Its paper focuses on its initiatives and projects pertaining to translation,
The National Library and Archives participates in an international conference on translation in Lithuania
The National Library and Archives intends to participate in the International Translation Conference to be organized by the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University in the Republic of Lithuania, under the slogan of “Translation, Ideology and Ethics: Response and Credibility”, with a research paper entitled “Towards Promoting the Translation Movement in the Middle East: The UAE’s National Library and Archives Initiatives as a Model”. This signifies a qualitative step by the NLA towards reviewing important aspects of its national activities and achievements in international cultural circles.
The research paper to be presented by Prof. Saddik Gohar, Translation Expert at the NLA, in September 2022, aims to shed the light on the NLA’s outstanding efforts to enhance the translation movement at all human, civilizational, knowledge, social, professional, historical and educational levels.
Hamad Al Hamiri, Director of the Research and Knowledge Services Department, says  about this participation: “Translation is a means of education, dialogue and building bridges between civilizations and cultures through the ages. Given the role of the NLA in the field of translation, it becomes worthy of being presented as an ideal model in this international conference as we attach considerable importance to translation. Most of our publications were not translated into English only, but also to many other languages. Furthermore, we also translated the main international publications related to the NLA’s specializations into Arabic. This is in addition to our conferences, symposiums and lectures relevant to this field.”
“The NLA’s role in the field of translation is totally in line with the UAE’s approach as translation is deemed as one of the most critical bases for advancement, and it opens the door for all types of knowledge and sciences. Translation receives special interest in the UAE, which is evidenced by projects and initiatives that aim to promote translation.”, he added.
Moreover, the NLA’s paper tackles also the linguistic and cultural challenges and obstacles faced by translators working on various translation projects at the NLA. It focuses on machine translation issues, artificial intelligence outcomes and mechanisms and how to make use of them to support translation from foreign languages into Arabic.
In his research paper, Prof. Gohar discusses the UAE’s pioneering role in promoting the value of translation as the cornerstone of the cultural life of every civilized people. He presents the NLA as a model, highlighting the translation boom in the UAE, which strives to benefit from translation in enriching the Arab library with the best international contributions and in highlighting the UAE’s civilized image by translating the most creative Arab accomplishments into the world’s languages.
The paper points out that the translation movement in the Arab World and Middle East suffered recently from setbacks at different levels. Consequently, the NLA adopted a number of academic initiatives and endeavors, most prominently “Tarjamat” project, which enhances academic participation in conferences and supports translation movement locally, regionally and internationally. The paper also reviews the most significant international conferences, which were organized by the NLA and in which an elite of translation professors from international universities participated. It emphasized that the NLA in all its events called for a multi-disciplinary internal and academic research approach as it took critical steps towards enhancing cultural intermingling through successive translation initiatives and multilingual translation projects that aim to translate historical, heritage and cultural text from and into most of the world’s languages.
It is worth mentioning that the Vilnius University, which will organize this international conference is one of the oldest and most prestigious European universities. It was founded in 1579.

"The UAE … the civilization of a people, the history of a nation”, and “The Supreme National Values"
The National Library and Archives participated with two lectures with the Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Future Generation Society

 The National Library and Archives participated in the 18th edition of the program entitled “Ya Zain Saifna”, organized by the Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Future Generation Society, with two virtual national lectures. The first of which is entitled: "The UAE .. a civilization of a people and the history of a nation", while the second is entitled: "The Supreme National Values."
The first lecture, entitled "The UAE … the Civilization of a People and the History of a Nation", presented by Hind Al Zaabi, Educational Programs’ Specialist at the National Library and Archives, began with the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE Founder and Builder’s famous quote: "He who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future." This wise quote indicates that a nation that does not know or document its past shall not be able to lead its present or shape its future. She also highlighted the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,: "We are not a new nation in history" noting that the UAE history goes back about seven thousand years according to the inscriptions, drawings, and archaeological finds of international missions, which indicate that the UAE history is not limited to the establishment or inception of the union of the seven Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Fujairah and Ras al-Khaimah; and that it is a historical milestone in the Trucial Coast region. With the success of this union, the UAE became a renowned modern state, with a great history and civilization, as indicated by historical documents and discovered archaeological finds.
In the context of that educational national program, the Researcher and Lecturer, Muhammad Ismail Abdullah, Educational Programs’ Specialist at the National Library and Archives presented another lecture in which he emphasized that the values of national identity, loyalty and belonging are key national pillars and concepts that should be instilled in all society members, as a necessary prerequisite for good citizenship and a means of protecting the UAE achievements, and promoting unity and solidarity among its citizens.

