Creating SDG Book Clubs workshop

Establishing SDG Book Clubs in the MENA region will allow children and their parents to learn about the Sustainable Development Goals through books (fiction and other genres) related to each of the 17 Goals in Arabic and other languages. Children and their parents will then be encouraged to interact with the SDGs in their daily life.

Supporting inclusion and diversity in libraries

By drafting a statement supporting inclusivity and diversity adopted by libraries, libraries in the MENA region will play a more active role in promoting inclusivity and diversity in their communities. By upholding the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, librarians will support diversity and inclusivity through their services, collections, and publisher collaboration, as well as the public services that they offer.

How to increase partnerships: guidelines and tips

Guidelines and tips on how to identify and increase numbers of partners in projects and activities will be developed. Libraries across the MENA region will be surveyed on efforts to identify partners, whether local, regional, or international, resulting in recommendations and suggestions which will be presented in the guidelines.

Developing advocacy capacity for MENA region members

This is a training program to increase capacity of the library sector and library associations of the MENA region for advocacy activities, thus will be conducted in cooperation with different partners like the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI); National Associations; National Libraries and in collaboration with the IFLA Centre for Arabic Speaking Libraries.

Preserving and providing access to culture and cultural heritage available

The goal of the Preservation and Availability of Culture and Cultural Heritage project is to raise awareness of libraries about their role and its importance in this domain. As the preserving role of national libraries is clear, the same role regarding public libraries needs more work and investigation, where they must be aware of its their role at the local level. In addition, it aims to provide ways to inform competent authorities for in heritage preservation about library roles and obtain their support. The execution of this project includes participation in conferences and the establishment of online workshops for the benefit of Arab libraries.

International copyright reform

The aim of this project is to motivate library associations to establish strong relationships with representatives of the World Intellectual Property Organization through which they can explain their point of view regarding the challenges posed by intellectual property law to libraries. As a result, it will without reform risk libraries being limited in their ability to enable everyone to access information, as libraries are required to be exempted from some intellectual property obligations. A webinar will be delivered for libraries in the Middle East and North African regions, presented by experts from IFLA on the copyright challenge, and on how to communicate the library’s vision to WIPO representatives.

Internet governance

Librarians have a rich experience regarding the value of information published on the internet and its use in the research of library users. Within the framework of this project, first, library associations will be urged to contribute to internet governance consultations, by identifying the organizations that are responsible for internet governance in each country, which allow the librarians to give them feedback. Second, a guide on internet governance representatives in the Arab countries will be prepared and will be made available to library associations. Third, webinars will be delivered on the experience of European libraries in this field.

Promoting library values and human rights

This project aims to motivate library associations to establish good relations with the local branches of human rights organizations. Also, its goal is to convince them to place the problem of libraries among the issues they defend since the library is responsible for implementing the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding the right of everyone to access information. Finally, this working group will coordinate its efforts with the IFLA Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression to present a webinar for the benefit of local human rights associations.

Increase the visibility, impact, and membership in the MENA Region through partnerships with national associations

The idea is to work in partnership with national associations in the countries where they exist and help others create their own national association(s). This will take place by developing a marketing campaign in Arabic, English and French about IFLA activities aiming to increase the visibility, the impact, and the advantages of being a member of IFLA. The national association standing committee could play an important role in this project.

Raise awareness amongst MENA library associations and libraries about IFLA work and experience of being a member of IFLA

The idea is to organize activities (conferences, webinars workshops, etc.) to show and share information about IFLA’s structure, services, sections. Also, it aims to raise awareness about the importance of being an active member in this international organization and the benefits that librarians and professionals in the field can realise in their work environment at the national, regional, and international levels.

Identify barriers to IFLA membership through a questionnaire

Being an IFLA member is a challenge for libraries and individuals from the MENA region. The actual statistics show that membership from this region is very low compared to the population. Accordingly, it is essential to prepare a questionnaire to study and define the reasons and the actions that need to be taken to achieve a better target. The results will help IFLA GB and HQ to propose solutions aiming to increase members from the region.

Raise visibility amongst other non-library entities: cultural, educational, societies

Today information is equal to power and librarians are here to serve all communities and specialists. Thus, it is really important to involve and to invite decisions makers from different fields (cultural, educational, politics, business, environment, etc.) to be part of libraries’ actions and activities. This will confirm the vital role that libraries are playing in the societies all over the world and how it is important to support them.