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Sharjah: Adding to its list of achievements, the Sharjah Public Library (SPL), a subsidiary of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), has launched the ‘Pop-Up Library’ initiative. The aim of this initiative is to make books available to readers whenever and wherever they require by converting their device into an e-reader. The move aligns with the Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 objectives to promote the UAE community’s reading habit and love for books and culture.
SPL’s Pop-Up Library initiative will utilise a programme specially developed by Baker and Taylor, a Follett company, to ensure fast and easy access to e-books. Pop-Up libraries are essentially mobile hotspots that allow users to access only one website: the associated library’s e-book collection. Once users have connected to the hotspot and accessed the website through a URL indicated on a poster, they can download an e-book directly from their browser.
SPL is sponsoring this initiative and it will be available to the public free of cost.
Posters and ‘how-to’ instructions will be provided to guide users to help browse e-books available to borrow and read immediately. Books will open instantly in the device’s browser, without downloading an app or a library card, and can be saved to read offline for the duration of the loan, which is 15 – 21 days. Initially, 624 titles will be available under the following categories: Adult Nonfiction; Adult Fiction; Children; and Teens.
SPL will collaborate with community partners, businesses, government offices and other entities to make this initiative available across their locations to get the community reading.
Eman Bushulaibi, Director of SPL, underscored that the launching of the Pop-Up Library initiative aims to harness technologies to further the thriving cultural environment in Sharjah and the UAE by providing reading material to community members round the clock, and accessible from any location.
She added: “Launching the Pop-Up Library is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to promote culture and knowledge at every level. It also forms part of SPL’s overall strategy to provide an interactive environment that meets the needs of and enriches the lives of all community members. We hope readers across age groups will make the most of this new initiative and strengthen their passion for reading.”
The Sharjah Public Library was founded by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, in 1925 under the name ‘Al Qasimiyah Library,’ with the facility initially serving as his private archive. Its location has changed several times over the years, moving from Al Hisn (Sharjah Fort) in Bait Al Gharbi under the Mudeef Building to Sharjah City Municipality, then to Africa Hall and then to Sharjah Cultural Centre and Sharjah University City. In May 2011, the Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the new building of the library at the Cultural Palace Square, its current location under the title Sharjah Public Library. The new facility contains approximately half a million books in multiple languages across numerous fields, including science, humanities, art and literature.
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