Prepared by Ali Abbas Mahmoud

1. Public Library Transform In the Arab World
: Ministry of Culture libraries Model
Ali Abbas Mahmoud, Library Manager – University of Fujairah, UAE
MLIS, PHD. Researcher – INLP participant 2021
Ali Abbas Mahmoud
University of Fujairah, UAE
Email:aliabas727@Hotmail.com
Phone:00971504382690
Contact
1. Ali Abbas( 2021): Public library transform in United Arab Emirates: Ministry of culture libraries Sample: supervisor Dr. Randa Ibrahim; Hesham El-Sherif
(Associate Supervisor) Helwan University, Egypt (PHD. Under possessing)
2. Figure 1. Arabic for non-Arab: this initiative aims to help Non-Arab labors to learn Arabic to help them communicate with their bosses and society
3. Figure 2. kids planting: activity to lean kids how to save the environments and lean them how the plants helps the Earth
4. Figure 3. Ramdan Aman Campaign: In Muslim countries Ramadan Is Holy month this campaign gives drivers snakes to breakfast and be safe on the roads
5. Figure 4. save food campaign: this activity helps poor people and also learn donors how to save the food
6. Figure 5.back to school celebration: this activities we use it for marketing to learn all new student about reading and how to visit the library and marketing
for our activities and services and membership categories
7. Figure 6.recycling workshop: this student is library member and she can presenting more workshop in environmental field (recycling – save water – save
power – be positive student)
References
The most important characteristic transform libraries in the Arab
region is the presence of many practices that are carried out
within the Arab public libraries, without considering the concept
of library transform, which was launched in 2015 by ALA during
the period of Sari Feldman’s presidency of American Library
Association .
Furthermore, the situation in the United Arab Emirates is different
because the numbers of readers who regularly visit public
libraries are few compared to the country’s population.
Accordingly, many literacy initiatives were launched within UAE
to encourage people to access public libraries and read.
United Arab Emirates has 28 public libraries that managed
through four major sectors:
1. Ministry of Culture and knowledge development that manages
10 library branches
2. Sharjah Public library that manages 6 library branches
3. Dubai public library that manages 8 library branches
4. Abu Dhabi public libraries that manages 6 library branches
Consequently, public libraries in UAE are not sufficient to serve
the country’s population that exceeds the five million people.
However, with this limited number of public libraries, few visitors
visit libraries on a regular basis.
Further, many of these libraries work on plans and marketing
strategies to attract the public to visit libraries more frequently
across the country. The marketing practices were carried out by
the Ministry of Culture and knowledge development to attract
more public to visit its public libraries.
Abstract
Introduction
Know what User’s needs: The Ministry of Culture
(MOC)libraries hold regular meetings to identify the needs of
users from the activities and programs through the boards of
dealers, the boards of partners and the members' councils.
Planning programs that meet the needs of users : Libraries of
MOC do meetings for staff who concerned with services and
programs, and brainstorming sessions for employees to learn
innovative ways and initiatives to find solutions for the problems
and weaknesses as well as to develop programs suited to the
vision and mission of the ministry at the same time Working to
meet the needs of users.
Advanced Marketing : The MOC present the approved
programs by GM., which this Ideas that were discussed before,
in brainstorming sessions, put it in a timeline suitable for the
public, members to published it through social media
The implementation: which are the activities, programs and
community activities, and here we should divide them into major
sections
- Targeted social activities and initiatives
- General social activities and programs
satisfaction Evaluation : this evaluation designed to know the
public users opinions of our services.
