Business & Money | Friday 12 July, 2019 12:00 am |

In line with its commitment to empower the literature sector and strengthen the relationship with the authors’community in the Emirate, Dubai Public Libraries(DPL)of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority(Dubai Culture)hosted its first Authors’Meet at Al Safa Art & Design Library.Aiming to position public libraries as hubs of effective dialogue and as facilitators of literature scene in the Emirate, the meeting gathered authors and literary professionals for an insightful discussion to explore ideas for development and improvement of libraries and open doors for cooperation amongst the literary community.

 

The meeting sought to make libraries a forum for the local authors by enabling a discourse about reading, books, and the literature sector, thereby catering to the goals of National Strategy for Reading 2026.Al Safa Art & Design Library was chosen as a venue for this meeting as it represents the modern form of a library by combining the traditional reading elements with latest technology to enhance the experience of the visitors and users. 

 

During the meeting, the participating authors took on a guided tour of the library, wherein the team introduced them to the most important services being offered. It also introduced the authors to different platforms that the library features including reading clubs and specialised discussions-events and sought their suggestions to hold more similar gatherings in future. 

 

Later Dr. Hissa bin Masood, Director of Public Libraries Department at Dubai Culture, spoke to the writers and sought ideas and suggestions from the participants about improvements that can be implemented in order to develop libraries and promote reading as a habit among the community. 

 

Dr. Hissa bin Masood said, “This meeting intended to facilitate a meaningful dialogue and two-way open communication with the authors and the writers in order to build sustainable relationship with them, while strengthening the overarching literature sector in the Emirate. This was one of the efforts to benefit from the experience of these literary figures and utilise that experience to improve the libraries and raise awareness about the positive effects of libraries on the society and individuals.”   

These meetings will now be held on regular basis in order to take the communication further and discuss ways of mutual cooperation to promote the creative writing industry. 

 

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the UAE’s rich heritage. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures to enhance Dubai's position as a creative and sustainable global city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature, with the aim to empower these sectors by developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally.