International Association of School Librarianship officials during the closing ceremony of the meeting.
QA hosts global school librarians’ mDOHA: International Association of School Librarianship conference concluded on a high note for both the delegates and organisers of the biggest and most prestigious annual gathering of international school librarians.
The 41st edition of the conference was co-sponsored by Qatar Academy (QA) and Access-It Library. Delegates from 48 countries participated in an impressive array of talks and workshops that looked into the changing landscape of education conveyed through the conference theme ‘Shifting Sands of School Librarianship.’
Beverley Stubbs, Head of Libraries and Media Centre at QA said: “We are proud to have hosted the conference. While some countries are closing their school libraries, Qatar considers, and acts upon, the body of research that shows the value of having a librarian in every school. The quality of the message presented by the keynote speakers meant a shift in thinking about the role and influence of the school librarian.”
QA definitely sees this value with two of its Qatari library specialists playing key roles in the conference.
Fatma Al Marzouqi’s exceptional photography skills were put into good use as her images were used in the website, all the advertisements and printed materials seen throughout the conference. She says her shots are influenced by QA’s multicultural environment and reflects her view of Qatar. The natural desert landscape is a perfect metaphor to its shift from being just a small nation to one that has done meaningful things especially in education. “We’re a small country with big ideas,” she said.
More than QR25,000 was raised at the auctions held during the conference for IASL’s work in developing countries and to support school libraries following natural disasters. During the conference, Professor Ken Nimura from the Meisei University in Tokyo thanked Qatar for the generosity of their donation towards recovery following the North-East Japan earthquake and tsunami calamities.
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