Qatar National Library (QNL) invites library professionals in Qatar to join this panel discussion and explore some of the throwaway statements made in relation to libraries, to comment on the truth of these statements from the point of view of their own experience, and discuss how we can move beyond them to future-proof the national library.

Qatar National Library (QNL) is at the start of its long journey towards establishing itself as a center for learning, creativity and cultural development. As the world’s newest national library it benefits from the experience of well-established international counterparts whilst having the flexibility to re-imagine the concept of a library for the 21st century. In order to do this, it is necessary to examine and challenge assumptions made about and by libraries.

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

8:00 – 10:30 AM

Venue: QNL Auditorium

Target Audience: Librarians

Language: English, with Arabic interpretation provided

Seats are limited, please click the button below to register.

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Speakers:

Kai Elkholm, National Library of Finland

Rocky Ralebipi-Simela, National Library of South Africa

Christoph Rauch, Berlin State Library

Dr. Alaa Esmail, Iraq National Library & Archives

Bethany Nowviskie, CLIR, USA

Darren Hoerner, Gates Foundation

Ayub Khan, CILIP, UK

Dr. Sandra Collins, National Library of Ireland

Christine McKenzie, IFLA

Dr. Saif Al Jabri, Sultan Qaboos Univerity Library

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Session 1

8:00 – 9:00 am

“Everything is online so why do we need a library?”

The aim of this session is to explore the role of the library in the digital age. Is everything available online? Should it be? What are the implications of the increasing volumes of online content? Panelists will be invited to discuss a range of topics related to accessing and making content available online including, copyright, data privacy, information ethics, open access, digital literacy, fake news, digital cultural heritage and digital preservation.

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Session 2

9.30 – 10.30 am

“Libraries are about more than just books.”

The main focus of this session will be designing library services for and with communities. How do we design library spaces to better serve our communities? How do we engage diverse stakeholders? What lessons can we learn from other community efforts? How do libraries support learning? And, if libraries are about more than books, how do we evaluate the impact of our activities?