Yale Publishing Course participants to be enlightened by eminent professionals

Pakistan News & Features Services

Cynthia Leive, Michael Jacobs, Kim Kelleher, Matt Sanchez and Richard Foster will be among the eminent speakers in the Yale Publishing Course 2013 to be organized at the prestigious Yale University in July.

   

The course of Leadership Strategies in Magazine & Digital Publishing will be held from July 14 to 19 the course of Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing will be taking place from July 21 to 26. The deadline for submitting applications in both the programmes is June 7. 

The 2013 programme sessions will include topics such as ‘How to Edit a Brand: What the Job of a Magazine Editor Means Today’ to be done by Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief, Glamour. 

Michael Jacobs, President and CEO, Abrams Books, will do the session on ‘Disruption: Leading and Learning to Love it’ while ‘Bridging Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley: Building a Modern Global Media Company’ will be taken care of by Kim Kelleher, President, Say Media, and Matt Sanchez, CEO and Co-founder, Say Media, and Richard Foster, Lecturer, Yale School of Management, will speak on the subject of ‘Creative Destruction in Publishing.’

   

Tina Weiner, Director, YPC, and Amy Shah, Communications Officer, International Affairs, Yale University, have remained preoccupied in promoting the upcoming courses in which the enrollment is limited to 70 participants per programme. 

The YPC has largely been attended by CEOs, publishers, managers, editors, designers from around the world as it has offered an innovative and practical curriculum taught by industry leaders and faculty from the Yale School of Management. 

The YPC has lived to the promise of providing an invaluable worldwide network made up of past participants and speakers, having accorded the participants one-on-one access to speakers through office hours.

St Joseph College celebrate World Book and Copyright Day 2013

Pakistan News & Features Services

St Joseph Women College, Karachi, one of the most prestigious educational institutions of the country, celebrated the World Book and Copyright Day 2013 in a befitting manner by holding a programme, with the collaboration of the Pakistan Library Club (PLC), at their campus.

   

Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, Founder President, Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), Karachi, and Founder Chief Editor, Pakistan Library and Information Science Journal (PLISJ), was the chief guest on the occasion. 

Agha Masood Hussain, a former Sindh Minister and a renowned journalist, Mohammad Wasim Zia, Lecturer, University of Karachi and Mumtaz Memon, former Chief Librarian, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET) were the other guests of honour who shared their views with the audience. 

All the learned speakers were unanimous in highlighting the importance of celebrating the World Book and Copyright Day, hoping that such initiatives will be helpful in awakening educationists, administrators, leaders and library authorities. 

Samreen Fatima, Chief Librarian, St. Joseph's Women College, delivered a comprehensive presentation, starting with the theme of the World Book and Copyright Day 2013 ‘Reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright’ and following it up with the aims and objects of the day.

   

“The World Book Day is a celebration. It’s a celebration of authors, translators, books and most importantly it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world,” she emphasized. 

Samreen Fatima described the World Book Day as a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. 

“The success of the World Book and Copyright Day depends primarily on the support received from all parties concerned: authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media,” she noted.

Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari undertakes whirlwind tour of Punjab universities

Pakistan News & Features Services

Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, Founder President, Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), Karachi, and Founder Chief Editor, Pakistan Library and Information Science Journal (PLISJ) recently undertook a whirlwind tour of the Punjab during which he visited the universities in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sagodha, Multan, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.

 

The LPB President, having relocated in North America a few years ago, is in Pakistan these days. He has returned to his hometown Karachi after spending nearly two weeks in the northern areas of the country. 

“The purpose of my visit was to interact with the library scientists who have generally been doing well under the guidance of their teachers,” Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, one of the pioneers of LIS education in Pakistan, remarked in an interview with the PNFS. 

“The LIS profession in Pakistan is coming of age gradually and it’s gladdening to find the universities in different cities setting up LIS department which augurs very well for the future of the country,” he thought. 

“My first destination was Islamabad. From there I traveled to the various cities of Punjab by road. The journey remained as pleasant as the response I got at the LIS department of the universities I visited,” he added. 

