Welcome to Qatar National Library!
Qatar National Library acts as a steward of Qatar’s national heritage by collecting, preserving and making available the country’s recorded history. In its role as a research library with a preeminent heritage library, the Library fosters and promotes greater global insight into the history and culture of the Gulf region. As a public library, we provide equal access for all of Qatar's residents to an environment that supports creativity, independent decision-making, and cultural development. Through all our functions, we provide leadership to the country’s library and cultural heritage sector.
The Library also supports Qatar’s transition from a reliance on natural resources to become a diversified and sustainable economy by providing support to students, researchers, and the public to promote lifelong learning and empower individuals and communities for a better future.
In addition to full-text online resources, the Library currently has more than one million books in its collections, along with more than 500,000 ebooks, periodicals and newspapers, and special collections. Our qualified librarians are experts in teaching, research skills, literacy, programs and knowledge management. Combining all these skills together with our strong service ethic, we offer many events, programs, and activities for the local community to do, learn and discover.
The Library project was announced on 19 November 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation. QNL was granted the status of national library under the Emiri Decree No.11 of 20th March 2018. His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, officially inaugurated the Library at a grand opening ceremony on 16 April 2018.