Information Institutions and Human Capital Support for the Development of Creative Industries: A Comparative Analytical Study between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the role of information institutions—particularly public libraries—in supporting human capital and empowering competencies for the development of cultural and creative industries, through a comparative analytical examination of the experiences of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The study is grounded in the growing importance of information institutions in knowledge societies, where their role is no longer limited to providing access to knowledge resources but has expanded to include supporting innovation, developing skills, and stimulating creativity within an economic and cultural context increasingly oriented toward knowledge- and creativity-based industries.   The study seeks to answer key questions concerning the extent to which information institutions contribute to developing human capacities that support cultural and creative industries, the degree of their integration with educational and cultural sectors, the policies supporting this role, and the challenges that limit their effectiveness. It employs both the descriptive-analytical and comparative approaches, drawing on several tools, most notably content analysis of official sources and cultural policies, observation of activities implemented by information institutions, and analysis of applied environments represented by four major institutions: the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Egypt Public Library system, Sharjah Public Library, and Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai.   The findings indicate that information institutions in both countries have begun to assume new roles intersecting with skills development, cultural entrepreneurship, and the promotion of knowledge and creative production, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, where this role has been incorporated into national cultural policies. The study also identifies a gap in the integration between information institutions and the broader ecosystem supporting creativity in the Egyptian context, despite the availability of human and institutional capacities.   The study recommends more explicit integration of information institutions into cultural and educational development strategies, the adoption of performance indicators to measure their contribution to human capital development, the expansion of partnerships with entities involved in cultural industries, and the provision of financial and technological resources that enable these institutions to perform their emerging roles efficiently and sustainably.