The National Library and Archives highlighted the significant role of those three national values in instilling and promoting national identity, good citizenship, loyalty, and belonging to the UAE and its wise leadership as they contribute to establishing a society which reflects unity and solidarity and a fully dedicated generation which spares no effort or sacrifice for the sake of its nation and fully guards and supports its achievements. It is noteworthy that the National Library and Archives, through this joint constructive cooperation with the Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Future Generation Society, aims at raising an enlightened and wise future generation which is quite capable of assuming its great national responsibilities.

The National Library and Archives issues the book of "The Second International Translation Conference" which tackles the image of the UAE in cultures, literature and world intellectual heritage

The National Library and Archives is about to issue its most recent publication, the book of the peer reviewed research papers presented at the Second International Translation Conference 2022 organized and virtually held by the National Library and Archives from 9-13 May 2022, under the slogan: (Translation and Preserving the Memory of the Nation… The Image of the UAE in Cultures, Literatures and World Intellectual Heritage) The program included more than 67 research papers which were externally peer-reviewed after the conference to select the papers situable for publication, eventually 20 research papers in Arabic and 20 in various foreign languages were selected and published in two volumes.
In this context, Mr. Hamad Al-Hamiri, Director of Research and Knowledge Services Department, said: The second international translation conference and its theme came in line with the National Library and Archives’ objectives including promoting and highlighting the image of the UAE in cultures, literature and global intellectual heritage, with the stated aim of monitoring all written and translated papers on the ancient Emirati history and contemporary Emirati achievements in various foreign languages through inviting over 70 Researchers and Specialists from major universities and research centers, who presented their research papers in Arabic, and many other foreign languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Slovenian, Albanian, Swedish, Japanese, Hebrew and Dutch among others.
Mr. Al-Hamiri added: The conference sessions were very popular and well received by followers from all over the world; We issued a book including peer reviewed and documented research papers for researchers and all interested in the history of the UAE. This two-volume book which resulted from the translation conference, and its unique topics shall doubtlessly enrich the Emirati, Arab and international libraries.
He pointed out that the first section of the book includes: the inaugural conference speech of His Excellency Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Acting Director General of the National Library and Archives, and the closing speech, in which His Excellency announced the third edition of the International Translation Conference’s date and slogan, and the research papers in Arabic in the first volume, whereas, the second volume includes research papers in various other foreign languages.
It is noteworthy that the main Arabic research papers received and approved by the book supervising committee are those of : Dr. Saddik Gohar, National Library and Archives translation Expert, entitled: “ Journey into the Memory of the Emirates in Many Languages: The National Poetry of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum between History and Legend.”, UAE University Professor, Yahya Mohamed Mahmoud Ahmed entitled “Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger and his Translation of the Emirati Bedouin Heritage in the Mid-Twentieth Century”, Professor Haj Muhammad Al-Habib, (Center for Scientific and Technical Research for the Development of the Arabic Language - Algeria, entitled “The Toponymy of the United Arab Emirates”. Professor Mohamed Abdel Hamid Khalifa, (Chair of the Arabic Language Department - Damanhour University - ARE) entitled “Modernity or Modernization in the UAE between the Translation of the Term and the Specificity of Culture”, Dr. Ahmed Afifi, (Professor of Linguistics - Cairo University - ARE) entitled “The Impact of translation in Achieving Civilized Communication between Nations”, Ms. Eman Alrami, (Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco) entitled “The Role of the Arab League in Developing Translation and Proceeding towards a Knowledge Society”, Dr. Shahira Zarnaji, (University of Mohamed Khider- Biskra- (Algeria) entitled “The Dangers and Slips of Machine Translation - The Arabic translation of Virginia Woolf's Novel (Mrs. Dalloway) as a model”, Dr. Mohamed Mansour El-Hoodwy, (Lecturer of Arabic and Islamic Studies - Doha - Qatar): entitled "Kalima" project as a Linking Point of Knowledge and Cultural Communication between Civilizations and Nations”, Dr. Elham Mahmoud Mohamed Badr, (Ain Shams University - Cairo – A.R.E. entitled “Machine Translation and its Role in the Digitization of the Arabic Language: Improving the Quality of Machine Translation from Hebrew to Arabic, Dr. Emad Khalaf (Translator- Sharjah- UAE entitled “Machine Translation between Arabic and Persian: An Analytical Study and Criteria for a Better Translation”, Professor Yahya Abdel-Tawab, (from the Theatre Institute- Kuwait) entitled “Translation and Culture in the Era of Globalization”, Professor Hassan bin Saeed Ghazala, (Umm Al-Qura University- KSA) and Dr. Naima Al-Ghamdi, (Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University- KSA) entitled “exploring Linguistic, Cognitive, Communicative, Cultural and Technological Dimensions of Translation: An Integrative Approach”, Professor Labidi Bouabdallah and Dr. Haitham Zeinhom Morsi, (Mohammed bin Zayed University for Human Sciences - Abu Dhabi - UAE) entitled “The Role of Semantic Space in Solving Machine Translation Problems: Construction and Description of a New Applied Technical Model”, Mr. Khaled Arafa Salem, (Researcher in Translation Studies- Ajman- UAE) entitled “Screen Translation between the Past and Present: A Historic Approach”, and of Prof. Dr. Maher El-Sherbiny, from the Japanese Language Department at Cairo University, entitled: "The problems of translating proper names from the Japanese to Arabic language."

