MUSCAT, OCT 8
The Shaikh Muhsin bin Zahran al Abri Private Library won first place in the fifth Excellence Competition for Private Libraries and Cultural Centres, titled this year the 'Digital Innovation Award', as the 2026 Private Libraries and Cultural Centres Forum concluded on Thursday.
The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of Shaikh Rashid bin Ahmed al Shamsi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development for Family Affairs and Community Development.
Al Ibdaa Centre for Culture and Innovation came second and Al Nadwa Cultural Centre third, while encouragement awards went to Imam Al Rabi' bin Habib Public Library, Hay Al Maarifa Public Library and Taimsa Public Library.
Dr Hamad al Azri, a member of the judging panel and President of the Omani Association for Libraries and Information, said the competition received 15 projects, following a training workshop that introduced its concept and criteria. Innovation, he said, "is no longer an optional extra, but an essential element in developing services". Today's library "is no longer just a place to store and lend books", but one able to use modern technologies, artificial intelligence and digital tools to reach users.
The aim goes beyond selecting winners to building an environment that encourages innovation, he added, as "a successful idea in one institution can become an inspiring experience" for others. He urged libraries to see technology "as a means of strengthening their mission, not an end in itself".
Muna al Siyabi, Director of the Department of Private Libraries and Cultural Centres, said that when knowledge and culture come together, these libraries and centres "become more than places for reading and events, turning into spaces for building awareness, strengthening belonging and developing people". The ambition, she said, "goes beyond meeting and exchanging ideas, to building more effective partnerships and creating more impactful initiatives".
Speaking on behalf of private libraries and cultural centres, Dr Hafidh Ambusaidi, representative of Nizwa Public Library, highlighted the sector's role in spreading awareness and knowledge, noting that the forum's workshops had shed light on cultural and knowledge partnerships and identified needs and challenges to be turned into initiatives and innovations.
More than 50 participants from private libraries and cultural centres and their supervisors in the governorates took part in the four-day forum, which featured workshops on integrity in resource management and on building knowledge partnerships and preparing initiatives, with teams from the governorates presenting their outcomes.
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