“I held discussions with the chairpersons of the LIS departments and all of them recognized the importance of creating greater resources for carrying out research-oriented activities. They shared my vision of engaging the students in literary works to enhance their scholastic skills,” the LPB President revealed. 

“My trip concluded at Bahawalpur where I spent quite a few busy days. It was very heartening indeed to find so much LIS-related activities at the famous Islamia University where Dr Rubina Bhatti, as chairperson of the LIS department, has done a terrific job,” Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari complimented.

Latest issue of PLISJ arrives

Pakistan News & Features Services

The March-June 2013 issue (Volume 44, Number 2) of the Pakistan Library and Information Science Journal (PLISJ), a quarterly publication of the Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), Karachi, has arrived.

 

The LPB President, Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, who is also the Chief Editor of the PLISJ, during his current stay in Karachi, has been personally overseeing the distribution process of the scholarly journal and he has tried to ensure that the concerned institutions as well as the individuals were promptly delivered the latest issue. 

“It’s very heartening to note that some of our professional libraries are active and vigorous in promoting and introducing library activities to our people. The World Books Day was celebrated by the University libraries of Bahawalpur, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. Book Walks were arranged in university campuses in which the students and the faculty members participated in large number. It’s first time when library facilities and services were introduced at campuses. If such celebrations are carried out in public places those will attract common people’s attention and awareness about libraries and their services,” Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari wrote in the editorial. 

The research articles having been published in the latest issue of PLISJ include Reviewing the Gold: Old publications of Pakistan Bibliographical Working Group by Dr Mumtaz Anwar, Approach towards social media of LIS students, Islamia University of Bahawalpur by Dr Rubina Bhatti and Aman Amjad, Skills requirement for library professionals in Pakistan by Ghulam Mustafa and Munira Nasreen Ansari, Myths and imaginaries of information age: A critical view by Asad Khan, and CIIT Islamabad campus library collection: Comprehensive study-present, past and future by Tariq Mahmood and Raja Mohammad Ibrahim.

E L James's Fifty Shades of Grey boosts book trade enormously

Pakistan News & Features Services

E L James’s Fifty Shades of Grey has turned out to be the perfect tonic the book trade needed at a critical time.

 

According to reports, the blend of romance and erotica has helped to drag the book trade out of the doldrums, with new statistics showing that 2011's decline in sales has been reversed and a record amount was spent on books in 2012. 

The rise in the book trade's fortunes was driven by digital developments, with total digital sales up by 66% to £411m in 2012, and total fictionebook sales up by 149% to £172m, according to the figures released by the Publishers Association. 

The trade body has disclosed that the digital book formats, audiobook downloads, online subscriptions and ebooks, accounted for 12% of the total invoiced value of book sales, up from 8% in 2011 and 5% in 2010. In 2011, print sales fell as digital rose leading to an overall decline in the market of 2% to £3.2bn. In 2012, physical book sales were down by 1%, but the digital success meant the book market grew by 4% overall, reaching a record-breaking £3.3bn. 

   

"The fact is that the vast majority of books sold in the UK are print books. These figures are reassuring, reminding us what we know that people are still buying physical books and that, while obviously the take-up in ebooks has been significant, a lot of it is new custom, rather than replacing physical sales,” Jon Howells at Waterstones observed. 

"We said from the beginning that ebooks were giving people another approach to reading, just as they have already got now when they listen to music or watch television," he added. 

The recovery was led by the British public's insatiable appetite for erotica, with James's three Fifty Shades titles taking the top three spots in the print chart in 2012, according to figures from Nielsen BookScan. 

The first novel in the trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey, sold 4.46m copies last year, the second sold 3.16m and the third 2.9m. Although there are, as yet, no official ebook charts, Fifty Shades of Grey also topped the Bookseller magazine's analysis of the bestselling ebooks of 2012, selling 1,609,626 copies, according to the magazine. 

James' unprecedented success meant she became the first author to be named publishing person of the year by US book trade magazine Publishers Weekly.