The National Library and Archives held its seventh symposium of its 2022 cultural season on the various "Means of Employing Oral Memory in Preserving History"
 The National Library and Archives held its seventh virtual symposium as part of its 2022 cultural season, entitled: “Means of Employing Oral Memory in Preserving History” on August 24th, with the participation of various Experts, Researchers and Specialists. It highlights the importance of oral history in documenting various historical events preserved in the memory of the narrators and senior citizens who witnessed such events prior to the union’s establishment, employing the National Library and Archives’ vast and leading experience in this field.

This virtual symposium aims at out-reaching all interested audience to encourage senior citizens and residents to out-pour and document their preserved memories through the National Library and Archives’ Oral History Archives, to serve and contribute to the glorious history and heritage of the UAE, and to the preservation of its cherished values, principles, customs and traditions in which the UAE community takes great pride. Since oral history is concerned with recording and documenting the intangible UAE history and heritage, through oral narratives and accounts preserved through the memories of senior citizens and figures’ who witnessed those historical events in the past. The National Library and Archives has attached great interest and significance to Oral history as it constitutes an integral part of the memory of the nation, and a key source and reference for the UAE and the region’s history and heritage.

The National Library and Archives’ keen interest in enriching the oral history archives with hundreds of interviews aims at raising young generations’ awareness of the various UAE regions’ ways of life in the past and the stages of its development before and after the union’s establishment. It is note-worthy that the National Library and Archives experts and specialists also conduct audio and audio-visual interviews. The National Library and Archives delegations of oral history specialists are always welcomed and appreciated by many senior citizens who facilitate their tasks and provide them with highly important information on the early stages of the UAE establishment at the hands of its founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his fellow Rulers of the Emirates.

The National Library and Archives Participates in the Traditional Music Conference and the (IFLA) Congress.

The National Library and Archives participated in the International Council for Traditional Music Conference, held in Lisbon, in the Portuguese Republic, from 21-27 July 2022. In its discussion session entitled: “Musical Mobility in the world of Arabia and the Gulf” Dr. Aisha Bilkhair, Research Advisor at the National Library and Archives presented a Paper entitled: “The Role of Women in Transmitting Heritage and promoting Creativity,” in which she tackled the influence of music and work songs on social and economic life and through various life stages and successive generations as the Emirati musical production became distinguished by its creativity, modernity and diverse styles. This is a phenomenon that combines different elements to produce a heritage with a national identity that has been passed on through generations and preserved by their oral memory.  
The attendees appreciated and commended the presented lecture, which briefed the participants and attendees on the role of women and music innovation in the UAE. The lecture was followed by interactive questions, which promoted knowledge dissemination and exchange.
A delegation from the National Library and Archives participated in the 87th IFLA World Library and Information Congress held in Dublin, Ireland.
The delegation which included Hamad Al Hamiri, Director of Research and Knowledge Services Department, and Riad Bin Lalam from the Emirates Library of the National Library and Archives - was briefed on library and information systems’ main practices, especially experiences relating to national libraries. The delegation also visited the exhibition of companies and institutions specialized in the field of libraries.
The National Library and Archives delegation took advantage of its participation in the IFLA 87th General Conference and invited key participating Experts and Specialists to the 33rd Conference of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (IFLA), which will be hosted by Abu Dhabi from October 31 to November 2, 2022.

