Qatar National Library, Doha

Qatar National Library, Doha - A Magnificent Ocean Of Knowledge!!

Text & Photographs By - Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)




The spectacular Qatar National Library is an architectural marvel, which symbolizes the actualization of the grand vision of the Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation and Her Highness the Mother Emir, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to gift one of the most modern and unique libraries of the world that would emerge as a vibrant fulcrum of learning, research and culture, for the benefit of the blessed citizens of Qatar. This wondrous cosmos of knowledge is awe-inspiring for its scope, breadth, and scale of execution. It is a priceless island of bibliothecal excellence created by her inspiring genius, which provides a solid foundation of information, in furtherance of the national aim of setting up a knowledge-based, innovative and open society, centered around Qatar, in the years to come. This is in keeping with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals to positively transform the world we live in. It ensures inclusive and quality education for all, promotes a culture of lifelong learning, encourages inquisitiveness with a spirit of discovery, all of which leads to robust and meaningful human development.



The design reminiscent of a folded piece of paper, is unmistakably futuristic, and this breathtaking 45,000 square meters edifice is crafted with a glorious interplay of transparent corrugated glass-like sheets  and solid, impermeable marble, designed by the renowned, septuagenarian Dutch architectural thinker and urbanist, Remment Lucas "Rem" Koolhaas, who had earlier made the iconic Seattle Central Library, which you would see echoed in some angles in this new library in Qatar. One is instantly overwhelmed by the opulent vastness of the lavish inviting open and airy space with subtle unobtrusive lighting, that one is grandly welcomed into on entering the magnificent precincts of this splendid library. "Awestruck" is one adjective that I found repeatedly mentioned by everyone I have met at the library when asked about what they felt being in that fabulous space.


The pioneering vision and noble mission of this ambitious institution are elaborated below.


VISION

To be one of the world's preeminent centers of learning, research, and culture; a guardian of the region's heritage; and an institution that promotes discovery and the nourishment of the human spirit.



MISSION


To spread knowledge, nurture imagination, cultivate creativity, and preserve the nation's heritage for the future.

QNL will achieve its mission by creating and sustaining an intuitive and trusted information environment in a culturally and technologically superior setting and by developing innovative programs and services.





This world-class library is packed wall-to-wall with innovative technologies to make the user experience independent, smooth, automated and with a minimal human interface. RFID assisted self-check in and self-checkout kiosks are scattered liberally across all sections in the different lending tiers, 800,000 pages of Qatar Digital Library resources are available on fingertips, as also millions of pages of digitized material in the Digital Repository, an automated book-sorter, a 'people-mover', totems, tablets, computers, interactive and way-finding screens make up the other new age, hi-tech that is being put to good use here. 



The library has a collection of a million books, 350,000 e-books, mainly in English and Arabic, on a variety of subjects that span fiction, non-fiction, classics and bestsellers, magazines and 70,000 e-journals, DVDs, CDs and 4000 audio-books. This library, representative of the diverse demographic composition of the new Qatari society involved in nation-building, has stocked books in many different languages catering to the large diaspora settled in Qatar, who are making vital contributions in the positive social evolution of this geography. These include European languages like French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German and popular Asian languages like Chinese, Korean, Sinhalese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam to name a few. The collection has an enviable 150,000 titles in their well-liked teens and kids section.





In the middle of the library embedded into a lower subterranean section, designed to resemble an excavation site to match the priceless anthology of historic relics preserved there, is the precious "Heritage Collection" that displays around 50,000 items that include rare books, photographs, medieval manuscripts, 'Mushafs', gracious bequests of Arabic literature, classical parchments, incunabular pharmacological and astronomical texts, historical maps, antiquated atlases, navigational instruments and many other ancient artifacts related to the Arab-Islamic civilization. 







The QNL is meant to serve a three-fold function, first as a national library with heritage content, second as a research-level library for universities and institutions of higher learning with access to global resources and finally to also serve as the central metropolitan public library equipped for the digital age. The new building had a soft opening in November 2017 to iron out operational wrinkles if any, before a formal opening. It managed to gather over 51,000 new members and 160,000 footfalls until April 2018. The library is being officially inaugurated on 16 April 2018 with the ceremonial addition of the millionth book to its collection. This bibliotheca is thoughtfully located in the heart of the Education City amidst the many American universities and other educational and research institutions. It is a non-profit organization being part of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, therefore any person living in Qatar having a valid Qatari ID or residence permit is eligible for free library registration. This is a noble and magnanimous gesture on the part of the local government to open all the facilities universally, without any bias.






I see this wonderful library becoming popular with families over weekends, given that they have a rich three-tier collection of books on every conceivable topic. The well-stocked exclusive kid's section for children aged 0 to 12 years and teens section for young adults between 13 to 18 years is teeming with borrowers on holidays. There are 6 Gaming Kiosks with PS 4, XBox and Nintendo Switch consoles, besides multiple games tables with popular table-top boardgames like carroms, draughts, checkers etc that were thoughtfully interspersed in the various seating zones, to keep the small children occupied. 

For the statistically inclined here are a few fascinating numbers. This library is being endowed with 465 public computers, a 200-seat special events area, 6 Instruction Rooms, 28 Study Carrels, a computer lab, 26 large interactive screens, a writing center, 21 individual and group study rooms, an auditorium that can seat 450 and even an exclusive exhibition area. It will be equally favored by the more serious students and scholars who will congregate here for tapping into the diverse state-of-the-art assistive technologies center, innovation stations and other collaborative and individual learning resources and creative tools like 3D printers, available for their project research work and thesis requirements. 





The library is open every day between 8 AM to 8 PM from Saturday to Thursday and between 4 PM to 8 PM on Fridays. This library also boasts of a clean, hygienic and copious cafeteria that has a good variety of reasonably priced eatables and beverages for both the hungry visitor and those book lovers who like to spend long hours in the library. The only little problem that I have seen, concerned the limited parking availability currently, but I am positive a multi-tiered solution will soon be put in place to solve it. I personally found the staff at the various user services and information desks very patient, attentive and helpful. They can be counted to go out of their way to help anyone who needs any kind of assistance in getting the right information to navigate their individual requirements. In case there is a need to contact the library by email the id qnl@qnl.qa can be used to notify them or alternatively phone number 44546039 can be contacted for any telephonic queries or clarifications.




Qatar National Library is today, undoubtedly the best library in the Middle East. This is a great investment for the future of the land and its people made by our forward-looking leadership, that will eventually benefit Qatar because now a scholar who is sitting in Doha is instantly connected to the best knowledge-resources anywhere in the world. For this royal gift, we the fortunate citizens and happy beneficiaries will remain eternally indebted to our benevolent and beloved royal family. God bless Qatar with infinite greater glories in the coming future!












Comments

  1. very informative indeed. ..Covers all aspects

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Jyoti for your encouraging words. Appreciate your taking the time to go through the blog. It is a must visit place to experience the grandeur and magnificence of this structure. We will certainly take you to this library when you all come down for a vacation visit in the future.

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