Qatar National Library kicks off summer with exciting line-up of events

The Qatar National Library (QNL) will start the summer season with a range of events and activities for children and young adults.

The QNL will also be hosting several in-person events and workshops to cater to the community.On May 14, young adults can join a session presented by volunteer Jassem al-Ashar, where they will learn about volunteer work and the most important traits that volunteers should possess, in addition to how to find institutions that need volunteers.In celebration of the International Day of Light, the QNL will host a lecture on May 16 on publications by important Arab scholars on Arab contributions to developing humanity's knowledge of optics.In celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the QNL will host an event on May 19 to celebrate the richness of the world’s cultures and the essential role of cultural diversity in achieving peace and sustainable development.On May 21, young adults can participate in a workshop that will introduce them to the basics of data science, with live demonstrations of the applications of these technologies.The session will be led by John Laurence Zabanal, a professional data scientist who has been involved in creating various projects related to data science.The QNL will host the first annual forum for library professionals titled “Libraries Lead”, with the theme *Libraries as Catalysts for Achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.A pre-forum workshop will be held on May 22, where participants will learn about community-library inter-action (CLIA), a practice for libraries to facilitate dialogue and action for the community that leads to social transformation.The CLIA workshop will introduce a process that empowers libraries to lead by engaging with the community.On May 23-24, the QNL will host the two-day "Libraries Lead" forum that will focus on library programmes, services, collaborations and initiatives that drive progress for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda.The forum will be a venue where libraries and institutions share their efforts to advocate for or support any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.On May 23, the QNL will host a lecture on *Western Travelogues to Mecca (Makkah).The Heritage Library houses a significant number of Western travelers' books on the Middle East and North African region, and an interesting and notable collection of rare books on Western travelers to the holy city of Makkah between the 17th and 19th centuries.As the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)’s Regional Preservation and Conservation Centre for the Arab region, and in co-operation with Lebanon’s Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), the QNL will be presenting a series of four webinars that highlight the collection care procedures, conservation practices and preservation activities adopted and applied by the USEK Library.The first session on May 23 will discuss the basic care principles and practices of paper and leather-based collections.On May 24, there will be a session to introduce the history and technique of papermaking and the different factors and causes of deterioration from the environment to handling.On May 25, participants can attend a session to explore the case study of the care basics applied at the USEK Library: daily care routine, preservation strategy, procedures, and practices, followed by a final session on May 26 to provide a guide for the best conservation of materials and an exploration of best practices of preservation.On May 25, the QNL continues its "Manuscript Studies Lecture” series, with a session that provides a historical overview of the collections of libraries and museums in Turkey.The author of *The Cat I Never Named, Dr Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, will be at the QNL on the same day to talk about her book, the memoir of a Muslim teen struggling to survive amid the Bosnian genocide and the stray cat who protected her family through it all.On May 26, the QNL will host an online book discussion for the visually impaired.The session will discuss the audiobook, *Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, which tells the story of a person who grew up on an island alone and will examine his relationship to the universe and religion.The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing *Unravel, a unique project that combines music and visual art, on May 26 at the library.Created and executed by Mariya Medvedeva, the project represents the effects of music on perception and the artist's inner imagination visualised onto canvas.