The National Library and Archives continues its efforts in organizing and enriching archives

The National Library and Archives continues its educational and awareness-raising role in the importance of documenting the past, recording the present, and organizing government archives in accordance with the Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 on the National Library and Archives and its amendments and executive regulations.  In this regard, it presented a virtual training course on "Inventory of Documents in Government Agencies" and a virtual lecture entitled: "Oral History in the National Library and Archives".

The first training course was presented by Mrs. Amal Abdel Hamid, Head of the Government Archives Regulation Unit at the National Library and Archives. It aims at explaining the method of inventory of documents and archives in government agencies in compliance with the said law and its regulations.

 This training course is essential because it comes within the scope of applyig the integrated management system of documents and archives in government entities, which contributes greatly to enhancing the employees’ skills and developing qualified cadres in document and archive management.

The course focused on the inventory mechanism of all documents in government entities in all conservation sites, in  compliance with the requirements of Law No. 7 of 2008 on the National Library and Archives and its amendments and executive regulations, in order to identify the files  which must be preserved, and those are no longer needed so as to transfer them to the permanent preservation in the National Library and Archives. The course also shed light on facilitating the application of all inhouse archiving-related procedures such as determining the file preservation periods, classifying functional documents, and facilitating access to documents to preserve the rights of the government entity, its customers and its employees. It also emphasized that the document inventory ensures the preservation of the entity's assets and provides the necessary protections from disasters and crises.

The other lecture, which was presented by Maitha Al Zaabi, Head of the Oral History Section at the National Archives and Library, and Maryam Al Mazrouei, senior researcher in the said section, confirmed the NLA’s interest in the interviews which the oral history teams conduct with UAE senior citizens and personalities that have lived through the establishment of Union, so that generations may learn from their distinctive historical experiences.

The lecture pointed out that oral history is concerned with recording the history and moral heritage of the United Arab Emirates, and documenting it with oral narratives, including what was conveyed by the memory of the centenarians, veterans and witnesses of the times.

The lecture touched on the articles of Law No. 7 of 2008 on the National Archives and Library and its amendments, which urged the completion of historical information documented with the oral archive in addition to making it available in a scientific manner.

The lecture shed light on the objectives of oral history, methods of conducting interviews by audio and video recording, international standards followed, and topics of oral history, which include social life, political and administrative life, economic and cultural life, architecture and arts, and the most important projects.

The lecture reviewed the stages of conducting oral history interviews through to making them available, and publishing them in NLA’s publications, namely Their memory, Our History, first and second editions.

In conclusion, both lecturers emphasized the importance of nominating the appropriate narrators with a view to preserving and documenting their living national memory.

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The National Library and Archives participates in the 18th edition of Liwa Date Festival

The National Library and Archives participated in the 18th edition of the Liwa Date Festival and exhibition held in Al Dhafra region, the events of which shall run until July 24th, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.
The National Library and Archives’ participation in this festival comes through an exhibition of historical photographs, that reflected to visitors a vivid glorious image of the establishment and development of the UAE, and  demonstrated the various aspects of its heritage. The exhibition aimed at instilling in the UAE generations the values, virtues, and exploits of the Late Sheikh Zayed.
The exhibition presented to visitors the UAE historic aspect and its leadership as a Role Model in a continued march, following the footsteps of the Founding Fathers towards building and establishing the UAE and developing its human resources.
It is noteworthy that the exhibition organized by the National Library and Archives at the Liwa Date Festival was well received by the various participants and visitors, as it represented a window through which they viewed the UAE’s glorious past and history.
The National Library and Archives raised the awareness of its visitors of different age groups of its valuable role in collecting and preserving the memory and history of the nation for future generations and allowing researchers and interested parties access to it.
The National Library and Archives’ exhibition and platform included its most important publications on the history and heritage of Al Dhafra region, being such a key historical area that will always be the source of Emirati heritage’s pride; as it includes many ancient and deep-rooted historic monuments.
The most important National Library and Archives’ issued and displayed books on Al Dhafra region include: The Dhafra Fort.. The History of the Early Chiefs of Bani Yas, The Place Names gazetteer in the Poetry of Al Dhafra People, Immigrants from Al Dhafra.. The Migration of Bani Zaraf as a Model, Historic Water Resources in the Al Dhafra Region, and Castles and Towers in Al Dhafra Region.
In line with the National Library and Archives’ pursuit to achieve its vision, mission and strategic plans aiming at documenting and preserving Al Dhafra region’s authentic history and heritage, and its people’s rich history in the past, it assigned different Experts and Specialists to conduct oral history interviews during the Liwa Date Festival, to record the stories of the senior citizens who witnessed the UAE various development stages before the establishment of the union, during which they depended on agriculture in Al Dhafra oases, to document the successive generations’ various witnessed events and practiced professions.
It is noteworthy that the National Library and Archives’ date Festival’s platform was keen to strictly adhere to all necessary precautionary and preventive measures, as well as to general safety guidelines.

