By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Number of people looking for information about local and regional history has increased vastly and Qatar Digital Library reached more than 30,000 users per month, according to a senior official.
The Qatar Digital Library is making a vast archive featuring the cultural and historical heritage of the Gulf and wider region freely available online for the first time. And its users vary from university students to private researchers, who have an interest in the history of Qatar and the region, said Dr Claudia Lux, Project Director, Qatar National Library. It includes archives, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs and much more, complete with contextualised explanatory notes and links, in both English and Arabic.
“We have seen Qatar is using it (Qatar Digital Library) a lot, just in the last months. It’s not only universities and big institutions , but also private researchers, who want to know about their background, history of the country,” said Dr Lux recently. “There are more than 30,000 to 35,000 users per month which is pretty high, the top range is mostly at the moment is with Qatar and also some other GCC countries,” she added.
The Qatar Digital Library has been developed as part of a ten year Memorandum of Understanding on Partnerships between the Qatar Foundation, the Qatar National Library and The British Library.
Content currently available on the Qatar Digital Library was developed during the first phase of the partnership, reaching a total of 500,000 images by the end of 2014. More content is being added all the time. The content of Qatar Digital Library also includes Arabic Scientific Manuscripts from the British Library’s Manuscripts Collections, covering topics such as medicine, mathematics, astronomy and engineering. A selection of photographs, postcards and other printed objects as well as sketches, drawings and water colours; etchings, engravings and illustrations. And a selection of audio collection materials including 200 shellac discs recorded in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq between 1920 and 1940.
Meanwhile, the Qatar National Library too has a growing number of online readers, according to Dr Lux. The library is currently offering free online access to a vast collection of resources, including the latest bestsellers, classical works, concerts, top academic journals and documentaries.
“Our library is open already and its accessible digital. We have this active role, all activities at the Qatar National Library. We are developing the strength in how to use the information we have in the national Library, especially the data base. And how you can explore yourself and develop yourself,” Dr Lux said.
The Peninsula
