Knowledge Without Borders project participates in Frankfurt Book Fair 2009

The stand witnessed a special visit from His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who admired the stand's professional organization and display and encouraged the participation of the project in such high profile events.

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2009, which will run from October 14 to 18 is considered the most important marketplace for books, media, rights and licenses worldwide.

The organizational committee of the project has met with a variety of educational institutes and book publishers and discussed possible future partnerships which can support the project on high levels.

Visitors to the stand were informed about the details of the project, its launch, its current status and its vision, and expressed their appreciation of the initiative and encouraged the efforts undertaken to spread the knowledge between the people of Sharjah.

The "Knowledge Without Borders" project that is sponsored by the Emirate of Sharjah, the cultural capital, comes as a generous initiative from H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Headed by H.E. Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qassimi, vice chairperson of Sharjah Ladies Club and chairperson of Al Qasba Development Authority, the 'Knowledge Without Borders' organizing committee is committed towards projecting this unique initiative to the world at large through the participation of international exhibitions, said Rashid Al Kous, Manager of Cultural Programs .

"The Frankfurt Book Fair 2009' is one of our most important participations in an international scale to date. An annual meeting place for the industry's experts including publishers, booksellers, agents, film producers and authors, this year's exhibition has attracted more than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, 299,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists. With such participations we hope to extend the rich heritage of Sharjah - the cultural capital of the region, together with our vision of a completely literate and educated society to the world at large.

"Since the inception of this landmark project (last year / in 2007), we have successfully participated and generated great interest from the worldwide community at various venues including London, New York, Tokyo, Blonoia, Egypt,"

said Al Kous.

Knowledge Without Borders, a Sharjah Government initiative hopes to nurture the habit of reading and extend knowledge among UAE national families in the emirate of Sharjah. The organization targets to provide well designed book libraries to 22,000 - 24,000 families within the course of this year. By the end of the project the vision is to create a fully literate community rich in learning.

By establishing a rich home library in every house in the Emirate of Sharjah, comprising of a series of diverse and useful books that meet the interests of all family members, the project concentrates on creating the awareness on the importance of reading.

The mammoth libraries project seeks to further cement Sharjah's position as a cultural capital through intensive educational programs combined with lectures, school workshops and library activities.