ADIBF has worked very closely with The Publishers Association in the UK and the British Council and is looking forward to collaborating over the coming five months in putting together the most professional as well as rich cultural programme which will offer forums for debates as well as immense networking and B2B opportunities for the UK publishers as well as to the fair visitors.

H.E. Jumaa Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General in ADACH for the National Library and Director of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair said on this occasion; “We are pleased that UK will be the Country of Focus at the 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and will be showcasing its rich literature and well established expertise in the publishing sector. We are honored to welcome the UK publishers and trade visitors to an environment mutually conducive for networking and sharing of best practices between the Arab and UK book industry. ADACH attaches immense importance to the publishing sector and the role it plays in the enhancement of the quality of literature for both readers and publishers alike. We aim to encourage the publishing industry in a way in which all involved can have an open-minded approach towards advancement in keeping with the latest developments”.

Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association said, “We are delighted that the UK has accepted the invitation to be Guest of Honour at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. We have had a regular presence at the Book Fair in recent years and this is a significant step in cultivating the relationships between the UK and the Arab world. The UAE in particular presents the UK publishing sector with great opportunities and we look forward to forging stronger links with this sector at the book fair and beyond.”

Susie Nicklin, Director of Literature said, “In a year when all eyes have been on the Arab World and there have been fewer literary gatherings there than usual, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair offers British and Arab writers a platform to meet and talk. We will showcase established authors and emerging talent as well as offering skills development workshops for students and practitioners. These activities will forge long lasting cultural links between United Arab Emirates and the UK.”

The ADIBF organisers are looking forward to attracting some of the UK’s leading cultural and literary figures, who through intellectual debate, educational activities and public speaking events will showcase what UK culture represents today across the publishing industry, art and life. This will result in bringing together a splendid 2012 book fair for the local residents and international visitors alike.

Publishing is one of the UK’s largest creative industries and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the UK’s largest export markets.

Notes to Editors:


The 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will run from 28 March – 2 April 2012

About ADACH:

The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is the institution in charge of conserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi. Established in October 2005 as an authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi, it is administered by a board of directors chaired by H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan.

The creation of ADACH was a direct result of the implementation of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Heritage Management Strategy, a 5-year strategy prepared by a UNESCO-led team working closely with local experts. The Strategy identified the principal issues affecting the development of Abu Dhabi’s culture and heritage and laid down goals for its activities.

ADACH is an organisation with far-sighted aspirations – to harness the pride of the people of the UAE through the development of its cultural heritage, and to be the leading cultural development organisation in the region. Internationally it is contributing to the strengthening of intercultural dialogue and the appreciation of different cultures by developing projects that encourage the sharing of cultural traditions and experience.

ADACH has a holistic vision of culture, which embraces both tangible and intangible heritage. It is committing all its resources to the preservation of architectural and archaeological assets as well as to the development of Emirati and international arts, music, literature and cinema. This vision is open to everyone – in the Arab world and beyond.

The initiatives outlined on this website reflect ADACH’s vision for the cultural development of Abu Dhabi. Together they constitute a programme rich in symbolism and importance to the people of the UAE, and provide a unique representation of what Abu Dhabi has to offer the rest of the world.

About KITAB

KITAB was established in 2007 as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the most successful publishing industry fairs worldwide. KITAB was established in order to raise the bar in the publishing industry in the MENA region and ensure improved professional standards while working towards establishing Abu Dhabi as the publishing hub of the region, through initiatives such as promotional reading campaigns, improving distribution and tackling issues such as piracy and copyrighting.

About Publishers Association, UK

The Publishers Association is the leading trade organisation serving book, journal, audio and electronic publishers in the UK. Membership is comprised of 117 companies from across the trade, academic and education sectors. Its core service is representation and lobbying, around copyright, rights and other matters relevant to members, who represent roughly 80% of the industry by turnover. www.publishers.org.uk

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. For more information please visit: www.britishcouncil.org

For more information please contact

Irum Fawad | Marketing and PR Manager

KITAB | Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

ifawad@kitab.ae

Tel: 02 65 76 180 | Mobile: +971 50 446 43 61

Arab exhibitors and publishers continue to be passionate and committed to the publishing industry and have an increasing aspiration to be present at literary events and interact with publishing sector professionals. Also in 2012, ADIBF will continue to boost rights deals with the “Spotlight on Rights” initiative, offering funding for rights deals with Arab publishers at ADIBF. International as well as Arab publishers will benefit from KALIMA‘s activities, the project funding translations into the Arab language. One such project is the initiative called “Jusoor” (Bridges) an initiative which is spearheaded by ADACH and aims to ensure that all beliefs and ideas that ADACH has are implemented. Kalima recently translated 150 Korean titles under the same project umbrella.

