Sharjah24: The iconic House of Wisdom, a futuristic social and cultural hub in Sharjah, has been shortlisted as ‘The Library of the Year’ in the ninth edition of the International Excellence Awards organised by the London Book Fair (LBF).

Celebrating publishing achievement across 11 categories, the International Excellence Awards recognise the hard work of organisations and individuals demonstrating passion, creativity, and innovation within the industry.  

Developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in celebration of the emirate’s year-long tenure as UNESCO World Book Capital 2019, the House of Wisdom powers the cultural movement in the emirate and the region with a total of 407,500 books, of which 322,000 are in the digital format and 85,500 comprise of books in more than 12 languages.

Students, researchers, and individuals from across the world can also access an additional 52,000 videos and 26,000 online journals at Sharjah’s new cultural hub which blends traditional and digital sources of knowledge and supports interactive learning.

Providing an immersive space for learning, sharing, creating, and accessing knowledge, the House of Wisdom aligns with Sharjah’s quest to develop a knowledge-based society and aims to revolutionise the way people gain knowledge.

Designed by international architecture firm Foster + Partners, the futuristic hub also provides a nurturing space for creative makers and passionate innovators to work on their next-generation ideas. 

Other shortlisted nominees in LBF’s ‘Library of the Year’ Award includes City of Johannesburg (South Africa) and “Fran Galovic” Koprivnica Public Library (Croatia).

The LBF International Excellence Award winners will be announced during The London Book Fair 2022, set to take place from April 5 – 7.