Customer Happiness as a requirement of libraries transform
:The UAE government has adopted a new concept of
government services, where the indicators of global happiness
have been launched. It has been number one in the Arab world
and 21st place in the world
Transform Strategy
Public libraries have developed more activity
programs for public to serve different communities
providing programs that are requested by the
library patrons such as: teacher training courses;
civil defense courses to houses servants; Arabic
language courses for non-native speakers; cooking
traditional courses; courses for girls to learn
Emirates’s etiquette; swimming for children; self-
defense courses for girls and Mothers; children
Arts; first aid courses for girls, boys, and parents;
how to use the computer and the internet
workshops for children; the preparation of school
reports courses; how to use the program (MS
Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe Photoshop)
courses; handicraft for girls; and workshops for Arts
( drawing - work Marquette - mini-industrial
structures manufacturing -)
UAQ Public Library (Ministry of Culture’s Branch)
presents every year in Ramadan, dozens of hot
meals for the children (members and visitors and
poor children)
UAQ,PL. presented in Ramadan also fast food on
the highway for travelers before breakfast time to
reduce the risk of excessive speed and reduce road
accidents
The role of the Ministry of Culture’s Public
libraries to Serve the communities in UAE
The most important characteristic of libraries
that managed by Ministry of Culture is that they
are supervised technically and financially by the
UAE Council of Ministers, headed by Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, who
owns the forward-looking to the future of many
initiatives that have been implemented and
more that are not implemented yet.
Dubai Ruler, & Prime Minister, initiated the five-
star system to evaluate government services
within the ministries of the UAE, & also applied
to the ministry of culture libraries, offering a
high quality of public services, and here it comes
the role of the modern transformation of
libraries in Ministry of Culture; possess the
Ministry of culture of the many capabilities that
qualifies them to reach all segments of societies
followed by libraries that support the society
culturally and intellectually.
Discussion
The study expresses the reality of public Libraries
transform in the United Arab Emirates, specifically
in the Ministry of Culture at Umm Al Quwain
Public Library, that Libraries transform gives a good
and wonderful opportunity for the library to
engage in societies, especially that these societies
lack the presence of distinguished quality services
that make society always attracted to libraries
because they provide A vital and active role in
society and to serve all groups and ages and
provide them with many qualitative services that
raise cultural and social awareness, and libraries
are the vital engine of these societies, especially in
times of crisis. The new role of libraries and
whether this role represents the required change
for societies, This is what the case study proved.
Conclusions
The UAE community is seen as an emerging
knowledge society and this is reflected in many
practices by the UAE government to support all
knowledge and ICT (Information and
Communication Technologies)related activities
that have reached their infrastructure within the
top ten countries in the field of infrastructure,
ranking fourth after Hong Kong, Singapore. and
Netherlands
The UAE government is aware of the global
events and has set itself a plan for the year of
2021 to become number (1) one, in the world in
many fields. This is reflected in the initiatives
that adopted by the government and passed
through all the means of implementation from
ministries, government institutions, and civil
society institutions to schools. The innovation
Initiative 2015 had opened the door for many
government institutions to enter the world of
innovation through financial and technical
support that provided by the government
Results
Figure 3. Ramdan Aman Campaign.
Figure 4. save food campaign.
Table 1. shows libraries and population.
Chart 1. UAE Map with geographic data
State
Area
Puplotion
Libraries served
1
Abu Dhabi
59434.7
1,339,484
Abu Dhabi Public Library
–
Zayed City PL
–
Dalma PL
2
Dubai
4027.1
,321,4531
No libraries affiliated to the
ministry
3
Sharjah
2564.4
793,573
No libraries affiliated to the
ministry
4
Ras Alkhimah
2447.1
210,063
Ras Alkhimah PL
5
Fujaira
1579.9
125,698
Fujaira PL
–
Diba Fujaira PL
–
Masafi PL
6
Um Alquwain
702,2
49,159
Um Alquwain PL
7
Ajman
268.2
206,997
Ajman PL
–
Masfoot PL
Total
71023.6
4,106,427
10
Figure 1. Arabic for non-Arab.
Figure 2. kids planting
Figure 5.back to school celebration.
Figure 6.recycling workshop.
83.600
‫كم‬
² Space
7 states Emirates
9.270.000 Population
Arabic Language
1700 Libraries
30 Public
Libraries
This is what the study proved