Professional Pathways: Lessons from PDWL 2025

The Faculty of Arts at Maldives National University (MNU), in collaboration with the Maldives Library Association, hosted “Professional Pathways: Lessons from PDWL 2025”, a hybrid knowledge-sharing session held at the MNU Seminar Room and online via Google Meet.

The session brought together participants of the Professional Development Workshop on Library and Information Services (PDW-L) 2025 to reflect on their learning journey and share first-hand experiences with the wider library and information community in the Maldives. The discussion highlighted the importance of continued professional development and knowledge exchange within the sector.

The PDWL 2025 programme, held from 25 July to 2 August 2025, provided Maldivian information professionals with a unique opportunity to explore and learn from library institutions in Malaysia. Participants gained exposure to diverse library systems, innovations in library management, and valuable opportunities for professional networking across institutions.

Highlights of the knowledge-sharing session, attended by 25 participants, included an engaging overview of PDWL 2025 presented by Fathimath Shahuneez Mansoor and Zidna Mohamed, followed by an inspiring keynote by Dr. Gina de Alwis Jayasuriya, who reflected on future directions for the development of the Maldives library sector.

As part of the event, the winner of the Best Video Presentation Competition, organised to mark Maldives Library Week in conjunction with PDWL 2025, was determined through a live vote among attendees after live viewing of the video clips. The voting process was moderated by Athiyya Shakeel, with participation from both in-person and online audiences.

Congratulations to Fathimath Shahuneez Mansoor, winner of the Best Video Presentation (PDWL 2025) award.

The event concluded with a certificate-awarding ceremony graced by Ms. Fathimath Shiham, Director General of the National Library of Maldives, who presented certificates to the PDWL 2025 participants in attendance.

AR