Sayyid Fahd takes part in Qatar National Library opening

Muscat: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers took part in the opening ceremony of Qatar National Library in Doha on Monday evening, on an invitation from the leadership of Qatar.
Qatar National Library (QNL) was opened by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani, Emir of the State of Qatar in the presence of a number of presidents, representatives of their majesties, ex-presidents and a number of senior officials and personalities.
Sheikha Mozza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Education Above All Foundation expressed in a speech her aspiration that Qatar National Library would be a mean to promote Arabic language and revive its cultural presence through new reading of the Arabic culture.
She added that writing, books and libraries have shown the deep relationship between man and history. She also pointed out that Qatar National Library will provide its users with quick access to accurate information and will provide the new generation with tools that help them enjoy accurate reading of history.
The opening ceremony witnessed the addition of 1 million books to the shelves that accommodates 1.2 million books.
The Library has prepared a program rich of events throughout the first two weeks. The program includes a number of lectures, seminars, exhibitions and training sessions.
The QNL building is designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. It features numerous custom-designed innovations, including an automatic book sorting system, several interactive media wall, and self-check-in and check-out machines that make borrowing books easier for members.
The books are distributed in three main areas in all fields of arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, including more than 150,000 books and magazines in the library of children and adolescents. The QNL provides more than 200 electronic sources, such as books, magazines and foreign periodicals in various disciplines.
The Heritage Library contains 50,000 historical and heritage items, including more than 4,000 manuscripts, more than 1,400 historical maps, dozens of atlases, astronomical instruments, navigational instruments, 70,000 historical images, and other heritage artifacts.
It should be noted that the delegation accompanying Sayyid Fahd includes Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education, Sheikh Al Fadhl bin Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Harthy, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers and government officials.