Mary Kay Andrews to launch new novel Ladies’ Night on June 3

Pakistan News & Features Services

Mary Kay Andrews' new novel ‘Ladies' Night’ will be launched on June 3 with a party planned to be held from 6 to 8 pm at Kudzu Antiques Market, 6450 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.

   

Ladies' Night is her 20th book and she wants to celebrate it with her fans and followers, having extended an open invitation to all of them. The event features a fun swag bag and chances to win prizes including a week's use of an Audi convertible. 

The tickets are priced $35 each and proceeds benefit Bright Pink, a non-profit organization that focuses on breast cancer detection and risk reduction. 

Ladies’ Night concerns lifestyle blogger, Grace Stanton, who discovers her husband keeping time with her hussy of an assistant in the front seat of his swank Audi sports car.

   

Outraged, Grace parks the Audi in the bottom of their pool. As things further unravel Grace is ordered to ‘divorce recovery therapy’ and connects with others going through various drama and trauma. It is within these new friendships that Grace's real therapy and renewal begin. 

"It’s about betrayal and divorce and revenge and redemption. Ultimately redemption. Ultimately, the best revenge is getting on and getting over it," Mary Kay remarked in an interview. 

The book launch party is expected to be as entertaining as the novel itself and since it’s being held for a noble cause the event certainly merits a big gathering.

Islamia University of Bahawalpur hold seminar on use of web technologies in libraries

Pakistan News & Features Services

The department of Library & Information Science at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur organized a one-day seminar on Applications and Usage of Web 2.0 Technologies in University Libraries of Pakistan. The LIS students, professionals and faculty members participated in the seminar in which Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, President, Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), was the chief guest.

 

In her introductory remarks, Dr Rubina Bhatti, Chairperson & Associate Professor, DLIS, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, noted that Web 2.0 was just the beginning of one of many changes occurring in the web world, so librarians and information managers must welcome and adopt this new concept in libraries of Pakistan as in countries with advanced education and librarianship systems. 

She emphasized on the need of organizing workshops/trainings by Library Schools to explore innovative and practicable ideas and practices regarding usage of Web 2.0 technologies in libraries. 

Mohammad Saleem, Lecturer, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, and Librarian, Military Station Library Multan Cantt, discussed the overall situation of the usage and applications of tools Web 2.0 in university libraries of Pakistan. 

He deliberated on Introduction of Web 2.0, Identification of Web 2.0 Tools Applied in Libraries, Purpose of Web 2.0 Tools Applied in Libraries and Usage of web 2.0 tools by library professionals and users of Pakistani university libraries.

He pointed out that Web.2 supports libraries, so libraries should adopt users-anticipated Web 2.0 tools to enhance and promote the quality of library services. He advised the LIS professionals to make use of library website, library blog, RSS feeds and Bulletin Board to assist their users. 

“After the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies, libraries should offer a series of information literacy and digital literacy to improve users’ knowledge about them and skills of using various sources of information in all formats by all possible means,” he suggested. 

Mohammad Saleem said that the Library Schools should include the contents regarding Web 2.0 technologies in their IT related courses in order to prepare future library professionals about the potential usage of Web 2.0 technologies. 

“The library management should develop and continuously improve and update their websites and use Web 2.0 applications on their websites. The LIS Journals/Newsletters and magazines should be available through RSS feeds on their websites,” he stressed. 

“The library professionals should provide alert services to faculty members and research scholars via twitter with the help of cellular companies. The libraries should positively use social media for marketing, publicity and fundraising and donation in the forms of reading material and computers,” he concluded.

Prof Dr Abdul Moid Memorial Library established at Islamia University of Bahawalpur

Pakistan News & Features Services 

Prof. Dr Abdul Moid Memorial Library has been established at the Department of Library & Information Science at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.

 

Mrs Feroza Abdul Moid has donated a set of 81 books alongwith a computer, printer and stabilizer to establish the library in the memory of Prof Dr Abdul Moid, one of the pioneering library scientists of the country. 

Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, himself an icon of Library & Information Science, was also present on the occasion alongwith Dr Liaquat Ali Khan, representing the Library Promotion Bureau (LPB). 

The enthusiastic LIS students and faculty members of Islamia University of Bahawalpur expressed their appreciation for the noble act facilitated by the LPB for spreading the reading culture in the society. 

