170 education leaders conclude inaugural Sharjah School Librarians Conference
Sharjah: The inaugural Sharjah School Librarians Conference, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, concluded today (Wednesday) at Expo Centre Sharjah, following two days of insightful dialogue and collaboration between 170 education professionals, including international experts, school librarians and teachers, who spotlighted the latest global trends in supporting school libraries and enhancing their role as a vital hub in the educational process.
Held in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the Emirates Library and Information Association (ELIA), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), and the Combined Book Exhibit, the conference also showcased successful case studies and innovative strategies for engaging students, parents and the wider community. It further highlighted the role of modern technologies in encouraging reading and expanding its reach.
Technology in service of reading
As part of the concluding day, Todd Burleson, media specialist at The Skokie School in the United States, led a session titled 'Connecting reading and new technologies'. He examined how digital tools can transform the reading experience in school libraries, highlighting the potential of audiobooks, virtual reality, and AI-driven speech-to-text applications to enhance student engagement, particularly among reluctant readers.
Burleson cited research showing that only 14 per cent of American students read daily by personal choice, underscoring the importance of offering content in varied formats — including print, digital and audio — that reflect students' interests. He identified audiobooks as an effective way to develop listening and comprehension skills, noting that approximately 35 per cent of students, especially teenagers, respond well to this format due to its adaptability to their fast-paced lifestyles.
He also introduced tools such as Book Creator, which enables students to author their books, and AI-powered platforms like Magic School, which provide interactive and immersive storytelling experiences.
Leading examples from Sharjah school libraries
As part of the agenda, Yasser Abdul Muttalib from Al Majd Model School in Sharjah and Jumana Hanoun, librarian and UNESCO programme coordinator, offered practical insights into how technology can foster engaging and dynamic reading environments.
Abdul Muttalib explained how school libraries can develop essential student skills such as problem-solving, adaptability and initiative by integrating child-friendly technologies into reading spaces. He highlighted the school's 'Read and Innovate' initiative, encouraging students to turn their reading into real-world models and projects. This approach has boosted student participation in the library and expanded their understanding of key topics such as sustainability and energy. It has also prepared them to take part in major platforms such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) and to succeed in high-profile academic competitions like the Arab Reading Challenge.
For her part, Hanoun shared her vision of the school library as a hub for building a vibrant and inclusive school community. She discussed her initiatives, including the 'Young Writers Team', sustainability-themed projects, and collaborations with local stakeholders and international organisations, notably UNESCO. Parents were also actively engaged in these efforts.
She highlighted the role of reading as a therapeutic tool, helping children overcome fears and build confidence by guiding them to relevant books. Her initiatives transformed the library into a multi-purpose space featuring educational games and creative activities such as 'Young Entrepreneur Day' and a 'Wall of Achievements'. She also introduced mini classroom libraries built with natural materials and worked to enhance partnerships with public libraries.
Parents as partners in building reading habits
The session titled 'Connecting and partnering with families' highlighted the essential role of parents in fostering long-term reading habits among students. Cherity Pennington, Director of Libraries and Media Services at Shawnee Public Schools in Oklahoma, USA, addressed school libraries' challenges in establishing meaningful and sustained relationships with families. She shared practical examples to encourage greater parental engagement in supporting their children's reading development.
Empowering professionals through international associations
In a session titled 'Coming together through associations to empower school librarians', Becky Calzada, President of AASL, emphasised the value of collective action and knowledge exchange among professionals. She underscored the role of professional associations as vital platforms for sharing resources, advancing skills, and strengthening the visibility and impact of school librarians across varied educational contexts.
Knowledge Cafe: Networking and engagement space
The conference also hosted the 'Knowledge Café', an informal forum encouraging attendees to engage with experts and peers. Topics included strategies for supporting reluctant readers, assessing student learning, building collaboration between librarians and teachers, integrating technology with reading, engaging families, and empowering local talents.
