do you know if students are learning and how can you assess conceptual understandings? Examples from research studies on assessing student learning will be presented, with an emphasis on qualitative methods and the interactive and reflective engagement of students and faculty partners.
Sharon Mader, Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of New Orleans Library, U.S.A.
Public and School Libraries Collaboration: Making Everyone Better
Both public and school libraries are community centers at heart, with the same goal: to provide a safe, welcoming environment for all patrons and access to information in a variety of formats. When public and school librarians and library workers engage in collaboration, community members reap the benefits. Attendees get a copy of the Public Library & School Library Collaboration Toolkit.
| 16:00-17:00 | Poster Sessions - 20 visual presentations of best practices |
| 9:00–9:30 | Registration (and beverages and snacks) |
| 9:30–10:15 | Plenary Session - “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Libraries” |
Jason Griffey, Affiliate at metaLAB at Harvard University, and a former Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, USA.
| 10:20–11:15 | Session E (concurrent programs) |
Digital Preservation in Libraries
Libraries have been preserving intellectual content for many centuries. With the proliferation of digital data in recent decades, libraries need to explore strategies for digital preservation to ensure that this new type of content is preserved for the future. This talk will focus on the history and development of digital preservation practices in libraries, including insights into the basic concepts important in the field of digital preservation. A case study will be shared showing how one academic library implemented these practices into its own digital project workflows to preserve over 20 years of digitized special collections.
Jeremy Myntti, Head of Digital Library Services, University of Utah Library, U.S.A.
Guided Inquiry Design for School Libraries
Regardless of what you teach, the Guided Inquiry Design provides a framework that offers a way of teaching inquiry-based learning within a meaningful and integrated context so that students gain deep understanding of curriculum content while internalizing an inquiry process. Participants will explore the eight steps of guided inquiry (Open, Immerse, Explore, Identify, Gather, Create, Share, Evaluate) and develop ways to apply the principles of guided inquiry in their own teaching that will help capitalize on students’ natural desire to ask questions and learn through authentic, student-led inquiry.
Laura D’Elia, Library Teacher, Armstrong Elementary School, Westborough Elementary School Libraries. Westborough, Massachusetts, USA.
| 11:15–11:45 | Break, Poster Session, and Library Exhibits |
| 11:50–12:45 | Session F (concurrent programs) |
Blockchain and Libraries
Libraries are just beginning to explore blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The opportunities for libraries go beyond digital money. Blockchain is being explored as the backbone of a more free and open Internet, as well as a means for authentication and for privacy and security. This program discusses the possibilities for blockchain technology, including smart contracts, illustrates various ways the technology is being used today, and explores how libraries might apply blockchain to deal with intellectual property, scholarly publishing, and copying as well as managing users, ensuring patron privacy, expanding collections beyond our walls, and even helping to build the internet of the future.
Jason Griffey, Affiliate at metaLAB at Harvard University, USA.
School Libraries Lighting Talks - A fast-paced program with five presentations from colleagues who will highlight practices you can add to your school library program.
| 13:15–14:15 | Lunch, Library Exhibits |
| 14:30–15:30 | Session G (concurrent programs) |
Oral Histories: A Role for All Libraries
Libraries of all types can create and contribute oral history projects that capture the story of a school, a neighborhood, or even a country. Oral history efforts can be used for everything from collection development and programming to community engagement. Hear the how the American University of Kuwait (AUK) Library is capturing the life histories of pioneers in Kuwait using through a platform created with an open source tool at very little cost. The project is providing a rich resource for AUK faculty and students, other researchers, and the public. This session provides you information on how your library can be a history maker.
Asma Al-Kanan, Library Director, American University of Kuwait, Kuwait| 15:45-16:00 | Closing of Conference- Distribution of Certificates |
During breaks and free time, please enjoy the relaxing Librarians’ Lounge that will be open to librarians and educators in the Sharjah Expo Centre throughout the Sharjah International Book Fair, thanks to our generous sponsors.
Registration is now open for the 6th Annual Sharjah International Library Conference. To register online, please visit https://www.sibfala.com/
Registration fees for the two-day conference
| Advanced | On-site |
| ALA Member 600 AED ($160 USD) | ALA Member 700 AED ($190 USD) |
| Non-Member 700 AED ($190 USD) | Non-Member 800 AED ($220 USD) |
Register Now for the 6th Annual Sharjah Library Conference with programming and certificates offered by the American Library Association.
Register Now