Qatar National Library (QNL), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), organised a successful series of events and training sessions for the public throughout November. The series of programmes was designed to further support QF’s mission to foster a progressive society by disseminating knowledge, preserving Qatar’s heritage and engaging the local community.
One of the many activities organised by QNL included a film screening of ‘The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story’, a thrilling tale of how a group of passionate book lovers risked their lives to save more than 10,000 Islamic manuscripts in the Gazi Husrav Beg Library in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. The film highlights the importance of books and how libraries are the heart of peoples’ cultural identity and repositories for history and memory.
The event, held at QF’s Hamad bin Khalifa University’s Student Centre Cinema, featured an informal talk by Dr Mustafa Jahic, Director of the Gazi Husrav Beg Library,, and a member of the group that saved the library’s manuscripts. A book discussion of Amjad Nasser’s ‘Land of No Rain’ was another activity created to engage the public. The book highlights the story of Younis al-Khattat, a fictional character, who has lived in exile for 20 years, and who later returns to Hamiya, his fictional Arab country. On his return to his homeland, Younis al-Khattat reconnects with family and friends he left behind 20 years ago, but he mostly struggles with his past and old self.
In addition to cultural and educational activities, QNL also offered training sessions on the use of online resources offered by the library.
A series of interactive and practical training sessions helped residents familiarise themselves with selected online resources in Humanities: OverDrive, JSTOR, OneClickDigital, Zinio and Cengage Collection.
The 'OverDrive' online resource provides popular eBooks for most devices. The 'JSTOR' database includes more than 1,500 leading academic journals in humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Training sessions also focused on the ‘OneClickDigital' database, an English digital audio-book database that allows users to download audio-books, and ‘Zinio’ database, which provides access to the full version of several hundred popular magazines.
Commenting on the series of events, Saadi A. Al Said, QNL's Associate Director for Administration and Planning, said: “These activities and cultural events witnessed an increasing popularity among all segments of society. Participants were so impressed with such events, and wish to be part of future activities that combine entertainment and education.
“The events are aligned to QNL’s mission to spread knowledge, nurture imagination, cultivate creativity, and preserve the nation’s heritage for the future,” he added.
Qatar National Library is currently offering free online access to a vast collection of online resources including the latest bestsellers, classical works, concerts, top academic journals and documentaries. Anyone who lives in Qatar and has a valid Qatari ID/Residence Permit is eligible for free library registration. To register, please visit: www.qnl.qa and to access the complete list of online resources, please visit: http://www.qnl.qa/find-answers/online-resources
One of the many activities organised by QNL included a film screening of ‘The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story’, a thrilling tale of how a group of passionate book lovers risked their lives to save more than 10,000 Islamic manuscripts in the Gazi Husrav Beg Library in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. The film highlights the importance of books and how libraries are the heart of peoples’ cultural identity and repositories for history and memory.
The event, held at QF’s Hamad bin Khalifa University’s Student Centre Cinema, featured an informal talk by Dr Mustafa Jahic, Director of the Gazi Husrav Beg Library,, and a member of the group that saved the library’s manuscripts. A book discussion of Amjad Nasser’s ‘Land of No Rain’ was another activity created to engage the public. The book highlights the story of Younis al-Khattat, a fictional character, who has lived in exile for 20 years, and who later returns to Hamiya, his fictional Arab country. On his return to his homeland, Younis al-Khattat reconnects with family and friends he left behind 20 years ago, but he mostly struggles with his past and old self.
In addition to cultural and educational activities, QNL also offered training sessions on the use of online resources offered by the library.
A series of interactive and practical training sessions helped residents familiarise themselves with selected online resources in Humanities: OverDrive, JSTOR, OneClickDigital, Zinio and Cengage Collection.
The 'OverDrive' online resource provides popular eBooks for most devices. The 'JSTOR' database includes more than 1,500 leading academic journals in humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Training sessions also focused on the ‘OneClickDigital' database, an English digital audio-book database that allows users to download audio-books, and ‘Zinio’ database, which provides access to the full version of several hundred popular magazines.
Commenting on the series of events, Saadi A. Al Said, QNL's Associate Director for Administration and Planning, said: “These activities and cultural events witnessed an increasing popularity among all segments of society. Participants were so impressed with such events, and wish to be part of future activities that combine entertainment and education.
“The events are aligned to QNL’s mission to spread knowledge, nurture imagination, cultivate creativity, and preserve the nation’s heritage for the future,” he added.
Qatar National Library is currently offering free online access to a vast collection of online resources including the latest bestsellers, classical works, concerts, top academic journals and documentaries. Anyone who lives in Qatar and has a valid Qatari ID/Residence Permit is eligible for free library registration. To register, please visit: www.qnl.qa and to access the complete list of online resources, please visit: http://www.qnl.qa/find-answers/online-resources
