Workshop

Co-Designing the Social Library: Tools for Community-Led Transformation
Speaker: Dr. Khulud Ali Sahary

Welcome Speech
by Huism Tan, QNL Executive Director

Host Introduction
by H.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State and President of QNL

Video Highlights
from Previous Libraries Lead Forums and QNL Initiatives

Message from the President of AFLI
Professor Emad Issa Saleh

Inspirational Message
“Libraries as Sanctuaries of Knowledge and Pillars of Community”
by Peter Bae, Senior Program Officer for SHARES and Resource Sharing Innovation at OCLC

• House of Wisdom (Sharjah, UAE), Ali Abdulaziz Alblooshi, Cultural and Literary Executive, and Noha Bassyouni, Senior Library Operations Specialist
• Abdul Hameed Shoman Public Library (Jordan), Nizar Al-Hmoud, Manager
• Museum of Islamic Art (Qatar), Susan Parker-Leavy, Head of Library
• Ithra Library (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Abdullah Hawas, Head of Ithra Library
• Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt), Dr. Sarah Elgabalawy, Head of the Professional Diplomas and Programs Section
• Iraqi National Library and Archives, Bariq Raad Allawi, Director General
• Sultan Qaboos University Library (Oman), Bushra Salih Al Nofali, Information Specialist

Session 1: Redefining Libraries as Community-Centered Social Spaces
Venue: Special Events Area, Ground Floor

• Connecting the Unconnected: Korea’s Transformation from Small Reading Clubs to Global Community Hubs, Dr. Juhee Song, Branch Manager, Songpa-Wirye Library, Republic of South Korea
• Reflections of the Baraka Little Library, Kihack Kim, Director, Baraka Little Library, Republic of South Korea
• Connections, Community, and Care: Manitoba Libraries Creating Space for All, Kirsten Wurman, Program Coordinator, Manitoba Library Association, and Member, Prison Libraries Committee, Canada

Session 2: Cultivating Learning and Active Citizenship
Venue: Auditorium, Bridge Area

• Fostering Active Citizenship: Libraries as Spaces for Skill Development and Multiliteracy Education, Eric Therrien, Director, Gabrielle-Roy and Downtown Libraries, Collections, and Digital Strategy, Bibliothèque de Québec, Online via Zoom
• From the Hakawati to the Audio Platform: The Journey of Arabic Storytelling as a Social Practice Through Time, Rasha bint Khamis Al-Sulaiti, Founder and Chairperson, Rawi Technology, Qatar
• Olympic Education in Qatar and the Gulf: Toward a Global Model, Hassna Ali E. Abuhaqab, Library and Information Expert, Qatar Olympic Academy

Session 3: Current Challenges and Opportunities Facing Academic Libraries as Bridges between Campus and Society
By Dr. Nadia Caidi, Professor and Director of International Engagement; and Dr. Lale Javanshir, Middle Eastern Studies Librarian, University of Toronto, Canada
Venue: Room near the User Services Desk, Ground Floor

Session 1: Cultural Memory, Archives and Participatory Practice
Venue: Special Events Area, Ground Floor

• Yusef Al-Azmeh Archive: A Digital Lens into the Past, Dr. Nouf Khashman, Library Director; and Eslam Zahran, Librarian, Doha Institute Library, Qatar
• Insights from China’s Multiliteracy and Learning Initiatives, TIAN Miao, Deputy Director of China Memory Center, National Library of China (NLC), Online via Zoom
• The Community Engagement Matrix: Integrating Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation and the Community Engagement Spectrum into Library Practice, Mohammad Zuhair Baqlah, Knowledge Management Team Leader, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), United Nations

Session 2: Strengthening Children's Futures Through Libraries
Venue: Auditorium, Bridge Area

