Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is organising the 2020 Used-Book Fair at Al Mankhool Public Library from 8th to 24th December, in line with the directives of the wise leadership to establish a reading community.

The fair is based on the Authority’s commitment to contributing to achieving the principles of the National Reading Strategy 2016-2026, which aims to establish a sustainable reading habit among Emiratis and residents of all ages.

Organising the fair comes as part of Dubai Public Libraries’ cultural programme that was launched by the Authority in 2017 under the title ‘Dubai Reads’ to contribute to the spread of knowledge, drive interest in books, and breed a passion for reading among the various categories of the UAE society. The used books are being sold at the fair for nominal prices in an effort to make them accessible to everyone.

The 2020 edition of the Used-Book Fair is witnessing a remarkable turnout by the public. A variety of English and Arabic books for adults and children are displayed to meet the needs of the library’s visitors, a large number of whom were non-Arab.

The fair, which is considered one of the most popular activities for the public, given its impact on the development and sustainability of reading culture among people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, keeps pace with the belief at Dubai Culture in the importance of libraries and books for building an educated society armed with knowledge. The fair instils a passion for reading in the hearts of the future generations as well as ensures that reading would become a lifestyle for them that would positively affect their present and future. All proceeds from the fair, which is being organised for the second consecutive year in partnership with Dubai Cares Foundation, will go towards supporting various charitable efforts.

The fair also reflects Dubai Culture’s awareness of the importance of introducing books into the lives of community members, young and old, to link them to reading and facilitate their acquisition of knowledge across different ages, contributing to building their personalities on sound foundations and broadening their perceptions. The fair is in line with Dubai Culture’s mission to spread cultural awareness among members of society so that reading becomes a culture and social behaviour rooted in everyone as well as contributes to nurturing readers capable of innovation and leadership to enhance Dubai’s position as a global centre of culture.

It is noteworthy that the fair is held annually, either in one of the public libraries or in one of the emirate’s main centres. A variety of books to suit all age groups were available in Arabic and English, and the fair was organised in partnership with charitable organisations that benefited from its proceeds.