Qatar Formally Launches Project to Build New National Library
From the Gulf Times:
The project of building a brand-new Qatar National Library (QNL), within the Qatar Foundation, which is expected to house about 1.2mn books, was launched yesterday by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
Designed by the world-famous architect Rem Koolhaas, the new QNL will officially open in late 2014, and it is being envisaged to become one of the most iconic landmarks in Qatar and within the region.
Speaking at a panel discussion after the launching ceremony held under the theme “Bridging with Knowledge Qatar’s Heritage and Future”, HH Sheikha Moza maintained that “a nation that has no memory has no future”.
“Libraries represent the memory of the nation … they should be digitised because this is very important for our history and archival materials,” she noted while reiterating a planned co-operation between the QNL and the British Library to digitise and make accessible online to public some 500,000 records relating to Qatar at the latter’s branch in Mumbai.
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As a founding partner of the World Digital Library, the QNL will provide facilities for exploring interaction between devices and human beings to promote new ways of learning.
The QNL will operate a Qatar Reference Service and provide access to over 60 online databases and websites. It will also boast of having over 300 public computers, Wi-Fi, and multi-media production studios.
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Filed under: Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, National Libraries, News

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.