Nineth Meeting of Arab Union Catalog Members: Promises Fulfilled and Achievements Documented.

King Abdulaziz Public Library organized the Ninth Meeting of Arabic Union Catalog Members under the theme "Efficiency of Knowledge Management for Sustainable Development" in collaboration with the National Library of Tunisia and the Public Reading Administration. In the Tunisian capital, the meeting was held from 26th to 28th Rajab 1440 AH (2nd to 4th April 2019). The meeting was attended by more than 200 participants from 13 Arab countries.

Academic presentations, which addressed library professionals' concerns and interests, were praised by attendees for their academic value. On the first day, the scientific program focused on innovation, sustainability, knowledge society, and its requirements. As part of the second day, digital initiatives in the Arab world were showcased as well as issues related to electronic publishing and intellectual property rights. They expressed their satisfaction with the scientific program, as well as with the organization and hospitality. Furthermore, they expressed full support for the Arabic Union Catalog initiatives, including:

1. The Arabic Union Catalog database has been expanded to include foreign language entries.
2. Announcing the launch of the Arab Creators Initiative.
3. RDA (Resource Description and Access) standards have been adopted for the upgrade of the AUC database.
4. Announcing the launch of the National Catalog Initiative.

It has also signed a number of enlightening strategic agreements with its members, including:

1. Establishing a Sudanese National Catalog in partnership with the Sudan National Library.
2. Developed a cooperation agreement with the Tunisian Federation of University Libraries.
3. Cooperation agreement signed with Libyan Association of Libraries and Information.

 

In collaboration with the National Library of Tunisia and the General Reading Authority, the King Abdulaziz Public Library organized the ninth Arabic Union Catalog members meeting under the theme "Knowledge Management Efficiency for Sustainable Development." The meeting took place from 26th to 28th of Rajab 1440 AH, corresponding to 2nd to 4th April 2019, at the City of Culture in Tunisia. A total of 200 participants from 13 Arab countries attended the meeting.

In addition to addressing library professionals' concerns and interests, the scientific program offered quality interventions. On the first day, the scientific program focused on innovation, sustainability, knowledge society, and its requirements. The second day covered issues related to electronic publishing, challenges associated with intellectual property rights, and some Arab experiences with digitization. There was great satisfaction among the attendees with the scientific program, the excellent organization, and the hospitality. In addition, they expressed their support for the Arabic Union Catalog initiative, which serves Arab and Islamic cultures. Among these initiatives were:

• Adding foreign-language entries to the Arabic Union Catalog.
• Announcing the launch of the Arab Creators Initiative.
• Announcing the addition of authority records to the Catalog database.
• National AUC Initiative launch.

The meeting was also accompanied by several side activities, including:

1. Meeting of the Arabic Union Catalog Council: The council members commended the efforts of the King Abdulaziz Public Library, the Arabic Union Catalog Center, and Advanced Arab Systems Company. AUC has been at the forefront of Arab library development. As part of the transition to the bibliographic framework, the AUC plans to complete the construction of digital content in the Unified Arab Digital Library. Ultimately, this will enhance the capabilities of Arab libraries to achieve sustainable development goals. As well as enriching its database with non-Arabic products related to Arab and Islamic civilizations, the council members praised the AUC's initiative. Members were encouraged to collaborate with the AUC in this regard. To achieve a balance between protecting authors' and publishers' rights and enabling knowledge sharing online, they urged the Arabic Union Catalog to focus on intellectual property issues.
2. Attendees at the second meeting of Arab national libraries were:

• Dr. Rajaa Ben Salama, General Director of the National Library of Tunisia.
• Dr. Abdul Karim bin Abdul Rahman Al Zaid, Deputy Supervisor General of the King Abdulaziz Public Library.
• Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al-Musned, Director of the Arabic Union Catalog Center.
• Dr. Kamil Al-Abdul Jalil, Director General of the Kuwait National Library.
• Dr. Mohamed El-Farhan, Director of the National Library of Morocco.
• Dr. Ibrahim Osman, Secretary-General of the Sudan National Library.
• Dr. Mansour Shahan, Director of the Bahrain National Library.
• Mr. Mahmoud Al-Tuwaijri, Assistant Deputy Supervisor General of the King Abdulaziz Public Library.

Recommendations from the meeting include:

• Underscoring the importance of library and information cooperation among Arab countries.
• All Arab countries should standardize and unify their bibliographic and cataloging practices.
• Requesting national libraries to propose to their governments the enforcement of the standards agreed upon between the Arabic Union Catalog and publishers. This will ensure that Arab books meet international specifications.
• Saving human and financial resources in this field by facilitating the exchange of cataloging data.
• Working together to overcome the difficulties associated with optical character recognition (OCR) software for Arabic script.
• Through the Arabic Union Catalog, we are promoting world openness.