Under the title “The Homeland’s History in the Perspective of Art and Media”,
The National Library and Archives is getting ready to hold the 6th symposium of its cultural season for 2022
The National Library and Archives is getting ready to hold the 6th symposium of its cultural season for 2022, entitled “The Homeland’s History in the Perspective of Art and Media”, given its belief in the importance of documentation in its various forms in preserving the homeland’s history and making use of it in writing and preserving the history as it constitutes a primary pillar of national identity.
The NLA attached considerable importance to the media’s role in documenting the homeland’s history as media professionals serve as the “historians of the moment” who have been and remain the witnesses to event, and they document the truth. Nowadays, media’s role is doubled due to the fact that advanced media focuses on historical events, broadcasts them from its documentaries and obtains attention-worthy information from narrators. Media documentation is promoted to a higher rank at present since the world has become a small village, thanks to the technological revolution in media and communication.
By focusing on the importance of art in documenting history and heritage, the NLA aimed to highlight the role of creative arts as a witness to history as such role cannot be ignored, especially that some artistic collections are turned into archival collections that present aspects of social and urban life at some time in the past.
Devoting attention to the role of art in documentation stems from the fact that art is an international language that documents significant aspects of the homeland’s history in various cultural, social and intellectual fields. Moreover, it is also concerned with the heritage and popular culture as an element of national identity and a part of history.
Given the NLA’s interest in bringing advantage to all, the 6th symposium will be held virtually on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at 12:00 pm, via interactive media platforms and the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jrlvXH_KSXGjeCxj21J7hw
The poet and researcher Moayed Al Shibani and the Emirati Theatre Director Faisal Al Darmaki will participate in the 6th symposium, which will be moderated by Dr. Husniya Al Ali, Educational Programs Consultant at the NLA.
The NLA’s 2022 cultural season symposiums that are organized monthly discuss important aspects of the UAE’s glorious history and bright present. This will significantly enhance belonging to the homeland and loyalty to its wise leadership and provide attendees with precise and significant information and knowledge. The historical dimension of these symposiums instils the national culture among generations.

The National Library and Archives derives the best standards and practices for the UAE National Library From UK, Egypt and Singapore.