“On behalf of all the students and faculty members I want to extend my wholehearted gratitude to Mrs Feroza Abdul Moid for her generous donation and Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari and Dr Liaquat Ali Khan for their thoughtfulness for the learners of South Punjab to support in education and research activities,” Dr Rubina Bhatti, Chairperson & Associate Professor, Department of Library & Information Science, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, acknowledged. 

Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, who founded the LPB in 1966, was hopeful about the optimum use of the resources provided to the Prof. Dr Abdul Moid Memorial Library in Bahawalpur.

Capturing the Demographic Dividend in Pakistan launched

Pakistan News & Features Services

A book titled ‘Capturing the Demographic Dividend in Pakistan’ was launched in Islamabad recently. The ceremony was organised by the Population Council Islamabad, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 

   

The speakers emphasized that Pakistan, one of the fastest growing nations in the world, needed to accelerate the pace of change in education since the country was experiencing a demographic dividend, a relative increase in the size of the working age population in comparison to the dependent population, which in principle is highly favourble to socio-economic development and presents an opportunity to significantly increase the quality of human capital by 2050.

It was stressed that the three main policy requirements were to invest in education as early as possible, add secondary education goals to those of universal primary education in setting future development priorities and invest in family planning programmes to lower fertility rates and thereby boost the effect of education on development.

Rabbi Royan, UNFPA Representative in Pakistan and an editor of the book, pointed out that the messages of the book were loud and clear with radical policy changes required in health, education and the economy to move forward.

 

Zeba Sathar, Country Director of the Population Council and editor of the book, noted that it’s very important to raise the challenges Pakistan faced with a growth rate of 2 per cent per annum.

Dr David Bloom, Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard School of Public Health, who joined the discussion via a video-link from the US, urged the need for clear, concise policies in harnessing the potential dividend.

Dr John Bongaarts and Professor Wolfgang Lutz, leading international experts on population issues and authors of chapters also joined the meeting via video link.

In his keynote address on the occasion, Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhary, Adviser on Finance, stated that education was the key as it affected fertility as well as poverty and health levels.

Saad Shafqat’s medical thriller Breath of Death creates waves

Pakistan News & Features Services

Saad Shafqat, a neurologist by profession who is also known in the cricket circles for his brilliant writing, has made a spectacular start into the world of fiction with his book titled ‘Breath of Death’ which was launched recently in Karachi.

   

The medical fiction thriller, set in a private hospital in Karachi, has received wide acclaim from the readers and the first batch of books was reportedly sold out in just 24 hours after their arrival at the Liberty Books. 

The author revealed that the main idea behind the book was to entertain the reader and he chose to keep an ambiguous writing style just to keep the reader engaged. There was ample indication in the book launch that he succeeded in his plans. 

“Being an avid fan of Robin Cook’s thrillers, I aspired to adopt a style similar to Cook which would keep the reader’s attention at every page,” he remarked. 

When inquired about his busy schedule, Saad Shafqat modestly stated that the only reason which kept him from writing before was his shy nature. Initially he had figured that getting his work published would be a daunting task. “But if you feel strongly about something, you automatically find the time to do it,” he stressed.  

Saad Shafqat desired to relate a physician’s life, which according to him, is full of drama through his book. He started writing the book around the year 2004 and he finalised his manuscript in 2009. During that time, he followed his impulse to write whenever he could and often wrote only one page at a time.

   

“I have kept my writing style relatively reader friendly with most medical terms expressed in such a way that the reader would not have difficulty in understanding their context. Writing neurology in an accessible way is a challenge,” he revealed. 

“Finding a credible publisher was a challenge. Being an amateur writer, I depended on the advice of peers and finally managed to find a suitable publisher in India. English fiction by a Pakistani author is a relatively new concept. There have been wonderful thrillers written in Urdu, but this is the first example of a fiction thriller in English by a Pakistani author,” he felt, hoping that the coming years would prove to be better for the genre. 

He has dedicated the book to his wife, who he says, has been a steadfast support through his journey as an author. He hoped the book will be a success and would like to see it adapted into a television series some day. 

