File photo of visitors at the 2015 Doha International Book Fair.
Doha: Qatar National Library (QNL) is taking part in the 27th Doha International Book Fair, from November 30 to December 10, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).
QNL will feature daily live demonstrations on the digitisation and the preservation and conservation of heritage materials at its booth, designed to showcase its efforts in preserving the nation’s heritage. In addition, QNL will host a series of lectures throughout the Book Fair focusing on the different efforts taking place by society to collect cultural treasures.
The lecturers for these series include Ibrahim Fakhroo, a collector of Islamic artifacts; Mohammed Fikri, Director of Special Collections and Archives at QNL; and Jaber Al Hajri and Hamad Al Malki, founders of the first social media heritage preservation Instagram account in Qatar: Turath_Lawal.
As part of its efforts to encourage reading among the community, QNL will host a book discussion on the novel The Corsair. Written by the Qatari author Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud, the book is a thrilling and engaging novel set in the early nineteenth century during one of the most important periods of history in the Arabian Gulf. Furthermore, QNL is organising two ‘Meet the Author’ sessions with authors Hessa Al Awadhi and Ahmed Abdul Malek.
QNL will also host a variety of children’s activities on a daily basis at its booth, including improvised stories, open play, and storytelling sessions that aim to teach children to learn and express themselves in a creative atmosphere.
QNL’s booth will also include a special section for the Library and Information Association in Qatar (LIA-Q) in order to draw attention to the association’s effort and work to advance the Library and Information sectors. Through dedicated Database Stations, QNL’s booth will highlight the library’s rich online databases and diversified information services. The QNL team will be on hand to answer questions and to help visitors register to gain free access to the library’s wealth of digital resources. On the side lines of the book fair, QNL will host a ‘Career Open Day’ on 3 December, in meeting room 4A at the DECC from 12pm to 7pm.
