AFLI President To QNA: We Commend QNL's Contribution In Preserving Arab Heritage

Doha, March 13 (QNA) - President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Dr. Nabhan bin Harith Al Harrasi affirmed that Qatar National Library (QNL) is a prominent cultural and scientific resource not only in the Arab world, but also throughout the world. In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Monday, AFLI President said that the State of Qatar was able, in a few years, to emerge and excel through a wide range of cultural activities and events that contributed to introducing Arab culture and intellectual heritage, praising the role of Qatar National Library in preserving the Arab heritage through its existing and ongoing project related to digitize the region's documents. He explained that this project contributed to preserving and introducing these documents, which have become a source for researchers and scholars, especially in the field of history. He added that communication between Qatar National Library and the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information has been continuing since the opening of the library, noting that cooperation has been strengthened over time. In a previous meeting between the library and the AFLI President, it was agreed on a set of cooperation programs, including participation in the QNL Annual Forum for Library Professionals, which will be held on March 19 for two days, during which participants from libraries, museums and cultural centers sector from all over the world will exchange talks and experiences about their initiatives in the field of cultural diplomacy. Representatives of Qatar National Library also participate in AFLI activities, the most important of which is the annual AFLI conference. Dr. Al Harrasi, a Library and Information Science Associate Professor and Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, appreciated QNL's role as a the Regional Center for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to preserve heritage in the Arab world, stressing that the library had this status, due to its cultural and scientific location in the region, and thanks to its continuous activity in linking knowledge to society, as well as the scientific communication network established by the library with regional and international organizations. Choosing Qatar National Library as the IFLA Regional Center to introduce the world to Arab intellectual heritage enhances civilizational communication between East and West, he added. Regarding the existence of a database on libraries in the Arab world, he said that there is a database of researches published in the library and information sector called Al-Hadi database, but there is no map of Arab libraries, stressing that the Federation contributes to developing the skills of librarians in preserving documents and manuscripts, as it provides continuous training programs in all sectors, including the preservation of documents and manuscripts. He underlined that during the past years, AFLI organized many training programs and workshops in the field of archives and documents, which touched on preserving documents and manuscripts and digitizing and making them available, adding that it intends to organize a symposium and a workshop in this field next May in Tunisia, during which issues related to converting documents into electronic sources will be addressed, in addition to reviewing some pioneering experiences in the Arab world in document management. Al Harrasi affirmed that all Arab countries fall under the umbrella of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information and receive great attention, and that the countries in which libraries were exposed to security risks and challenges are under the concern and study of the Federation, noting that the AFLI issued a special book on libraries in Palestine, and another book on the challenges faced by libraries in light of the Covid-19 crisis, and is currently planning to hold a symposium on libraries affected in conflict-prone areas based on AFLI's role in supporting and preserving Arab library heritage. 

In his QNA interview, the President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Dr. Nabhan Al Harrasi stressed the need to invest in information technology in the work of libraries to progress civilizations and for people to obtain knowledge quickly, with high efficiency. Technology has greatly interfered with the information services provided by libraries during the past three decades with the advent of the global information network and has contributed to managing the huge amount of knowledge that would otherwise have been difficult to control without databases and search engines, he said, stressing the ability of libraries, with high efficiency, to adapt technology to serve its goals, and strengthen its relationship with beneficiaries and researchers. He added that in light of the knowledge explosion and the huge amount of information sources, after the spread of Web 2.0, content management systems appeared to organize information and facilitate its retrieval. These systems have succeeded to a large extent in achieving these goals, and have evolved through systems by introducing more accurate techniques and tools that respond to the needs of researchers, highly intelligent systems. In the future, it is expected that content management systems will witness a huge leap, especially after the introduction of Artificial Intelligence. The digitization of documents and sources of information has become necessary now to link the past with the present, Dr. Al Harrasi said, adding that digitization also contributes to preserving heritage and making it widely available via the Internet. Many countries, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, have worked to digitize their archives of documents and make them available to the public to enhance knowledge, and to introduce the world to their intellectual heritage, he stressed. The national libraries are primarily responsible for preserving the heritage of nations, collecting intellectual production, introducing it, and promoting civilized and cultural communication. These principles are compatible with the policies and strategies pursued by countries. National libraries are the basis for achieving cultural diplomacy, and the foundation for preserving identity and community values, and contribute significantly to implanting the principles of reading, especially for young people, he added. President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information concluded his interview by saying that the transformation to a knowledge economy requires the availability of information and databases, as well as the existence of institutions capable of providing consultations, especially in planning and decision-making, and these requirements are provided by national libraries, he said, pointing out that therefore, national libraries have and still contribute to this transformation, and have always been a main axis in promoting knowledge in society, which contributes to the formation and creation of non-traditional economies. The next AFLI annual conference will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from Nov.14 to 16, he noted. The Federation's annual conference will address the importance of investing in culture and the role that libraries can play in this regard. It will also include topics on entrepreneurship in the library sector and creative industries and will bring together about 500 specialists in the library and information sector. The conference will also reflect Arab and regional experiences in this field. The Arab Federation for Libraries and Information is an independent, non-governmental Arab organization established in 1986 in Tunisia. It is considered the largest umbrella for specialists and professionals in the library and information sector in the Arab world, based on the principles of consolidating the culture of reading, interest in the library sector, scientific publishing, and work to consolidate the values of the library profession. The Federation has a statute that was voted on by the federation's general committee, and it serves as the constitution regulating elections and membership. It defines the federation's objectives, directions, organizational structures, committees, and the tasks of the federation's executive office. (QNA)