Speaking about his future plans, Saad Shafqat expressed his desire to write more fictional pieces in a medical setting. He hinted that his next book might be a dark comedy. He also has an ambition to write a book on cricket, particularly on the relationship of Javed Miandad and Imran Khan in what was known as the golden era of Pakistani cricket.

‘Building Readers, Building Writers’ enthralls audience

Pakistan News & Features Services

The Westport Writers’ Workshop brought together the writing community on May 15 for an inspiring event entitled ‘Building Readers, Building Writers’ which literally enthralled the audience.

   

The evening’s purpose was to serve as a launch party for Books, Ink at HamletHub, a new book review and literary online publication, to gather book donations and honor the work of the children’s charity, First Book, and to celebrate both the writing craft and local authors. 

The Westport Writers’ Workshop Founder and Director, Jessica Bram, was partnered with Books, Ink Editor, Sally Allen, who also spearheads Westport’s HamletHub, for the event. HamletHub, an online publication covering hyper-local news, was launched in 2009 by Ken and Kerry Anne Ducey of Ridgefield and now has editions for 15 towns throughout Fairfield County. 

Allen, a former New York University writing instructor and current journalist, became familiar with the Westport Writers’ Workshop after being impressed by a one-day writing workshop which she took earlier this spring.

   

“In just three hours, we generated ideas, wrote, shared our writing, and learned elements that create compelling writing, whether fiction or memoir, from word choice and sentence structure to narrative cohesion. I’m a tough customer when it comes to writing workshops, but was extremely impressed by the degree to which the writing craft was emphasized,” she observed, adding that collaborating with Bram was the perfect match as the Westport Writers Workshop is home to several local authors and aspiring writers, and the Books, Ink was created in part to honor their work. 

“It’s my hope that Books, Ink becomes a local hub for readers and writers, a place to discover local authors, find out about book-related events in our area, and share reviews and recommendations from friends and neighbors.” Allen remarked. 

As a tie-in to the night’s theme, a door prize filled with books written and signed by local authors was an added feature. Among them were those penned by the Westport Writers’ Workshop instructors, including Jessica Bram’s Happily Ever After Divorce: Notes of a Joyful Journey, the recently released young adult novel Last Ghost at Gettysburg: A T. J. Jackson Mystery by Fairfield resident, Paul Ferrante, and Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Westporter, Nina Sankovitch.

Five Decades of Paintings launched in Lahore

Pakistan News & Features Services

Renowned artist Ijaz-ul-Hassan’s book titled ‘Five Decades of Paintings’ which is based on his collection of paintings by Dr Musarrat Hasan was launched at the famous Al Hamra Hall in Lahore recently.

   

The Punjab Chief Minister, Najam Sethi, graced the occasion as the guest of honour with Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Dr Akmal Hussain, F S Aijazuddin, Marjorie Hussain and Quddus Mirza also attending the graceful ceremony. 

“Because of his painting I was able to understand the relationship between arts and politics,” Najam Sethi conceded. Paying tribute to the author’s wife, the Chief Minister said she was a pillar which had helped him stand among the most well known artists in the history of Pakistan. 

“Ijaz-ul-Hassan will be remembered in the history as a politician and a revolutionary artist. His paintings have a spark which connects everyone with the reality. His paintings do not discriminate among class and religion,” Senator Aitzaz Ahsan observed. 

“The history which is being taught to us is quite different from the original history of Pakistan and Ijaz has done a remarkable job narrating the real history of Pakistan by his paintings,” Aitzaz reckoned

   

The book contains 250 special paintings by Ijaz-ul-Hassan alongwith the history and description of all the paintings. Professor Doctor Musarrat Hassan has been acclaimed as one of the most celebrated art historians of Pakistan having authored six books, five of which are about the history of Pakistani artists. 

Ijaz-ul-Hassan is recognized as one of those outstanding Pakistani artists who have identified themselves with their surroundings. His work of the seventies established a new trend in Pakistan paintings. In the early period, he employed popular images clipped from print media, posters and cinema hoardings.