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Qatar National Library (QNL) is a beacon of creativity, culture and research that carries a cultural and intellectual message, rather than being just a bookstore though it has more than one million books in its collections, along with more than 500,000 e-books, periodicals and newspapers, and special collections, in addition to full-text online resources.
The QNL project was announced on Nov. 19, 2012 by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, to act as a steward of Qatars national heritage by collecting, preserving and making available the country’s recorded history.
QNL has been serving as a research library since it was inaugurated by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on April 16, 2018. The Library fosters and promotes greater global insight into the history and culture of the Gulf region.
As a public library, QNL provides equal access for all of Qatar’s residents to an environment that supports creativity, independent decision-making, and cultural development. Through all its functions, the Library provides leadership to the countrys library and cultural heritage sector.
QNL will serve as an important reference for visitors and fans of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to obtain all the information related to cultural heritage both in Qatar and in the Arab region and the Middle East.
The building of the Library was designed by World-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas to be accessible environment for all users, including persons with special needs. The Library features innovative technologies that are seamlessly integrated throughout the building, such as automated self-checkout and return stations, and a wide range of computer systems, tablets, interactive screens and audiovisual equipment throughout the building. Books at QNL are distributed in three main areas covering all subjects of literature, humanities, social and natural sciences, including more than 150,000 books and magazines in the Children and Young Adults Library. The Library also provides more than 200 electronic sources in various disciplines. The library pays special attention to children and young adults, offering them a huge range of books, references and electronic resources, in addition to organizing many events that address their minds, develop their passion for reading and learning, fuel their curiosity, and arouse their interest in science and technology and its tools.
The heart of QNL, the Heritage Library is a unique contribution to Qatars cultural landscape. Its growing collection includes rare and valuable archival documents related to the Arabic and Islamic history in general, and the history of the State of Qatar in particular. The library has more than 50,000 historic and heritage materials, more than 1400 historic maps and dozens of atlases, historical photographs, instruments and tools related to travel, and others. QNL offers many historical and heritage manuscripts and books in Qatar Digital Library, where nearly 13 million materials have been digitized, containing the largest digital archive specialized in the history of the Middle East globally, including documents, photographs, and a unique collection of the most important reports, manuscripts, maps, historical photographs and audio recordings related to the Gulf region, the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring regions.
The Digital Library also houses thousands of historical photographs from the beginning of the photographic era until now, including unique maps and photographs taken by members of scientific and archaeological expeditions, portraits of the characters, other images reflecting the first attempts to press photographs, and unique documentary photographs covering important historical events in the region, such as the First and Second World Wars, colonial rule, and the development of infrastructure in the region, in addition to examples of amateur photos that offer a unique perspective on everyday life in the Middle East. Over two million visitors benefited from Qatar Digital Library this year, as it offers free access for all users around the world to the digitized materials from the Library’s heritage holdings as well as some of the collections from the Library’s partners; demonstrating the global impact of Qatar National Library as a leader in the dissemination of knowledge, the preservation of heritage and the provision of free access to information for all locally and regionally. QNL has succeeded in preserving the cultural heritage in the Arab region and the Middle East since it was selected in 2015 by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), to be the IFLA Regional Center for Preservation and Conservation (PAC) in the Arab world and the Middle East, before its official opening in March 2018. The Library has maintained its leading role in preserving the heritage through a group of equipped with world-class technology dedicated to handle all kinds of conservation and preservation activities. The Library also provides the “Seek Advice from a QNL Conservator “ service to help families seeking to preserve their heritage materials such as old books and documents.
Since 2015, Qatar National Library has carried out a leading role in coordinating the conservation and conservation efforts and initiatives among the Arab countries in the MENA region by capacity-building and technical support through training courses it provides frequently at its headquarters to learn about the most important new technologies in conservation and preservation. QNL also provides grants to many libraries and organize training causes in various countries.
QNL collaborated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO to implement a joint project to supporting documentary heritage libraries in the Arab region. Under the agreement, QNL provided support to public and private libraries in Yemen, Algeria and various Arab countries.
QNL also launched an important project to monitor heritage exposed to danger or natural disasters in the region, in fulfillment of its role in monitoring disasters and threats to the documentary heritage in the region through cooperation with institutions and concerned authorities to take the necessary and rapid measures and provide support.
