The UAE plans to build a national library that will match the standard of similar major institutions elsewhere in the world, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed has said.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs said the library would act as a “civilisational and cultural beacon” for the country.
He made the remarks while being briefed on the latest developments on Thursday by officials involved in the plans.
They included Hamad Al Midfa, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Archives and Library; Dr Abdallah Mograby, board member and chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Archives and Library; and Abdullah Al Ali, acting director general of the National Archives and Library.
Sheikh Mansour asked the board to review the experiences of countries abroad in establishing similar institutions.
He also urged members to attach “great importance to documentary studies” and to make use of artificial intelligence techniques in translating historical and humanitarian books, said state news agency Wam.
The library will document the historical heritage of the UAE from various sources in the international archives and reports.
Currently, UAE residents can visit the Abu Dhabi National Library, which was built in 1981.
It is committed to the collection, preservation and promotion of books, as well as reading, writing and research in the UAE and the wider Arab world.
The National Library houses the UAE’s largest collection of books and manuscripts and is also home to other documents and digital resources.
It also contains more than two million volumes of books, periodicals, manuscripts and electronic materials, including more than 300,000 titles in Arabic and 100,000 titles in other languages.
Eight of the best libraries in the Middle East and North Africa - in pictures:
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Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation Public Library, Jordan. Alamy -
Damaged books and documents at Iraq National Library and Archive, Baghdad, in 2015. AP -
Al Safa Art & Design Library, Dubai. Photo: Al Safa Art & Design Library -
Al Safa Art & Design Library. Reem Mohammed / The National -
Al Safa Art & Design Library. Reem Mohammed / The National -
Qatar National Library. Photo: Haytham Alsmadi -
Qatar National Library. Photo: OMA -
Qatar National Library. Photo: Michael Toler -
Qatar National Library. Getty -
King Abdul Aziz Public Library. Photo: King Abdul Aziz Public Library -
Al Qarawiyyin Library, Tunisia. -
The Greater Cairo Library. Mahmoud Nasr / The National -
The Greater Cairo Library. Mahmoud Nasr / The National -
Orient Institute Beirut. Photo: Orient Institute Beirut -
Orient Institute Beirut. Photo: Orient Institute Beirut