After only two decades the ADIBF is now the most professional book fair in the region and one of the world’s fastest-growing publishing events. 875 exhibitors from 58 countries exhibited at the 2011 book fair of which 527 were Arab exhibitors, making the book fair a preferred event to attend for business to business opportunities as well a platform to network with international and Arab publishing professionals.

H.E. Mr Jumaa Al Qubaisi, Director of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair says,

‘The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has proven to be one of the world’s most groundbreaking modern cities with a unique amalgamation encompassing the passion for culture, heritage and cutting edge development in education and industry. We are delighted to be supporting the growth in professionalisation of the ADIBF and the Arab book trade as a whole by encouraging the participation of Arab exhibitors and publishers at the next year’s book fair. Our share of this responsibility is to enable and offer enhance opportunities for Arab exhibitors to participate at the ADIBF in 2012’

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has grown leaps and bounds reiterating its role as the hub and meeting place for the Arab and International publishing communities, offering a platform for e-content and applications and steadfastly upholding its commitment to intellectual property rights and copyright violations.

ADIBF is committed to offering the exhibitors with market overviews, guided tours, seminars, matchmakings as well as a professional business environment to meet the right people and gain inspiration and information for the publishing sector – a dedicated exhibition venue linking publishing and technology seamlessly.

ADIBF is the culmination of six days showcasing a diverse range of cultural and dynamic professional programmes. The networking sessions for the publishing industry as well as rich cultural debates offered the unique opportunity to transform the book fair into an ideal meeting place for publishing professionals and book-lovers to come together! With over 150 events, authors, poets, illustrators and half a million titles on display –

Notes to Editor:

About Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage

The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is the institution in charge of conserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi. Established in October 2005 as an authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi, it is administered by a board of directors chaired by H. E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan.

ADACH has a holistic vision of culture, which embraces both tangible and intangible heritage. It is committing all its resources to the preservation of architectural and archaeological assets as well as to the development of Emirati and international arts, music, literature and cinema. This vision is open to everyone – in the Arab world and beyond.
About ADACH projects:

- National Library – Al Nahyah Campus

The National Library moved to its new location Al Nahyan Campus a month back and is now fully functional and open for lending and access to the members. The library timings are: Sun – Thurs: 8am – 10pm, Fri: 5pm – 8pm and Sat: 9am – 1pm and 5pm – 8pm. The lending officer can be contacted at 02 657 6034

- The Sheikh Zayed International Book Award

The Sheikh Zayed International Book Award, one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes, has announced the opening of nominations for its sixth session of 2011/2012. The deadline for nominations is September 1st, 2011.

- Kalima

Kalima, is the translation initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and has achieved a milestone. The project is the first of its kind in the Arab world and has been a successful in its mission since the end of 2008 until early 2011. In collaboration with more than 200 international publishing houses KALIMA has successfully translated about 500 books on various languages of the world, human knowledge. Kalima has achieved its main goal by offering the finest and most important books in the Arab world and put it in the hands of Arab readers.

- KITAB

KITAB was established in 2007 as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest and most successful publishing industry fair worldwide. The company was established in order to raise the bar in the publishing industry in the Arab World. This was aimed at ensuring improved professional standards while working towards establishing Abu Dhabi as the publishing hub of the region. KITAB intends to achieve these aims through initiatives such as promotional reading campaigns, improving distribution and tackling piracy and copyright violations which still exist extensively throughout the region.

For further information please contact:

Irum Fawad | Marketing and PR Manager | ifawad@kitab.ae | +971 446 4361 | +971 2 657 6180 | www.adbookfair.com

Stephen commented that one of the publishers’ problems in the US have is that they don’t have strong brands. This, as it turns out, is one problem we don’t have in our part of the world.


Amira Aboulmagd (Shurouq, Egypt) said that they debated long and hard before naming their retail outlets Shurouq as well, but were grateful they did as they capitalized on their well-established name in the market.

Then Omar Chebaro (ASP, Lebanon) interrupted and took hold of the conversation by swinging it in a whole other direction, when he said quite passionately…“but nobody reads!”


