Ms Athraa Al Alawi, Library Director of Arabian Gulf University (AGU), has been elected as a representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Board of Directors of the Gulf Association for Libraries, Information, and Archives (GALIA). This milestone was announced during the 28th Conference of the Special Libraries Association – Arabian Gulf Chapter (SLA-AGC), held in Jeddah in collaboration with the Libraries Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture. The theme of the conference was “Towards the sustainability of knowledge and the preservation of culture and heritage: Managing rare documents, manuscripts and heritage materials in the era of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.”

Al Alawi expressed her dedication to supporting GALIA's initiatives and the advancement of professional practices and academic standards. She affirmed that libraries, information, and archives are vital pillars of the knowledge industry, fostering scientific research and innovation in alignment with the requirements of sustainable development.

GALIA is a specialised professional platform, established following the approval of the General Assembly to dissolve the SLA-AGC with the goal of unifying scientific efforts while strengthening the sector's presence at regional and international levels.

The three-day conference reviewed over 80 scientific and research papers across 19 sessions. The event concluded with key recommendations, including: integrating AI applications in the management of rare documents and analysis of historical texts; encouraging investment in emerging technologies to support libraries and heritage preservation; promoting sustainability initiatives and digital transformation in information institutions; and establishing governance frameworks and policies for the sector.