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 for the Arab world, but also throughout the world.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Monday, AFLI president said Qatar was able, in a few years, to emerge and excel through a wide range of cultural activities and events that have contributed to introducing Arab culture and intellectual heritage, and praised the role of Qatar National Library in preserving the Arab heritage through its existing and ongoing project to digitise 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 co-operation has been strengthened over time.
In a previous meeting between the library and the AFLI president, it was agreed for a set of co-operation programmes, 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 centres 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 the Regional Centre 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 due to its continuous activity in linking knowledge to society, as well as the scientific communication network established by the library with regional and international organisations.
Choosing Qatar National Library as the IFLA Regional Centre to introduce the world to Arab intellectual heritage enhances civilisational 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. He stressed that the Federation contributes to developing the skills of librarians in preserving documents and manuscripts, as it provides continuous training programmes in all sectors, including the preservation of documents and manuscripts.
He underlined that in the past years, AFLI organised many training programmes and workshops in the field of archives and documents, which touched on preserving documents and manuscripts, and digitising and making them available, adding that it intends to organise 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.
FOCUS ON IT
In his 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, 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 which 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 to 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 organise 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 digitisation of documents and sources of information has become necessary now to link the past with the present, Dr al-Harrasi said, adding that digitisation has also contributed to preserving heritage and making it widely available via the Internet.
Many countries, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, have worked to digitise 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 civilised and cultural communication. These principles are compatible with the policies and strategies pursued by countries.
CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
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 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 organisation 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 works 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, organisational structures, committees, and the tasks of the federation's executive office.(QNA)