Lights, cameras, action! His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb interviews Senate House Library staff

Senate House Library was transformed into a TV studio this week for a visit by His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb.

His Excellency, CEO of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, interviewed library staff and was filmed in front of Senate House for his popular TV show the Al Rawi programme, which is broadcast across the Middle East.

Catriona Cannon, Librarian and Programme Director, Library Transformation Programme, was interviewed in her office about the incredible history of the University, the Library and its ongoing transformation project. 

Curator of Rare Books and University Art, Dr Karen Attar, and Senior Archivist, Dr Clare George, were also filmed discussing some of the library’s valuable collections and artefacts. These included a Dutch edition of Bernard von Breydenbach’s Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam (1488), recounting a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the first illustrated travel book; and a beautiful hand-coloured atlas owned by James I or Charles I, Theatrum geographiae veteris, edited by Petrus Bertius (1618-1619). 

His Excellency was greeted to Senate House by Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Thomson CBE and given a guided tour, including a visit to the Senate House rooftop.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation is a major government backed foundation that has been established to further knowledge, research and education in UAE and the wider region. Keep an eye on social media to catch Catriona and the team on TV! 

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