Rehab Bassam (Shurouq – Egypt) stated that they felt a surge of interest grow in non-fiction books right after the revolution. Amira underscored this point when he pointed out that part of taking your fate in your own hands means being interested in your own education, and reading is an important and empowering tool in educating yourself.


Mohammad Saleh (Al Maalej,Tunis) said that to help solve the problem in Tunis, elementary schools started introducing reading classes, while Amina Alaoui (Yanbow Al Kitab, Morocco) talked about how she has come up with initiatives like “a book for each child” and got private corporations to fund such initiatives, to the point where she even secured pre-orders of several books before printing them.

Although the scale is different but in the US, and even though literacy is high, Stephen said that reading is in decline and publishers are doing what they can to create new customers.


To put a positive spin on all of this we have to think that, hopefully, this all means that the number of readers in our part of the world will only be increasing in the future; our role is to be prepared to give the customers what they want, when they want it and in whichever format they choose.

Management Games

The best part of the day was by far the management game that we played. We were asked to split into four groups, two of which were dubbed “management teams,” while the other two were identified as the “production teams.” The production teams were then lead into a completely separate room, where they received certain instructions. Management stayed put and received another set of instructions. Now, the idea was to form two opposing teams each made up of a management and production team, and the goal was to complete a “tanagram,” or puzzle made up of 16 pieces. After being given time for management to focus on the task, the production team comes in and receives verbal instruction from management on how to assemble the 16 pieces of the puzzle into the desired shape. Needless to say, it was hilarious to see the production team fumble with very minute detailed instructions given from management and, managements’ consequent dismay at watching the production team come with peculiar shapes that don’t resemble in the least bit what the puzzle ought to look like!

What we learned, though, was really eye-opening. First of all, management tended to treat the production teams like they an IQ of less than zero! The amount of detailed instruction they offered led not to empowerment, but frustration. Communication was non-existent.

It was just amazing to see first-hand how much collaboration is necessary for teams to be able to maintain the same vision of the project or direction.


Neelwafurat.com

After lunch, Salah Chebaro (CEO, NeelWaFurat) spoke to us about the Web site neelwafurat.com which is the largest website selling Arabic books in the Arab world and one now looking to establish the biggest Arabic e-book portal, as well.


I liked this part of the day as it gave us a local application of all the management advice we’ve been hearing. Salah’s technical talk about the actual production of an e-book was useful information for all of us to hear. Their initiative to digitize books on behalf of a publisher into E-books is a good one (I think), although we did quiz Salah about his pricing model and marketing strategy.

Stephen concluded the session by urging us to think through and experiment with different business models for our publishing houses.


He showed us what the traditional value chain in publishing looks like, and how — as in the example of Stephen King’s Riding the Bullet, the author only produced his content digitally and went directly to the reader himself, without the need of a publisher and the book was a success.


What we’ve learned over these last two days with Stephen is that the new publishing models shouldn’t leave us feeling scared, but, instead, should excite us: we should be excited to embrace this new era of publishing, understand what it is that it’s changing into, and make sure we’re acquiring the new set of skills needed to be on top of our game.

I felt good at the end of the session; I think we truly are in a lucky position to learn from mature markets out there, to foresee problems that might occur, and to create better and stronger strategies for overcoming them. I think I will take a lot of the concepts and ideas that I’ve heard back home with me, and I have a feeling the rest of the publishers in attendance will do the same.

Stephan also pointed out that the publishing industry that has managed to operate unchanged for a lot of years no. He added that the predominant culture of publishing is working against itself by thinking of itself as disseminating, rather than licensing information.


But what really got me thinking was when Stephen said that the publishing industry is being driven like a non-profit organization, and less like a business: that book publishing is like a blockbuster business that relies on that one big hit that will end up financing and paying for the rest of the investments and costs- a highly inefficient model.

The publishing house should move from a gut- driven industry to a data driven industry, but this shift not only needs a change of culture within the publishing house, but requires organizational restructuring as well. Publishing houses that are used to a hierarchal organization structure are not going to survive in the age of digital.


One of the main reasons for this is bureaucracy: it simply takes too long to make decisions. Publishing houses need to push authority down and have more of a cross-management structure.


Stephen showed us a slide that looked like a cloud structure, which was taken from Hachette; it was centered on the content management system and had the whole organization forming a cloud around it. The idea behind this is that because technology moves so fast, and as we established technology as now the publishing industry, the idea is to have CMS centered and develop it to cater to all formats and technologies needed. Companies that create a culture where employees are close to its’ strategy and vision will be successful everyday of the week.

