Library event draws global expertise to Saudi Arabia
The First Scientific International Conference: Modern Developments in Libraries, was held on 17 and 18 December 2014 at the Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh.
Riyadh: Educators from across the Arab World have gathered in Riyadh to learn about the most important technological innovations available to national, public and academic libraries.
Modern Developments in Libraries, Aspirations and Leading Experience is the first conference of its kind to be held in Saudi Arabia, helping to meet demand from the country’s educational institutions for world-class innovations in the library sector.
Academics, researchers, educators and librarians heard about the latest research that will help improve library infrastructure and library services. Case studies and examples were drawn from the Arabia region, as well as the USA and Europe.
It is hoped that the conference will help Saudi’s academic libraries exploit newly available technology, helping to create world-class educational institutions that support educational processes and scientific research.
The event was held at Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University, which boasts its own state of the art library, with over 80,000 square metres of storage space and capacity to hold a collection of 5 million volumes. The library also has a specially designed Automated Storage and Retrieval System, one of only a handful in the world.
Pearson, the world’s largest education provider, sponsored the event, showcasing its digital repository system, EQUELLA, which is used by educational institutions, corporations, governments and universities worldwide, including London University, Australia’s TAFE colleges, and Hamdan bin Mohammed e-University in the United Arab Emirates.
Dalia Leil, Pearson’s Digital Solutions Specialist in Saudi Arabia, says:
“Pearson is thrilled to support this inaugural library event in Saudi Arabia, which is helping to put the Kingdom on the map for innovation in the library sector. Having efficient and effective library services is essential to providing world-class education and research facilities, and is therefore a priority for colleges and universities in this region as they advance their education sectors.
EQUELLA can assist in this process, enabling collections to be securely stored, while managing controlled access for specific users and groups and incorporating specific security settings. The repository also integrates with existing library management systems, providing additional value and functionality to a library’s existing infrastructure”.