Founded in 1962 with a view to educate the country’s people, Qatar National Library is a public library under the governance of the Qatar Foundation for Education. The library is also a research library, and it is in line with the digital age.
As a national library
Located centrally within close proximity to Al Najada Doha Hotel Apartments by Oaks, Qatar National Library provides a medium through which Qatar nationals can maintain their interests. The library has a collection of approximately 800,000 books and 500,000 eBooks, newspapers, and magazines. The subjects of these books vary over a wide range; economy, religion, history, and culture are the most popular subjects here; there’s also a good number of fiction books. What’s more, its central location close to hotel apartments in Qatar means that anyone can visit the library without the hassle of a lengthy commute.
Heritage Library
The Heritage Library holds reading material that belongs to the Islamic civilization. Books, manuscripts, maps, and pictures make up the collection. The number of manuscripts amounts to nearly 2,400, and they focus on Arabic literature, mathematics, geography, and astronomy.
Events
The library is host to numerous events held throughout the year. Most of these events are free and of an educational nature. On average, the library holds about 80 events per month with no admission fee. One of the highlights is the knitting group activity held on Thursday, participated by women who take the opportunity to catch up with each other.