The National Library and Archives concluded a tour of the world’s largest, most famous and distinguished libraries in UK, Singapore and the Arab Republic of Egypt, with the aim of starting from where others ended up, and getting acquainted with and benefiting from the best adopted practices and standards for the projected UAE National Library, which is to be established and equipped as a national reference and a cultural hub and an information center that preserves the UAE heritage, and reflects its scientific and civilizational development.
The National Library and Archives’ delegation headed by His Excellency Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Acting Director General, began the tour of the UK major libraries with a visit to the Library of Birmingham, being UK’s largest public library with a prominent position among the world’s distinguished libraries. It consists of 41 floors, and annually attracts three million visitors. The delegation members were briefed on the best adopted practices, policies and strategies, and on the digital infrastructure, they greatly benefited from the advanced experiences and distinctive mechanisms and regulations.
The delegation visited the Library of Birmingham, the Children's Center and Music Library, the Business and Learning Centre, the circulation and Reference Libraries, Shakespeare’s Room and the indoor and outdoor cafes.
The Library of Birmingham is distinguished by its environment-friendly building with a distinctive exterior that matches Birmingham’s industrial characteristic feature, and associated interconnected circular halls that provide natural light and ventilation.
During that official visit to the Library of Birmingham, the National Library and Archives’ delegation met Dawn Beaumont, Head of Library Services at the Library of Birmingham, and member of Birmingham City Council.
The delegation also visited the University of Birmingham’s Library and discussed with both Professor Adam Tickell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, and Dr. Tariq Ali, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Strategic Partnerships the role of the University of Birmingham’s Library in providing information sources that benefit researchers, and support curricula, and the library’s key advanced facilities and services. The delegation members also visited the University of Birmingham’s Manuscript Center and were acquainted with the best manuscript restoration and preservation practices, and viewed the oldest manuscript from the Holy Qur’an among other rare manuscripts.
Following that visit to the University of Birmingham, the delegation visited the British Library in London, which is the national library of the United Kingdom, to benefit from its experience and provided services to its various readers, intellectuals, and visitors. The delegation members were received by the library's executive office officials who took them on a tour of the Library’s reading halls, and permanent specialized and art exhibitions. They were also briefed, in the Arabic and Islamic manuscripts section, on the various holdings’ preservation, display and search mechanisms, access regulations, as well as the digital infrastructure, the access and circulation policies and procedures, and the printed and digital book collection’s technical management processes.
The British Library’s importance stems from its distinctive management of its holdings that exceed 150 million items including publications, manuscripts, digital materials, artworks, various multimedia, periodicals, and audio recordings from all over the world, some of which date back two thousand years BC. This library annually attracts more than a million visitors which earned it, along with the American Library of Congress that impressive ranking as the two world’s largest libraries.
 At the end of the tour, the delegation praised the British Library’s rich content and significant role on both local and global levels, being the target destination of senior researchers and librarians from around the world, and expressed its optimism and aspirations that the projected UAE National Library shall immensely benefit from the distinguished British Library experience to provide research requirements and mechanisms for future generations in the UAE and the Arab region.
The delegation visited the Pitt Rivers Museum in London, which has an exclusive agreement with the National Library and Archives, under which it may allow interested researchers access to Wilfred Thesiger, also known as Mubarak bin London’s collection.
And from the United Kingdom to Egypt where the delegation visited the Library of Alexandria, Egypt’s civilizational and cultural beacon, and was received by Dr. Sherif Riad, Head of External Relations and Media Sector. The delegation members toured the library and were briefed on its administrative and organizational structure, inspected its holdings, the Manuscripts and Rare Books Museum including rare documents and collections of books, the Children’s Library, the Antiquities Museum, including antiquities from the old library site, and artifacts dating back to the Byzantine and Pharaonic civilizations, in addition to the Museum of the late President Anwar Sadat.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina's interest in the people of determination resulted in the establishment of the Taha Hussein Library, which caters to people with visual impairments to provide them with programs that transfer written formats to audio ones. The Library of Alexandria bears witness to the greatness and richness of the Egyptian civilization, history and culture. The Library of Alexandria is one of the most important research centers throughout history. The delegation praised the Bibliotheca Alexandrina - which stands out as a cultural beacon that promotes knowledge and preserves human civilization, in the era of information revolution and communication technologies, and a major Egyptian civilizational project that brings to mind the old library's ancient and distinctive role and experience in preserving and enriching human culture.
Parallelly, another delegation from the National Library and Archives visited Singapore and met Ms. Julia Chee, Director of the National Archives of Singapore and Ms. Jennifer Quang, Deputy Director of the National Library, who briefed the delegation on the library and archive strategies, facilities and services, advanced practices, preservation, access, circulation regulations, that can be employed in the UAE National Library.
It is noteworthy that the Singapore National Library was established in 1845 to support the educational field. It includes a unique digitized cultural wealth from various world countries and cultures including photos, books, manuscripts, maps, audio recordings and films among others. The library, since its establishment, has uninterruptedly met its users’ needs and requirements with a distinguished book circulation system which does not require users to return the borrowed books to the same library from which they borrowed but to their nearest library, or automatically through e-devices especially developed for such purposes in several areas and regions in Singapore.
In the context of this tour, His Excellency Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Acting Director General of the National Library and Archives, said: The vital contemporary role played by the National Library in archiving and preserving the intellectual heritage of the nation establishes it as a book haven, a readers and researchers’ hub, as we witnessed during our visits to the world largest libraries to get acquainted with their adopted best practices and latest standards. The National Library and Archives takes great pride in its holdings of various historical documents and records documenting the memory of the nation, vast and various paper and electronic book collections, and specialized libraries characterized by distinguished and valuable holdings and content - looks forward to establishing a green, environment- friendly National Library with sophisticated, modern, advanced and smart facilities and infrastructure that provide comfortable reading spaces, as well as take into account and cater to users’ needs of facilitated circulation.
His Excellency added: In the United Arab Emirates, we are highly aware of the importance of reading for the dissemination of knowledge, development of societies, and establishing civilizations. Thus, we intend to establish a National Library that matches the world’s largest libraries in its allowing access to information, its design and designated vital and comfortable reading areas, that meet the needs and requirements of its various customers and users. Accordingly, we toured three different countries, namely: the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Singapore - in order to get acquainted with their Libraries’ adopted latest practices and highest standards; to assert the National Library’s great and diverse role.
H.E. added: During the NLA delegation’s visit to the British Library, we focused on its leading experience in its rare sources, references, and distinguished services’ provision mechanisms to customers and users to employ and benefit from such experience in establishing the projected UAE National Library in Abu Dhabi that combines the authenticity of Emirati origin and modernity of employed techniques, means, and systems to provide its customers easy access to its knowledge sources with the aim of disseminating sustainable national, Arab and international knowledge and culture in a pleasurable, comfortable and inspiring atmosphere, while maintaining the National Library’s main and leading functions and characteristics on a local level, and performing its role in the planning, supervision, and control of intellectual production, besides performing its national bibliography duties.
His Excellency also said: The Singapore Library’s great significance reflects its long history and successful experience in its sources and references circulation, digital infrastructure, and relentless endeavors to fully digitize its holdings in various library fields, accordingly, we aim to benefit from such great experience.
His Excellency the Acting Director General of the National Library and Archives concluded that successful experiences can only result from benefiting from others’ experiences, i.e. starting from where others ended up towards a future with rapid development, advancement and progress rather than inventing the wheel from scratch. Similarly, the UAE adopts that strategy as it sets its strategic plans for the next fifty years.