The event concluded with a session titled 'Sharing and next steps', featuring reflections from UAE-based school librarians on advancing reading initiatives in local schools. Certificates were then awarded to all participants, with attendees affirming the importance of continuing such professional gatherings to expand the role of school libraries across the Arab world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
4 days ago
- Al Etihad
German city evacuates 20,000 after unexploded World War II bombs are found
4 June 2025 21:10 BERLIN (AGENCIES)Some 20,500 people were being evacuated from the city of Cologne in western Germany as explosives experts prepared to defuse three unexploded World War II bombs found during construction work this evacuation, which comes after the discovery Monday of three American-made bombs, is the largest in Cologne since the end of World War II, the city administration said.A crucial industrial, cultural and logistical hub for Nazi Germany, Cologne was a primary target of Allied bombers during World War authorities cordoned off a 3,280-foot radius around Deutz, a busy district next to the Rhine river, across from the Old discoveries of unexploded World War II ordnance - 80 years on from the end of the conflict - are not uncommon across Germany and parts of Europe, the proximity of the bombs to downtown Cologne and other densely populated areas was large bomb was fitted with an impact fuse, meaning the bomb is less likely to go off on its own over time, but it is still dangerous if disturbed."In that respect, they are dangerous, yes. But it's definitely not the case that we need to panic,' Kai Kulschewski told local radio station WDR 5 on is the head of neighboring city Dusseldorf's explosive ordnance disposal department, which is overseeing the evacuation and businesses, government buildings, 58 hotels and nine schools are within the evacuation zone, the city said. The area also includes the busy MesseDeutz train station and a major hospital, whose intensive-care patients were moved to nearby hospitals by disposal experts plan to defuse the devices later Wednesday, once the entire zone is cleared. City authorities began the evacuations at 8am, conducting door-to-door checks and warning that people who refused to evacuate could be escorted by force and face steep on Wednesday afternoon showed that streets usually teeming with people and traffic were empty. Public transport was severely disrupted, with roads closed and train services halted. Flights at Cologne Bonn Airport continued operating, but access to the airport was landmarks, including the Cologne Philharmonie and museums, were forced to close for the day. More than a dozen couples scheduled to wed at Cologne's city hall had to relocate their ceremonies, WDR Wednesday afternoon, WDR reported that few people had arrived at the shelters for displaced residents; people had instead taken advantage of the good continued to sail on the Rhine, although authorities warned that they would clear a stretch of the river once the defusing told WDR that around 1,500 to 2,000 unexploded bombs from World War II are found every year across North Rhine-Westphalia, the state in which Cologne is located. In 2010, three workers died trying to defuse a bomb in the city of Göttingen when it exploded. Also that decade, in the city of Euskirchen, a construction worker was killed when he detonated an explosive from the war while digging.
Dubai Eye
4 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Alcaraz bludgeons Paul to reach French Open semis
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz steamrolled past American 12th-seed Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 at the French Open on Tuesday with a jaw-dropping display of attacking tennis in one of the most one-sided men's quarter-finals in Paris in recent memory. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek, who is looking to become the first woman in the professional era to win four consecutive titles in Paris, also punched her semi-final ticket with a straight sets win over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine to set up a mouth-watering semi-final with world number one Aryna Sabalenka. But it was four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz's merciless dismantling of Paul that grabbed the fans' attention, with the 22-year-old Spaniard terrorising the former French Open junior champion who looked like a fish out of water. Alcaraz charged through the first two sets in just 53 minutes and in near flawless fashion, hitting winners at will and chasing down every ball before the shell-shocked American had any time to react. Paul pulled himself together to hold serve and go 4-3 up in the third but as the sun gradually went down over Paris so did the curtain on his inspired run, with Alcaraz winning three games in a row to put him out of his misery in just 94 minutes. "I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said. "My feeling was unbelievable. I tried to hit the shots 100% and not think about it." "Today it was one of those matches where everything went in," he said. He will next take on in-form Italian Lorenzo Musetti who battled past American Frances Tiafoe in four sets after surviving a second-set wobble, to reach the French Open semi-finals for the first time. Musetti Warning Musetti, the world number seven, who escaped with a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked a ball at a line judge, eventually overran 15th seed Tiafoe. "Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," said Musetti of the incident. "I was a little bit scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, 'sorry', I apologise to everyone." "It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game." That occurred in the second set when Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semi-finals of every main claycourt event this season, was given balls to serve. He kicked one to inadvertently hit the line judge, who barely flinched even though she was hit on her upper body. Grand Slam rules state that players are issued a warning at first instance for any ball abuse. Tiafoe, however, called it 'comical' that there was no serious punishment. "I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened," said Tiafoe, who had looked surprised and pointed out the incident to the chair umpire. "I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is." Earlier, and in front of a sparse crowd around lunchtime, Swiatek braved the windy conditions to beat Svitolina 6-1 7-5. Although Swiatek failed to win a title going into the tournament this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris, stretching her winning run at the French Open to 26 consecutive matches following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, hunting her first French Open crown, also needed just two sets to overcome Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and snap her opponent's 10-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory. "I think we're all here for one reason," Sabalenka said. "Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I'm glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time."
Dubai Eye
4 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Discovery of wartime bombs prompts large-scale evacuation in Cologne
Thousands of people were evacuated from central Cologne in western Germany on Wednesday following the discovery of three wartime bombs, in what the city authority called the largest such operation since the end of World War II. An evacuation zone with a radius of 1,000 metres was cleared from 8:00 am (0600 GMT), impacting around 20,500 residents along with many workers and hotel guests in the city's old town and Deutz district. Three American bombs, each with impact fuses, were found during construction work on Monday in Deutz, a bustling area on the bank of the River Rhine. Bomb disposal experts plan to disarm the ordnance later on Wednesday. Unexploded bombs are often found in Germany, where many major cities sustained heavy damage during the war. The evacuation area includes one hospital, two retirement homes, nine schools, and many hotels and museums. "Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed in the course of Wednesday. This is only possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset on that day," the city authority said in a statement. The measures caused major transport disruptions in the city of over a million people, with Germany's national rail operator warning that many trains would be diverted or cancelled. A stretch of the Rhine will be blocked off before the bomb disposal operation begins. The Rhine, which runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea via Cologne, is one of Europe's key waterways for the transportation of commodities such as grain and coal. Private television station RTL, whose main office is located in the evacuation zone, interrupted its morning news programme.
