Dr Khalid al-Ali (left) and Dr Hend al-Muftah

Qatar University (QU) hosted the first meeting of the Library and Information Association (LIA) on Wednesday in order to increase community awareness on the importance of information sources and the role of librarians in Qatar.
The event was an opportunity to bring librarians from across Qatar and the region together to exchange ideas and share experiences in the field of information and library research. It also aimed to present the LIA before its official launch and get an insight into its objectives, vision, mission and plans.
Attendees included QU associate vice-president for faculty affairs Dr Khalid al-Ali, LIA Foundation Committee head Dr Hend al-Muftah, Katara - the Cultural Village general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sciences General Libraries manager Abdullah al-Ansari and Qatar National Library project director Dr Claudia Lux, as well as directors of local and regional libraries.
The programme agenda featured interactive sessions and workshops on issues related to the library and information sector in Qatar and the region.
Dr al-Ali said the event underlines QU’s commitment to promote initiatives of best practice and knowledge-sharing to the wider community through various services, which will contribute to advancing the information and library sector, in line with the Human Development pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Dr al-Muftah explained that LIA is designed to provide services to librarians, specialists and researchers and optimise the usage of libraries and their resources in Qatar, which will actively contribute to the country’s stated ambitions towards a knowledge-based economy.