The National Archives and Library enriches the national memory with historical images on Google Maps

The Archive and the National Library took the initiative to enhance the national memory by enriching the business file on Google Maps with many historical photographs, as well as old and modern professional images of forts, towers and castles in the United Arab Emirates, which, in their historical dimension, symbolize the loftiness and greatness of the past, and the creativity of the Emirati man in the field of traditional architecture. . The interest of the Archive and the National Library in publishing these images stems from their being part of the urban heritage left by the fathers and grandfathers, the urban identity and the national history, and its keenness to use programs and technologies in order to enrich the memory of the nation.
At a time when the Google Maps service has become an essential thing for people to know the places they go to, their details, and the roads that lead to them, the Archives and the National Library have fed information on Google Maps with images that enhance Internet users' knowledge of the most important historical places in the UAE. The Archives and the National Library own collections of these photographs, which were taken recently with professional lenses.
This initiative demonstrates the interest of the Archives and the National Library in the place with all its different spaces and its extensions in the deep roots, and in describing the urban styles and their symbols as one of the most important distinguishing elements of the place, especially since a large part of the place's genius is embodied in the architecture.
The Archive and the National Library are among the pioneering institutions in preserving the memory of the nation and making it available to its beneficiaries inside and outside the country, with its keenness to ensure that what it publishes on the Internet bears its logo that preserves its copyright and property rights.
The Archives and the National Library focused on supporting the Google Maps site with pictures of its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, its preservation and restoration building, and the Emirates Library, which is concerned with sources and references related to the history and heritage of the Emirates in particular and the Gulf region in general.
The images that the archive and the National Library have enriched Google Maps with vary, as they are from all the emirates of the country, the most prominent of which are: Qasr Al-Hosn, Al-Maqtaa Fort in Abu Dhabi, Muzaira’a Castle in Liwa, Al-Murabaa, Al-Jahili and Al-Anka Castles in Al-Ain, Umm Al-Quwain Museum (Al Ali Castle), and the Clock Roundabout in Dubai, Masafi Castle in Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah Fort... and others.
This step is the beginning of the launch of a national project that the Archive and the National Library will continue to enhance with modern professional photos, maps and historical photos that it derives from the Photo Archives and the Presidential Archives  in it.

​​​​​​​The National Library and Archives receives a large number of various books from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The National Library and Archives has received a large number of various books in Arabic and other languages from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Ministry received this large number of books from the UAE’s embassies abroad after they have expressed their desire to keep them with the NLA in order to be accessible to researchers, academics and the public.
The NLA received about (130) large boxes, some of which were provided to the Emirates Library while the others were kept at the national library’s warehouses to be established in the near future.
With regard to this initiative, Mr. Hamad Al Hamiri, Director of Research and Knowledge Services Department at the NLA, said: “These collections of books enrich the Emirates Library and the national library and diversify their sources and references, so they become distinctive by their holdings and role in meeting the requirements of their patrons.”
“Books are the primary information assets that contribute mainly to the establishing of the knowledge economy in order to reach the future and maintain the march of progress, and this is what the UAE aspires to.”, he added.
He expressed his warm thanks to the UAE’s embassies for taking the initiative to preserve these various and valuable books at the NLA, and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for supervising the evaluation and sorting of the books and providing them to the NLA.
 He emphasized that this step is a remarkable sign of confidence in the NLA, which aims to establish the national library as a national reference and a cultural and information center that preserves the UAE’s heritage and highlights its scientific and cultural development on the lines of the international libraries that incubate human heritage.
Al Hamiri called upon all national figures and entities inside the UAE and abroad to provide their collections of books to the NLA, which will devote great attention to the collections it receives and will keep them in the appropriate place in the Emirates Library at the present time or in the national library in the future so that they become accessible to readers, researchers and beneficiaries who are keen on knowledge.
It is worth mentioning that the books received by the NLA from the Ministry were characterized by their various topics, most prominently, the UAE’s sheikhs and main leaders, most notably the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
This is in addition to topics in history, national identity, literature, poetry, Islamic jurisprudence, translation and economy as well as some significant topics pertaining to the UAE.

