Saudi library conference launched

Khaled Al-Anqari, minister of Higher Education, launched the seventh Saudi Library and Information Conference at the King Saud University in Riyadh on Saturday. The three-day conference which carries the theme “informatics and knowledge for change and the challenges faced by a knowledge-based society,” is organized by the Saudi Library and Information Society under the aegis of its honorary president, Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman. Al-Anqari also launched the Saudi Reading Club Development project and its Internet portal which will connect readers in the Kingdom with the club. The president of the King Saud University, Badran Al-Umar, was also present at the function. Meanwhile the Saudi Press Agency reported that Al-Anqari will launch a number of academic and community programs on the Abidiya campus of the Umm Al-Qura university in Makkah on Tuesday. The new projects include buildings for the College of Legal Studies and Systems and a teaching hospital for dental medicine, in addition to a community club. “The college of legal studies is a unique center for studies related to law and the judiciary and is the first of its kind in Arab and Islamic universities,” President of Umm Al-Qura University Bakri Assas said in a statement Saturday. He said the college was established on royal orders to organize the legal field in line with modern changes. It also prepares scientifically trained judges and legal professionals to a high standard. The college awards bachelor’s degrees in legal studies and systems and is also planning to issue diplomas in public prosecution and investigation. Its specializations will include training defense lawyers and awarding master's degrees in legal studies and systems. He added that female graduates of the college could be employed at the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Judicial Council upon graduation. He also said the college has set up a mock court for students to learn the actual proceedings in Shariah courts. The University Dental Hospital, which is being constructed on 12,000 square meters of land, has 75 clinics and 10 laboratories, one research laboratory and 12 lecture halls for both men and women students and administrative offices. From : Arabnews