Moving towards a more data-driven industry came a new term which was the “Learning organization.” I really like the concept of this new age organization, which translated into leveraging data to come back into the organization and analyzing it, learning from it, experimenting with it, transferring it…etc. such that the organization starts to make decisions that rely on facts as opposed to feelings. And this “learning organization” also suits the faster pace at which a publishing house should operate from in order to stay on top of its game.


Another thing we learned was that the right marketing tools for promoting e-books aren’t there yet, and that what is happening now is that if the physical book is marketed well, then the e-book sales will surely follow. We’re just not good at marketing e-books and enhanced e-books at the moment, said John, and I actually heard myself give a sigh of relief! We’ve recently published an Arabic children’s book App and were quite honestly struggling with how to market it, so to hear that giant publishers in the States haven’t yet figured it out kind of made me feel good!


The growth of e-books, however, is really something to consider as growth is estimated at 10% per month, John told us. E-book retailers are really growing fast, and we were all cautioned to learn from the US experience with Amazon and make sure that we as publishers get to control the price of our e-books, not only to safeguard the rights for our authors but also to control the message that is sent out to the consumer on the value of our content.


Stephen noted that the life cycles in tech are far shorter than in publishing, which tends to work on content for a long time, perfect it, then release it to the world. I recalled our own experience at Al Salwa Publishing when we were producing our first iPhone Application and the company we were working with, MediaPlus Jordan, kept pushing us to release it. Their line of thinking was “let’s put it out there, test the market, get their feedback while continuing to work on it.” Our line of thinking as publishers was “let’s perfect the content before we release it to the world,” which would have taken us another couple of months…


If Arab Politics Can Change, So Can Publishers

When asked if we thought whether or not our jobs as publishers would still exist in 10 years, Stephen shocked me when he said “you should hope it doesn’t!” But when he explained that 10 years down the line we should have acquired a whole new skill set that will allow you to evolve in order to take on new opportunities in the next 10 years, that made sense. I liked the positive spin that Stephen put on this question, as opposed to the end of the publishing industry as we know it, It’s more like a change of the publishing industry as we know it. Where to? None of us know I think, but it’s exciting… change is good.

Does the Arab World Need a Universal Bestseller List?

Matthew Baldacci, Associate Publisher of St. Martin’s Press, had just started addressing the importance of “positioning and identifying your competition” when creating a marketing plan for your book, when the conversation diverged into bestseller book lists. Who creates them? What’s the main goal behind them? Are they considered important for publishers and consumers nowadays? This sparked a serious discussion among the publishers. Some, like Omar Chebaro (Nilofurat) and Azza Tawil (All Prints) from Lebanon, noted the urgent need for such a list in the Arab world. Amira Aboulmagd (From Shurouq in Egypt), on the other hand, said that an official “best-seller list” does exist in Egypt. Instead, it is created by book sellers who basically report cash register sale numbers and translate them into best-seller lists. Ahmad Al Haidari (from a publishing house in Kuwait ) cast doubt on credibility of these lists, saying that they can be easily manipulated. Matthew explained that The New York Times collects their own data to generate the “Bestseller list,” and as a publisher you want your book to be on this list because it’ll generate more sales

This made sense to me, but then the conversation moved to how The New York Times the list has evolved into a much more complex list, one that includes segmented topics like fiction, non-fiction, e-books, etc. Now the list no longer represents just the top 10 books, but more like the top 200 or so books! And I wondered about the effectiveness of such a list in that case. But going back to the idea of the purpose of a book list, the answer is that it not only helps generate more sales, but also promotes books and encourages reading, which is something we sure need a lot of.

In the Arab world, while there is a lack of a universal “list” to look up to, perhaps what might fill the need are the prizes and programs meant to highlight good literary works and encourage the production of high quality books in the region. For example, we have the Anna Lindh Foundation which has established a list of the best 101 children books in the region, and the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Childrens Literature, the Arabic Booker Prize for adult books, and so on. But as important as these programs and prizes are, they are not enough, they don’t translate into major sales for these books


Ghayath Maktabi (Syria) passionately pointed out that since we keep on complaining about the situation, maybe it’s time to do something about it. We as publishers should unite and celebrate each others’ achievements because a successful book in Syria, for example, will promote the whole book industry, and we should all be grateful for that. I think this rang true to a lot of the publishers in the room. I hope the ripple effects of this conversation will actually result in seeing more collaboration among us publishers in the near future.