The National Library and Archives signs a memorandum of understanding with Alef Education with an aim to support digital learning based on modern technological innovations.

The National Library and Archives signed a memorandum of understanding with Alef Education Company aimed at supporting and enriching the platform with national scientific material that contributes to enhancing the values of loyalty and belonging to the homeland, instilling civic education and national identity in students and future generations, building a knowledge society, that takes pride in its identity and glorious history, strengthening bilateral strategic relations, and enhancing the cooperation and integration prospects in educational and other fields or areas of common interest.

The memorandum was signed by His Excellency Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Acting Director-General, on behalf of the National Library and Archives, and by Mr. Geoffrey Alphonso, CEO, on behalf of Alef Education Company, in the presence of several Department Directors and officials of both institutions.
On this occasion, His Excellency Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Acting Director-General of the National Library and Archives, said: This memorandum establishes mutual distinguished future relations in the context of enhancing students’ interactive learning experience with information on the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates. Especially that we attach great hopes and aspirations to the important national role played by the National Library and Archive as a strategic partner in the future generations’ sound civic education. From this point of view, the National Library and Archives provided the Alef platform with its publications and educational material that will surely contribute to instilling in students and future generations the values of loyalty and belonging to the homeland and its wise leadership and to enhancing their national identity and good citizenship.
His Excellency stressed the importance of this memorandum given both parties’ keen interest in the educational process’ progress in line with the educational vision of the United Arab Emirates Government, which attaches great importance to and is highly interested in including the memory of the nation within its educational system.
His Excellency thanked the management of Alef Education, and all concerned for the great cooperation and coordination that lead to the signing of this memorandum, which comes as a mutual benefit to both parties, and serves their interests. H.E. praised the role played by Alef Education to develop the students’ educational experience, and to make the educational process more interactive and enjoyable.
Dr. Aishah Al Yammahi, Board Advisor of Alef Education Company said: “We are honoured at Alef Education to conclude this memorandum of understanding with the National Library and Archives within our mutual cooperation framework in various areas in which both parties are distinguished, including the digitization of knowledge resources and the use of technical innovations to facilitate learners’ access to content This cooperation reflects our common vision to advance learning based on modern technical innovations, and contribute to achieving national goals in the transition towards a more flexible and comprehensive digital knowledge system, in line with the rapid global changes in the field of artificial intelligence applications in the educational field.
She added: The importance of this cooperation for Alef Education stems from the fact that it supports coordination and exchange of experiences with leading institutions, and highlights the innovative features of our smart products, most notably the Alef educational platform. We look forward to expanding our cooperation with the National Library and Archives, in our belief in the importance of concerted efforts in providing an educational and knowledge environment that supports the era of the UAE sustainable development.
Geoffrey Alphonso, CEO of Alef Education, said: “We are pleased to sign that agreement with the National Library and Archives, and to further enhance bilateral cooperation prospects in line with our keen interest to promote cooperation with various sectors’ authorities and institutions, to share our experiences in education digitization, and expand our smart solutions users’ scope. In “Alef” we will continue our commitment to aligning our strategies, projects with the UAE Government’s national vision, especially in the educational sector as a fundamental growth and progress pillar, and the driving force for the transformation towards a more sustainable future, in which the UAE continues to excel in all fields, and to assume the distinguished status of an education and knowledge hub and a unique model for adopting the latest learning innovations, and employing modern technologies to enhance the quality of life and services efficiency.
Under this memorandum, the National Library and Archives provided both the Alef and Abjadiyat platforms with national academic and scientific material including a group of reading publications particularly prepared for children and students from the National Library and Archives’ publications, and the students’ national creative stories resulting from the (Zayed 100 Stories), the “Fifty Writers” projects, besides the national lectures, documentary films recorded for the National Library and Archives, and other cartoon films for children, and the electronic version of the educational brochure (Watani Al Emarat) or (The UAE.. My homeland) in both Arabic and English.