Muscat, November 14 (QNA) – Qatar Digital Library has won the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Award for the Best Arab Initiative, during the 35th AFLI conference held in Omans’s capital, Muscat, from 12 to 14 November, under the theme “Libraries and Arab Archive Institutions and Their Role in Enhancing Identity and Digital Citizenship”. HE Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library, Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari was presented with the award by HH President of Sultan Qaboos University, Dr. Fahd bin Al Julanda Al Said at an event that brought together a host of academics and experts in the library and information sector across Arab countries.

Launched in October 2014 by Qatar National Library in partnership with Qatar Foundation and the British Library, Qatar Digital Library (QDL) is the world’s largest digital repository dedicated to heritage documents and manuscripts on the Gulf region and the Arab world, as well as scientific discoveries in Arab and Islamic civilization.

Commenting on QDLs recognition, Dr. Al Kawari said: “The Library takes pride in this achievement, which reflects QNLs success in fulfilling its mission as a premier knowledge hub founded in a profound vision. Over the past ten years, our efforts have yielded significant achievements in preserving documentary heritage and disseminating knowledge through the establishment of an Arabic digital portal, now recognized as the foremost and primary reference on the history of the Gulf, the Arab world, and the broader Middle East.” “This award from the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information, in collaboration with the esteemed Sultan Qaboos University, underscores our team’s steadfast dedication and commitment to safeguarding our cultural heritage of manuscripts and documents. It further strengthens our services, solidifying the library’s role as a bastion of knowledge and a premier destination for researchers and academics in Qatar and across the region,” he added.

On 30 September, Qatar National Library celebrated the 10th anniversary of QDL with a conference titled “Unlocking Histories: 10 Years of Qatar Digital Library.” The event brought together academics, researchers, and practitioners to discuss the work and research they conducted using QDL. The conference showcased the extensive array of materials available on the platform and demonstrated how researchers can leverage these resources for their work.

QDL is home to a wealth of primary historical materials and collections, offering insights into the regions trading practices, the two World Wars, the petroleum industry, Britain’s imperial administration, treaties, marine navigation, military operations, civil aviation, economic forums, Arab nationalism, and medicine. It also houses a rare collection of Arabic manuscripts covering a variety of topics, including medicine, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, geography, and military science.

The platform, which currently holds nearly 2.5 million digitized pages of records, maps, manuscripts, photographs and drawings, attracts an average of 200,000 users and over 2 million page views per year. (QNA)