Stepping outside of creating a marketing plan for our books, it is also important for us as publishers to create marketing tactics that promote reading in general. As John mentioned, engaging the media could be one of the ways. An insightful comment, because media customers are mostly readers as well, so tying books and media together can be of mutual benefit to all and should be explored further


E-books: The Phenomenon

The conversation got really interesting when talking about e-books, which Matthew explained can either be verbatim (meaning a digital format of the physical book) or enhanced (links, videos, sound etc. embedded in the book). Apparently 99% of the market still consists of non-enhanced e-books, something of which I was not aware; from reading articles, it sounds as if enhanced e-books and apps were being produced by the dozens each day. But upon hearing Matthew and John, there has been a lot of talk of what an enhanced e-book is but very little action. Some publishers think that people are looking to mimic the physical reading experience in digital format, so by adding videos and links you’re taking away from that experience and it may no longer be considered a book. But on the other hand, many writers are now writing books with enhanced e-books in mind: they keep video logs, photos and whatever it is that they think will “enhance” their work. This seems to be the right way to go. So, in essence the author will be participating a lot more in the editorial production of the book. Not not only that, but also the role of marketing might also change and come into play even earlier than with physical books. Marketers will get involved in in the actual production of the book and in a discussion of possible enhancements.


Another thing we learned was that the right marketing tools for promoting e-books aren’t there yet, and that what is happening now is that if the physical book is marketed well, then the e-book sales will surely follow. We’re just not good at marketing e-books and enhanced e-books at the moment, said John, and I actually heard myself give a sigh of relief! We’ve recently published an Arabic children’s book App and were quite honestly struggling with how to market it, so to hear that giant publishers in the States haven’t yet figured it out kind of made me feel good!


The growth of e-books, however, is really something to consider as growth is estimated at 10% per month, John told us. E-book retailers are really growing fast, and we were all cautioned to learn from the US experience with Amazon and make sure that we as publishers get to control the price of our e-books, not only to safeguard the rights for our authors but also to control the message that is sent out to the consumer on the value of our content.


We touched upon the emergence of Google Editions and how that is going to change everything, because we’re going to move from tens of e-book retailers to hundreds and thousands of e-book sellers; the main idea behind Google Editions is that anybody can be an e-book seller. It is going to become so easy to discover and download your book. This is such an incredible concept that I can only imagine how much it will affect the industry!


If Arab Politics Can Change, So Can Publishers

We were left with some key takeaways from the two days. The first and most important one for me was that there is a huge opportunity for collaboration among the publishers. What Ghayath said really struck a nerve, and if we as Arab countries are just awakening politically and calling for change, then I feel the same should happen in the publishing industry. So many different discussions ensued at lunch; about shipping costs and the difficulties of shipping books borders; about piracy and the lack of proper law or government enforcement; about promoting a reading culture when there isn’t much commitment to reading. I really feel that if we join our efforts and energy and make our voice heard, then we can eventually change the status quo and control our situation instead of just complain about it.


It really was a great pleasure listening to both Matthew and John share their wealth of experience with us so generously. They took their time explaining some of the alien concepts to us, and also tried to understand where we were coming from and offered us pathways to explore, or examples from their own experience to compare with. They gave us heartfelt advice on where to be cautious and how to learn from mistakes of others. I think we all felt lucky to be there and to have a chance to interact with both John and Matthew. So really, I send them a big thank you!

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

The Center for Publishing at the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies and KITAB—a joint venture company between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the Frankfurt Book Fair had announced their intention to collaborate on a new executive training programme, to be hosted at the newly opened temporary NYU Abu Dhabi campus, beginning in fall 2010. The next training session will take place from 5 – 9 June 2011.

On 5 and 6 June 2011 two of America’s leading marketing executives will assist the delegates to create a plan that works. On 8 and 9 June delegates will be introduced to the organizational structure of successful companies and about strategies that maximize profits.

