Doha: The Qatar National Library (QNL) app, launched in 2023, has dramatically enhanced library services by offering effortless access to a vast range of ebooks and audiobooks as part of the library’s digital offerings.
With 56,000 downloads in less than one and a half years, the app underscores QNL’s commitment to innovation and user-centricity to meet the evolving needs of its members, said QNL Executive Director Tan Huism.
Tan emphasised that the QNL app was designed to provide an alternative method for accessing the library’s online services. “Hence its release had no impact on the number of visitors to the library,” she added.
She also explained that the application enables users to borrow any printed book in the library using their smart devices, without needing to visit the User Services Desk or self-borrowing stations located throughout the building. Additionally, users can access their account information, view borrowed books and their return dates, and renew their loans through the app.
Regarding the decision to design a mobile application for the library, Tan said: “The idea of launching the library app came after an extensive study of our users’ needs. The app perfectly reflects the library’s commitment to adopting the latest technology. It has also proven its value to users, with the average time spent using it being 1 hour and 12 minutes.”
Over the years, QNL’s offline and online resources and services have seen substantial engagement, with over 3.1 million physical books borrowed and more than 29 million digital items downloaded since November 2017.
The Library has also received over 4.3 million physical visits, with a record annual visitorship of more than one million in 2023. The library’s other digital platforms have been visited by more than 1.3 million unique users, while the number of visitors to Qatar Digital Library has reached about 215,000.
The shift to digital platforms gained further momentum after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Library hosting 655 events in 2021 alone, including 614 online events, which were attended by more than 28,000 participants.
The COVID-19 period also saw a boom in the use of Qatar Digital Library (QDL), the world’s largest collection of historical reports, letters, manuscripts, maps, photographs and sound recordings about the Gulf, Arabian Peninsula, and neighbouring regions, with access free to users worldwide. Separately, QNL’s Digital Repository, which features the library’s digitised materials, attracted 197,484 unique users during the pandemic.
