SHARJAH - HE Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), welcomed Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, USA, during her visit to the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The SBA Chairman accompanied Dr. Hayden as she toured the pavilions at SIBF and briefed her on the US publishers and entities participating at the fair. Following the tour, Al Ameri held discussions with Dr. Hayden to explore cooperation opportunities between SBA and the Library of Congress to strengthen ties between the two entities.

Al Ameri emphasised that the participation of the US Library of Congress at SBA’s National Libraries Summit, and the three-day Sharjah International Library Conference (SILC), is a key opportunity to empower librarians in the region through knowledge exchange with the Library of Congress, as well as to advance the role of libraries in supporting development projects in their communities.

For her part, Dr. Carla Hayden lauded Sharjah's unwavering commitment to supporting libraries and advancing the book industry globally. She pointed out that the emergence of SIBF as the world's largest book fair this year is an affirmation of the untiring efforts of the emirate and the vision of its leadership in enriching knowledge and forging connections with cultures around the world.