 

 

After that, Dr. Abdul Karim Al Zaid addressed the audience on behalf of the King Abdulaziz Public Library, thanking His Excellency the Minister of Cultural Affairs. Under the theme "Efficiency of Knowledge Management for Sustainable Development," this major Arab cultural gathering was patronized by Mohamed Zine El Abidine.." In organizing the meeting, he praised the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, represented by the National Library and Documentation Center and Public Reading Management. He highlighted Tunisia, the capital of Islamic culture, a city renowned for its Arab and global cultural heritage. During the meeting in Tunisia's capital, he expressed that our goals in the Arab world, especially in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and President Beji Caid Essebsi, are to establish a knowledge-based society that emphasizes science, knowledge, literature, and the arts as vital components of sustainable development. This will enable us to put humans at the forefront of our progress by increasing their sense of belonging. In addition, we will equip them with the necessary cognitive and technological skills for the 21st century. It is crucial to emphasize the significance of the Arabic Union Catalog initiatives that support our knowledge-based society. These initiatives are non-negotiable and include the Arab Innovators Initiative, the Arabic Union Catalog Initiative that will establish national catalogs, the initiative to include other languages in the Arabic Union Catalog database, and the initiative to improve Arabic content on the Internet through the Unified Arab Digital Library. Failure to adhere to these initiatives is not an option. We must work together to enhance cooperation and integration among Arab libraries and information centers in everything that serves our Arab and Islamic cultures. This is the only way to ensure a prosperous and thriving future for our society.

The meeting was productive and informative! There were various sessions and workshops focused on topics like innovation in library services, information accessibility, and achieving sustainable development goals. Dr. Abdul Karim, bin Abdul Rahman Al Zaid, led the first session, and notable experts in the field presented several working papers. It's interesting to see how different libraries approach these issues and find innovative solutions. In addition, the open discussion at the end of the session must have been a valuable opportunity for participants to share their own experiences and insights.

During the second session, Dr. Rajaa Ben Salama, the Director-General of the Tunisian National Library, chaired the meeting and presented four working papers. The first scientific paper, "Knowledge Economies in the Arab World," was presented by Dr. Mohammed Marayati, an expert in knowledge economies at the United Nations. Mr. Hassan Alia, a consultant in the Arabic Union Catalog, presented the second paper titled "Supporting the Arabic Union Catalog for Knowledge Society Libraries." The third paper, "Descriptive Files for the Arabic Union Catalog: An Infrastructure for the Arab Semantic Web," was prepared by Mr. Mohammed Adel from the Arabic Union Catalog and presented by Dr. Iman Mohamed on his behalf. The last paper, titled "Information Technology Applications in Arab Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities," was presented on behalf of Dr. Fayza Al-Bayati, the President of the Iraqi Association for Information, Libraries, and Documentation, by Dr. Taysir Fawzi Redaif. The session concluded with an open discussion among the participants. Additionally, an accompanying workshop titled "Innovation in Library Services and Its Role in Achieving Sustainable Development" was led by the expert and consultant Dr. Marshall Bridging and Dr. Khaled Al-Halabi, the President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI).

Yesterday, I attended a scientific event where Mr. Elias Rabahi chaired the third session. The session was quite interesting as four working papers were presented. The first paper was titled "Access to Knowledge and the Role of Intellectual Property Laws" and was presented by Dr. Sarah Benson, who is a professor at the University of Illinois, USA. The second paper was titled "Unified Arab Digital Library and the Arab Creators Initiative: Intellectual Property Challenges," and Dr. Khaled Habashi, the director of the Gulf University Library in Bahrain, presented it. The third paper was titled "Protection of Literary and Artistic Works in the Digital Environment in Tunisia" and was presented by Mr. Mohamed Al-Amairi. Finally, Dr. Yusra Al-Saghir from the Arab Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (ALECSO) presented the last paper, "Integration of Arab Knowledge Initiatives: Reality and Expectations". After the presentations, there were comments and discussions on the topics covered in the session. It was a great learning experience and unique to see such diverse experts come together to discuss important issues.

During the fourth session, Mr. Mohammed Jengar, Deputy Director of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Islamic Studies and Humanities in Morocco, chaired a discussion on national catalogs. The session included four working papers. The first paper, "Arabic Union Catalog Initiative for Establishing National Catalogs," was presented by Mr. Tarek Al-Nouri, Director of Customer Services at the Arabic Union Catalog. Next, Dr. Ibrahim Osman, Director of the Sudan National Library, presented the second paper titled "Sudanese National Catalog," followed by Ms. Huda Ben Sassi from the Tunisian National Library with a presentation on "The Tunisian National Library's Initiative in Digitizing the National Written Heritage." The final paper, "Providing Archival Resources: Between Technology and Organization: The Omani Experience," was presented by Mr. Talib Al-Khadouri from the Omani National Documents and Archives Authority. Following the presentations, participants engaged in an open discussion. Additionally, the workshop "Information Accessibility and Intellectual Property Challenges," facilitated by Dr. Sarah Benson, a University of Illinois, USA professor, and Mr. Kamil Al-Abduljalil, the General Director of the Kuwait National Library, was held.

In conclusion, I would like to share that the participants expressed their appreciation for the activities of the meeting and the support provided by King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince in supporting projects that serve Arab and Islamic culture. They commended the King Abdulaziz Public Library for the Arabic Union Catalog, which has become one of the essential tools in library and cultural work. They also thanked the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs for hosting the meeting.

The participants acknowledged the significant efforts made by the administrators of the Arabic Union Catalog, their continuous development, and specialized training programs in bibliographic control and cataloging. In addition, they emphasized the importance of collaboration in building Arab digital content and adding records in other languages to the Arabic Union Catalog database. The initiative of the Arabic Union Catalog in supporting the establishment of national catalogs and the Arab Innovators initiative was also appreciated.

I join the participants in thanking the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs for their support. May Allah grant success.

Tunis, 28 Rajab 1440 AH, corresponding to 4 April 2019.