The new Council 2023/2024 was elected on 10th December 2022 and came into effect on 14 January 2023 after the transition period. MLA Council is elected by members at the general meeting with at least 50% of the current members present. The term of office is 2 years. The next Council election is due in December 2024.

Ajra Rafeeq

President

Ajra Rafeeq has been working in the library field for the past 5 years as an Assistant Librarian at Kalaafaanu School Library. Before that, she also worked in the Maldives National University Library. Currently, she is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Library and Information Management). Her aspirations are to encourage and promote the importance of libraries.

Aminath Shiuna

Advisor / Immediate Past President

Aminath Shiuna (Dip., PGCBA, MBA) is the Advisor of the MLA for the current term and served the MLA as the elected President from 2018 to 2019, Public Relations officer from 2012 to 2014 and also served the MLA as the elected General Secretary for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2012. She started her library career at the then Science Education Centre [now the Centre for Higher Secondary Education – CHSE] in 1995 as a Librarian Trainee. She joined the library team at the Maldives National University (MNU) in 2006. When she resigned from National University Library in 2015 she was holding the post of Deputy Librarian. From 2015 to 2022 worked at the National Library as a Director. Currently she holds the post of Director at the National Archives of Maldives. She is one of the key members in the curriculum development team for Advanced Certificate in Library and Information Services (ACLIS) and Diploma in Library and Information Services (DLIS) course at the University, and she was among the part-time teaching staff team for both programs. She has attended, organized, and participated in different workshops, seminars, and attachment training programs related to library science in the country and abroad. She has completed a Diploma in Library and Information Services course offered at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), Australia, in 2006 also completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Business Administration, in 2017 and holds Master of Business Administration, in 2018

Vice President (2024). VACANT

Salwa Kareem

Vice President [2023] (vacated in December 2023)

Salwa is currently working as Assistant Librarian at Afeefudheen School (Kulhudhuffushi). She has been serving in this post since 2019. Prior to that, she also worked at National Library 2008-2010, Villa College 2010-2012, and Kalaafaanu School 2012-2017. She is also studying for Bachelor of Library & Information Management at MNU.

Aminath Riyaz

Treasure

Aminath Riyaz is assistant professor at the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts at the Maldives National University (MNU) and leads the library & information science (LIS) discipline at MNU. Aminath’s career commenced as a Librarian Trainee at the Health Library in 1992 and progressed through various positions to become the first Chief Librarian of MNU from 2002-2006 and 2009 to 2012.

Aminath completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2017 at Curtin University researching the information seeking behaviour of the academic community with a focus on the googling phenomenon. Her Master of Philosophy (Medica & Information) thesis at Curtin University in 2008, was on the information culture of the Maldives. She completed a Master of Commerce (Library & Information Management) at University of New South Wales in 2000.

During her time studying in Australia, she also worked in the LIS sector in Australian, namely as Library Assistant at Curtin University and Library Technician at Edith Cowan University. Aminath also worked at the Department of Records and Information Management, Curtin University, in several positions, including Records Officer, Education & Training Officer, and lastly as the Information Management Business Analyst.

Aminath has been an active member of MLA from 2004 onwards and have held the position of Vice President (2005/2006), Editor (2010/2011, 2018-2020), President (2012/2013), and Advisor (2014/2015).

Thuzuhath Ahmed

Secretary

Thuzuhath Ahmed is currently working in Hithadhoo School, Addu City as a Librarian and has the library field experience of more than 15 years. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Library and Information Management) in Faculty of Arts, Maldives National University. She is currently serving MLA as the Secretary of MLA. Her vision is to see the Maldivian Librarians joined together and be known and valued.

Aminath Nasiha

Assistant Secretary

Aminath Nasiha is currently working in Lh. Atoll Education Centre in Lhaviyani Hinnavaru as an Assistant Librarian since 2013. She also worked in Arabiyya School library from the year 2000 to 2012. She is currently serving as the Assistant Secretary in MLA. Her visions include to unite the Maldivian Librarians to be recognized and acknowledged as a profession and also connect all the libraries through digitization.

Fathimath Nashfa

Editor

Nashfa has been working in the library field since 2004. She started her career as a Librarian Trainee in the Maldives National University (MNU) (then known as Maldives College of Higher Education) and currently is the Librarian of MNU Library. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved library automation and digitization and has successfully led the creation of the first digital library, Saruna for MNU. She is also a member of the current Advisory Board of Maldives Archives and was the coordinator and publisher of Let’s Read Translation Program. She is currently serving MLA as the Editor and served in the same post during the term 2012-2013. She also has been serving as an Assistant Resource Person and Lead Resource Person for MLA training on GSDL and Koha. Since 2014, she has been actively involved in teaching library science courses in Faculty of Arts, MNU as a part-time lecturer.

Fathimath Nashath

Training Officer

Fathimath Nashath is the current Chief Librarian at the Islamic University of Maldives and a member of the advisory board of the National Archives. She also worked in National Library of Maldives and Villa College Library. Additionally, she has provided consultancy services to Billabong High School library and the Dhivehi Bahuge Academy Library. She served MLA as the President for the term 2016 to 2017 and as the Advisor for the term 2018 to 2019. Currently she holds the post of Training Officer at MLA. Her philosophy is if you have a garden and a library, then you have everything in life.

Athiyya Shakeel

Public Relations Officer

Athiyya Shakeel is currently the Senior Librarian at Villa College. She joined VC in 2020. Prior to this she was Librarian at MNU Library. She started her career as a Librarian Trainee in the Maldives Institute of Technical Education in 1999 and she also served MNU Library at various positions for over 15 years.

She did her Diploma in Library and Information Services in CIT, Australia and has completed her Masters of Education in teaching in Villa College. She has contributed in the LIS curriculum development for Advance Certificate in Library Services course conducted in MNU and also is a on and off part-time lecturer since 2010, in Faculty of Arts.

Majidha Ali

Additional Member

Majidha has been working as the Deputy Librarian at the National Library since 2018. Prior to this, she also served as Assistant Librarian for 13 years. She is also studying for Bachelor of Library & Information Management at MNU

Mariyam Sobeeha

Additional Member [2024]

Sobeeha is Deputy Librarian at the National Library and has completed Bachelor of Arts Library & Information Management course from the Maldives National University, in the cohort of the first batch of the program.

Aminath Shazina

Additional Member [Served 2023 and vacated]

Shazina is currently the Assistant Librarian at the Academy of Dhivehi Language. She has served in this research library for over 20 years. She is also studying for Bachelor of Library & Information Management at MNU.