Dubai, 26th July 2009 The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development organised today a workshop on the International Standard Book Number to update its employees of the Authorships and Publishing Department and those of cultural centres across the country with the latest world techniques in the field.

Basma Yunis, head of the Authorship, publishing and Translation, said the activity is part of the Ministry’s strategy to develop and train national human resources and equip them with skills, expertise and knowledge which enable them deliver high class services to clients.

Towards this end, she added, a team from the Ministry has recently engaged in a similar workshop in Damascus, Syria.

” Lending attention to book numbering code will help us regulate the publishing sector in the country in terms size and nature of products in comparison with other countries of the world,”she indicated.

According to her, all data concerning international book numbering will be posted on the internet to allow readers, publishers and other interesting persons have access to basic information on the product they want.

”The international book numbering system has become like a passport, a document that man can not dispense of. The code features easy access information about the book and its publisher,”she said.

Sheikha Salim, booking numbering officer at the Ministry Premises in Dubai, said the participants got first hand information on definition of the international book numbering code and its functioning systems.

The workshop, it added, had discussed channels of paying fees of the system through money exchange houses.

”The international code will assist in identifying the UAE product and assessing the local publishing industry against other foreign sectors. This will place the local industry in the right orbit which serves culture and knowledge in the country,”she explained.