Over 30 delegates will be joining this interactive and highly intense training session from
5 and 6 June: The Magic of Marketing – How to Create a Plan that Works
In this competitive and digitally influenced publishing industry publishers have to determine their audience and how to reach it through an imaginative and successful marketing plan for both print and online. E-books and digital marketing have changed the publishing landscape, offering many exciting new ways to give a book wide exposure and increase profits. In this seminar, participants will learn the best ways to promote and distribute books through different channels, including retail, library, education, consumer direct, special sales and international markets as well as in digital editions. They will also gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between marketing and all key departments (editorial, production, sales, and publicity) as well as how to best work with the author to promote and sell his work.

Through the creation of an actual marketing plan, participants will explore the importance of setting optimal publication dates, the role of tip sheets, bound galleys, author tours, viral marketing and video trailers, print campaigns, and alternative marketing outlets such as product placement and event marketing. Managing marketing budgets for companies large and small and working with a creative team or outside advertising agency will also be discussed.

The seminar will be team-taught by two of America’s leading marketing executives: Matthew Baldacci, Associate Publisher of St. Martin’s Press, a Division of Macmillan Publishing, renowned for its wide range of fiction and non-fiction bestsellers; and John Sherer, Publisher of Basic Books, a division of The Perseus Book Group, which publishes serious non-fiction across a variety of acclaimed imprints.

8 and 9 June: The Publisher as Manager – Business Strategies for Maximum Profit
Will focus on understanding how organizations optimally function is essential for any publishing manager. In this seminar, participants explore the organizational structure of successful companies, big and small, effective managerial styles, and how to best supervise and nurture employees to help the company grow and prosper. Participants will look at best practices for effective decision-making, directing staff, communicating goals and managing conflict. The professor, Stephen Lathroum, Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Development, Scholastic Inc., a global children’s publishing and media company, is an expert in management theory and practice.

Specific discussion and case studies will be devoted to effective decision making and hiring practices; using plans, goals and budgets as management tools; supervising groups and teams; and the challenges of integrating new and acquired businesses into ongoing operations. As the assimilation of print and digital becomes an increasingly important part of many publishing companies, the delegates will also look at how to best delegate resources to each platform and also how to expand and grow domestically and internationally— from a management and organizational viewpoint.

Notes to Editor:
About Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is the institution in charge of conserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi. Established in October 2005 as an authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi, it is administered by a board of directors chaired by H. E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan.

ADACH has a holistic vision of culture, which embraces both tangible and intangible heritage. It is committing all its resources to the preservation of architectural and archaeological assets as well as to the development of Emirati and international arts, music, literature and cinema. This vision is open to everyone – in the Arab world and beyond.

About ADACH projects
National Library – Al Nahyah Campus
The National Library moved to its new location Al Nahyan Campus a month back and is now fully functional and open for lending and access to the members. The library timings are: Sun – Thurs: 8am – 10pm, Fri: 5pm – 8pm and Sat: 9am – 1pm and 5pm – 8pm. The lending officer can be contacted at 02 657 6034

The Sheikh Zayed International Book Award
The Sheikh Zayed International Book Award, one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes, has announced the opening of nominations for its sixth session of 2011/2012. The deadline for nominations is September 1st, 2011.

About KITAB
KITAB was established in 2007 as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest and most successful publishing industry fair worldwide. The company was established in order to raise the bar in the publishing industry in the Arab World. This was aimed at ensuring improved professional standards while working towards establishing Abu Dhabi as the publishing hub of the region. KITAB intends to achieve these aims through initiatives such as promotional reading campaigns, improving distribution and tackling piracy and copyright violations which still exist extensively throughout the region.

About the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Established in 1934, NYU-SCPS (www.scps.nyu.edu) is one of NYU’s several degree-granting schools and colleges, each with a unique academic profile. The reputation of NYU-SCPS arises from its place as the NYU home for study and applied research related to key knowledge-based industries where the New York region leads globally. This is manifest in the School’s diverse graduate, undergraduate and continuing education programs in fields such as Real Estate; Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management; Global Affairs; Philanthropy and Fundraising; Graphic Communications Media, Publishing, and Digital Arts; Human Capital Management, Marketing, and Public Relations; with complementary strengths in the Liberal and Allied Arts, Translation and Interpreting, Information Technologies, Finance and Taxation, etc. More than 100 distinguished full-time faculty collaborate with an exceptional cadre of practitioner/adjunct faculty and lecturers to create vibrant professional and academic networks that attract some 4,200 degree-seeking students from across the globe. In addition, the School serves the recurrent continuing higher education needs of our community, as evidenced by 55,000 annual enrollments in individual courses, professional certificate programs, conferences, workshops, seminars, and public events.