Dubai, UAE - October 18, 2024: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library announced that registration is now open for the inaugural Dubai International Library Conference (DILC) 2024. As one of the most significant events in the library sector locally and internationally, the conference will take place from 15th to 17th November under the theme 'Our Libraries: Past, Present, and Future,' featuring more than 60 speakers from over 25 countries.

The conference attracts a leading group of global specialists, professionals, and experts to exchange ideas and share best practices in the library and information sector, including HE Dr. Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, and the Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, Dr. Saeed Mubarak Kharbash, Chief Executive Officer of the Arts & Literature sector at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Fahad Al Maamari, Chairman of the Board of the Emirates Library and Information Association.

Also, participating in the conference are Sharon Memis, President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Louis Coiffait-Gunn, President of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), Muhsin Al Musawi from Columbia University, the Writer and Historian Dr. Sami Moubayed, Dr. Saif Aljabri, MENA Regional Division Committee IFLA, Dr. Ahmed Zayed, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Dr. Faiza Adeeb Al-Bayati, Iraqi Information, Libraries and Documentation Specialists Association, Dr. Heba Ismail, Arab Federation for Libraries & Information, and many others.

Day One of DILC will feature a series of key sessions, including 'Embracing the Age of AI - Harnessing the Opportunities of a Digital Future' and 'AI and the Library: A New Chapter,' with the participation of experts and specialists from libraries across the world.

Day Two will focus on the role of library associations in providing support to develop professional skills, the importance of archives, the future of academic libraries, sustainable printing, and other topics that serve the library sector, in general. On Day Three, the conference will address the impact of digital transformation on leadership, the role of national libraries in shaping a country's identity, children's literature in public libraries, the role of Open Access resources in enhancing global resources, and how libraries will become the museums of the future.

To register to attend free of charge, and for more information, please visit: https://dilc.mbrl.ae/.

The inaugural Dubai International Library Conference aims to highlight the role of libraries in global knowledge exchange, consolidate Dubai's leading position as a cultural hub, and celebrate libraries as cultural and architectural monuments. It also seeks to highlight their diversity in knowledge, academic, and professional specialisations by attracting experts from around the world to shape the future of libraries, showcase the role of the latest advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, and discuss current and future challenges and the role of libraries in preserving cultural heritage.

During the Dubai International Library Conference, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library will also host the 2024 Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania (CDNLAO), in collaboration with the National Library and Archives of the UAE.