• Investing in Childhood Through Libraries: A Sustainable Community Model for Building Social Capital, Faten R. Azzam, Senior Information Specialist – Children and Young Adults Programs, Qatar National Library
• Mobile Libraries in Rural Tunisian Schools: Tools for Strengthening Social Capital and Digital Learning among Children in Remote Areas, Fathi Mohamed Al-Ghariani, University Professor, Tunisian University, Tunisia; and Raja Younes Labiadh, Teacher, Tunisian School in Doha, Qatar

Session 3: Empowering Communities through Digital Literacy and Skills Development - The Experience of Abdul Hameed Shoman Library in Jordan, 
Valentina Kessisieh, CEO of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, Jordan
Venue: Room near the User Services Desk, Ground Floor

• Creating a Fair Future through AI, Josh Sendall, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds Libraries, UK
• Connecting the Unconnected: The Infrastructure Vision for Future Libraries, Dr. Juhee Song, Branch Manager, Songpa-Wirye Library, Republic of Korea
• Transformative Library Spaces: Education and Empowerment While Incarcerated, Kirsten Wurman, Prison Libraries Committee, Manitoba Library Association, Canada
• From Heritage to Digital Futures: Library Transformation in the MENA Region, Rula Shahwan, Director of Library and Archives, Arab American University–Palestine (AAUP)
• Scaling Digital Empowerment Across Jordan’s Library Ecosystem, Valentina Kessisieh, CEO, Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, Jordan

Session 1: Harnessing AI to Strengthen Social Infrastructure
Venue: Special Events Area, Ground Floor

• AI for Social Infrastructure, Dr. David Lankes, Virginia and Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship, University of Texas, USA, Pre-recorded video
• Personalizing User Experience and Unlocking Knowledge for All, Josh Sendall, University of Leeds Libraries, UK
• Beneath the Interface: How Libraries Shape AI as Social Infrastructure, Peter Collins, Senior Library and Technology Leader

Session 2: Lightning Talks
Venue: Auditorium, Bridge Area

• Supercharged by AI: Expanding Knowledge Through an Interactive Exhibition, Tatiana Usova, Reya Saliba, and Amirah Al Sarraj, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Library
• The Library as a Platform for Creative Health and Wellbeing, Susan Parker-Leavy, Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Library
• Empowering Faculty through the Research Impact Challenge, Dhanya Lijo and Dr. Abu Ahmed, University of Doha for Science and Technology
• The Connected Library: Streamlining Communications, Project Management, and Professional Development Through an AI-Enhanced Interactive Intranet, Dr. Jamillah Scott-Branch and Nada Abuhashem, Georgetown University in Qatar Library, 
• ALICE Project: Access to Library and Information for Community Empowerment, Maryjane Dagos, Newton British School, Online via Zoom
• Qatari Folk Proverbs: Reimagining Heritage Content through Contemporary Interactive Media, Noura Abdulrahman Al-Athba and Sheikha Mohammed Al-Shammari, National Museum of Qatar Library
• The Role of Libraries in Building Local Social Cohesion and International Cooperation Based on the Principle of Mutualism, Dr. Iyad Abu Rabee, Global Cross-Culture Research Institute

Session 3: Advancing Digital Knowledge Systems - Libraries Driving Research, Innovation, and Community Empowerment
Venue: Room near the User Services Desk, Ground Floor

• Manara – Qatar Research Repository as Social Infrastructure: Cultivating Sustainable Research Ecosystems, Ya'qub Ebrahim, Digital Curation Librarian; Alenka Blatnik, Digital Collections Officer; and Dr. Arif B. Shaon, Head of Digital Curation, Preservation and Access, Qatar National Library, Qatar
• Smart Libraries and Community Empowerment: From Digital Literacy to Lifelong Learning and Economic Opportunities, Mohammed Khabrani, Deputy Director for Student Affairs, Makkah Education Department, Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia
• Digital Journey: From Library to AI, Sheikha Mohammed AlShamari, Head of the Library; and Amal Mohamed Boukadida, Visitor Services Coordinator, National Museum of Qatar Library, Qatar