The Writing and Communication Station at the Qatar National Library - one of the first community writing centres in the MENA region has benefited a large number of individuals from different countries.
Launched in February 2020, the station offers both online and face-to-face support year-round. In 2022 the station offered over 400 one-to-one writing consultations to 40 nationalities and offered 50 programmes on writing topics, said Senior Writing Specialist at Qatar National Library, Lynne Fraser.
The station offers one-to-one writing consultations, group workshops and helps writers learn about resources to better equip them to tackle their projects.
“The most requested topics that the service receives are for support on academic writing for postgraduate students, both local and international,” Fraser said in a statement to The Peninsula.
The station also serves undergraduate students and supports people in non-academic areas such as English exams like IELTS and EOT, or technical writing like CVs, cover letters and emails.
Students over the age of 18 or working professionals can request a one-to-one writing consultation at the Library. Despite the stage of the writing process, an individual is at or level of proficiency, the Writing and Communication Station is a place to find support and learn about resources to better equip themselves to tackle the project.
Apart from helping participants tackling their projects Writing and Communication Station also provides a platform to guide them to the right resource’s within the library’ collection.
To make a request for a consultation, individuals can complete a booking form available on the Library website for the Writing and Communication Station instructors to know about the project and the specific area with which the applicant need assistance.
To mention, the Library also serves as a place where people can come together to share their passion for writing and learn from each other. In line with its commitment to empower the community with a range of lifelong learning opportunities, the Library is a hub for creativity. As part of it members of the Library’s creative write group - a group of individuals who have taken on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the fourth year running.
