Qatar National Library

The Qatar National Library preserves the country’s documented history through collecting, conserving, and making it accessible. As a research library with a distinguished heritage library, the library encourages and supports deeper worldwide understanding of the history and culture of the Gulf area. As a public library, we provide all inhabitants of Qatar with equitable access to an environment that fosters innovation, autonomy, and cultural advancement. Through all of our duties, we lead the library and cultural heritage sector of the nation.

The library also helps Qatar’s transformation from a reliance on natural resources to a diversified and sustainable economy by promoting lifelong learning and empowering individuals and communities for a brighter tomorrow.

In addition to online full-text resources, the library includes more than one million volumes, as well as more than 500,000 ebooks, journals and newspapers, and special collections. Our skilled librarians are professionals in education, research, literacy, programming, and knowledge management. We provide numerous events, programs, and activities for the local community to participate in, learn from, and discover by combining these abilities with a strong service ethic.

The library project was announced by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairwoman of Qatar Foundation, on 19 November 2012. The library was accorded national library status by Emiri Decree No. 11 on March 20, 2018. On April 16, 2018, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, opened the library with a magnificent event.

Library collections and service

Free library registration is available to any Qatari citizen or residency permit holder. QNL’s website provides free online access to a wide range of online resources for registered library users, including worldwide research databases and top academic journals, as well as popular literature, periodicals, children’s materials, and music.

The library has a large selection of books and e-books in English, Arabic, and other languages, including fiction and nonfiction, best-sellers and classics, periodicals and journals, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks. In 2018, the library’s collection included over 800,000 volumes as well as over 500,000 eBooks, magazines and newspapers, and special collections. In line with QNL’s aim of preparing Qataris for participation in the global knowledge economy, a wide range of educational and instructional programs and services focusing on information literacy, early literacy, research skills, and accessing digital resources have been planned. Book clubs, language-learning programs, musical events, and craft workshops are among the library’s educational programming, as are activities for children and their families such as storytelling, crafts, and scientific exhibitions.

There are several facilities at the library for individual and group collaboration, research, and study. These are some examples:

• Assistive technology room including 16 computer stations with adjustable leveling, equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software technologies
• A dedicated area for young adults
• A 686-square-meter Children’s Library
• 4-room Innovation Station
• 2 instruction rooms
• A computer lab
• 8 group study rooms
• 28 individual study carrels
• 3 media viewing rooms
• 26 large interactive screens and 465 computers
• A 200-seat Special Events Area with lights, an LED screen, speakers and noise-dampening curtains
• A 120-seat auditorium
• A restaurant and a café

Heritage Library

The QNL holds the Heritage Library’s collections, which include rare books, manuscripts, and other items pertaining to Arab-Islamic civilisation, in addition to the general-interest holdings (Main Collection) and scholarly online resources. This collection, formerly known as the Arab and Islamic Heritage Library, was founded in 1979 by His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani and was incorporated into QNL in 2012.

The Heritage Library houses a diverse collection of historical sources about Qatar and the region, including writings by travelers and explorers who visited the Persian Gulf region throughout the centuries, Arabic manuscripts, historical maps and globes, scientific instruments, and early photographs.

It also has over 2,400 valuable manuscripts, including ‘Mushafs’ (Holy Qur’ans) and Arabic literature, with a major emphasis on disciplines like as geography, astronomy, and mathematics. The collection also includes printed texts from the 15th century, when printing was first introduced in Europe, such as Latin translations of books such as Avicenna’s famed Canon of Medicine (Ibn Sina).

The Heritage Collection’s maps and manuscripts have been digitized and are available to registered users via the library’s online catalog. Parts of the collection of special international relevance have also been made freely available to people all over the globe via the World Digital Library (WDL), which the QNL financially supports.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions selected QNL as the MENA region’s Preservation and Conservation Centre (PAC) in August 2015. At the time of its appointment, there were 13 other worldwide PACs.

Qatar Digital Library

Qatar Digital Library (QDL) is the result of a 2012 collaboration between Qatar Foundation, Qatar National Library, and the British Library. The collaboration aims to digitize a vast collection of cultural material chronicling Arab and Islamic history and make it freely available to the public via QDL, which was released online in October 2014. The digital library, which has an English and Arabic multilingual interface, has 1.5 million pages of items owned by the British Library on the Persian Gulf region’s history. These contain records from the India Office Records and Private Papers (including the archives of the East India Company and its successor organizations) spanning from the mid-18th century to the 1950s, as well as 25,000 pages of medieval Arabic scientific manuscripts. Phase 3 of the initiative, which will begin in January 2019, seeks to digitize an additional 900,000 pages.

Library building

The new QNL building, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, was finished and soft-opened to the public in November 2017. A variety of collaborative and individual learning spaces, a children’s library, a teen and young adult collection, computer labs, digital media production facilities, performance spaces, a restaurant and café, an assistive technology area, and a writing center are among the cutting-edge library facilities.

The QNL conducted its formal inauguration ceremony on April 16, 2018. It included a magnificent ceremony during which His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani placed the one-millionth book on QNL’s shelves. The library’s million-book collection contains 137,000 books for youngsters and 35,000 novels for teens.

The library held a competition in which Qatar Foundation members could name the forthcoming café. The winning name “Safahat,” which means “pages” in Arabic, was chosen by three distinct winners. In late September 2018, the café opened and began serving the public. Anyone with a Qatar ID can join the library for free.

Events and exhibitions

The library hosts a variety of exhibitions in various locations across the facility.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra gives free public performances on a regular basis. Every month, the library hosts over 80 free programs, including a knitting group activity where ladies come every Thursday and relax for four hours.