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FACILITIES& SERVICES
TheQatarNationalLibrary
@QNLib
QatarNationalLibrary
QNLib
QNLibrary
Qatar National Library
For all Qatar National Library news and updates, follow our social media accounts.
PO Box: 5825, Doha - QatarEmail: [email protected]: www.qnl.qa
Table of CONTENTS
Facts and Figures
Facilities
Reading Spaces
Group Study Rooms & Collaborative Spaces
Instruction Rooms
Event Spaces
Innovation Station
Assistive Technology
Easy Accessibility
Children’s and Teens Library
Public Computer Services
Self-check-in / checkout Stations
Wayfinding Screens
Infotainment
Digitization Center
Preservation and Conservation Laboratory
Restaurant and Café
Services
Member Services
Ask QNL Librarians
Document Delivery Service
Writing Support Services
Research Services
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Qatar National Library (QNL) offers an
array of services and facilities suitable
for all age groups and demographics of
the community in Qatar. It also contains
a huge number of books on its shelves,
stored books, and online resources.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Below are some statistical figures about the Library:
Currently, QNL has over 800,000 items on its shelves, more
than 100,000 of which are intended for children and more
than 30,000 for teens.
In addition to this, there are 35,000 linear meters of compact
shelving in the basement, which can house up to 800,000
items for storage purposes.
QNL also provides its members with free access to more
than 300,000 eBooks and other materials accessible through
approximately 200 online resources, available 24/7.
For more details, please visit the QNL website: www.qnl.qa
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QNL has a variety of open reading spaces as below:
• 629 seats, beanbags, sofas, and bubble chairs distributed all over the building
• Reading spaces between the bookshelves to encourage communal gatherings,
study, and browsing
• Reading tables with power outlets and internet points across the building
• 28 study carrels that serve as quiet spaces for individual study
• A reading space for researchers in the Heritage Library area
READING SPACES
FACILITIES
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GROUP STUDY ROOMS AND COLLABORATIVE SPACES
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In addition to the open reading spaces, the Library offers a number of group study rooms
and collaborative spaces equipped with state-of-the-art technological solutions, as well as
audiovisual equipment for multipurpose use.
These facilities include:
• Six study rooms with a capacity for two people, equipped with seating and power sockets
• Two group study rooms with a capacity for four to six persons, equipped with seating and
power sockets
• Three media viewing rooms, two with a capacity for four people, and one for eight people,
equipped with presentation facilities, a media server and a screen
These spaces require reservation in advance, through the QNL website.
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INSTRUCTION ROOMS
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The Library has several instruction rooms for heritage and information
fluency. These rooms are equipped with AV systems for presentations and
audio and video conferencing.
The instruction rooms are as follows:
• Two rooms for Heritage Library instruction, outreach and presentation, with
a capacity for 16 and 36 people each
• One room for information fluency instruction, with a capacity for 13 people
• Two rooms for offering writing support services
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QNL has a number of event spaces, including:
• An auditorium with 120 seats
• A special events area, which can seat up to 120 people depending on the set-up
Both of these facilities have been designed for public lectures, theater performances, movie projections
and other events. They are equipped with high-end lighting effects, a media server and screens. The
auditorium contains facilities for presentations, audio and video conferencing and interpretation
equipment.
• Exhibition spaces designed to showcase items such as paintings, photography, documents, artifacts and
others, as well as a digital exhibition on 11 interactive totems
EVENT SPACES
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INNOVATION STATION
The QNL Innovation Station is a public space that offers a creative and
collaborative environment where ideas are shared, expanded upon and brought
to life. It serves as a hub for innovators, artists, musicians, creators and learners to
express themselves and turn their concepts into reality.
The Innovation Station offers QNL members:
• Computer workstations
• 3D printing and scanning
• Videography, photography, and digital design services
• Do-It-Yoursefl (DIY) technologies
• Old media conversion, such as legacy VHS tapes into digital formats
• A music production facility
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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
QNL’s assistive services provide
a wide range of programs,
activities and technologies that
cater for people with special
needs and disabilities, whether it
is for research, studies, reading,
or hobbies.
This area has 16 adjustable desks
and computers equipped with
the latest assistive hardware and
software.
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EASY ACCESSIBILITYThe various levels and areas of the Library are easily accessible through:
• A combination of staircases, elevators, and ramps
• The People Mover System, which is a futuristic hybrid between an
elevator and an escalator, consisting of three cabins travelling along the
perimeter of the building; this system was custom-designed for QNL.
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CHILDREN’S AND TEENS LIBRARY
QNL offers the following services and facilities
for children:
• A wide-ranging collection of books for all
children’s ages and stages of development
• Materials for parents and teachers
• Developmental toys and educational materials
• Six computer stations with useful software for
children
• Eight iPads with the latest and most engaging
learning applications
• Areas with low and high working tables for
children of different ages
• A dedicated space for toddlers
• A multipurpose room equipped with a media
server, interactive screen, and presentation
facilities to show educational audio-visual
materials for children, as well as interactive
programs and storytelling activities
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The Library also has a dedicated space to
support the developmental, educational,
and social needs of teenagers.
Aside from the vast range of fiction,
nonfiction and graphic novel books, QNL
offers the following for teens:
• A dedicated study area and seating
• Working tables for activities and creative
work
• Six gaming kiosks housing the latest
consoles and games
Teens are also permitted to use the other
facilities and areas of the Library.
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QNL offers numerous computing services, including:
• PCs, printers, and scanners
• Internet access on public computers
• Wifi connectivity for personal equipment
• Basic and advanced software for work and research
• Two computer labs equipped with an AV-system and
presentation facilities to conduct training sessions. These
labs are open to the public when not otherwise in use.
PUBLIC COMPUTER SERVICES
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SELF-CHECK-IN/CHECKOUT STATIONS
QNL members can use their library
membership cards to access the 20 self-
checkout stations, located across various
areas in the building, for quicker and more
convenient borrowing of materials.
QNL members can also use these stations
to check their library accounts or renew
materials they have borrowed.
There are also eight book return stations.
Seven of these are located inside the
building, and one is a 24-hour drive-
through station outside the building.
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WAYFINDING SCREENS
There are four wayfinding screens that are distributed across different areas
of the building to help QNL visitors navigate their way to the various areas
and services of the Library. These screens employ the concept of augmented
reality, where the names of the various QNL facilities/areas are superimposed
on a real view of the building generated by a camera in these machines.
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INFOTAINMENTQNL has four large media walls and 11 two-sided totems
that display content from the Library collections, QNL
calendar of events, wayfinding maps for the QNL
building, as well as interactive elements such as games,
a drawing tool, and e-souvenirs.
Each of the media walls allows two people at a time to
interact simultaneously with the content presented on
the wall, so that eight people can use the four screens at
the same time. The 11 totems can be used by 22 people
at the same time.
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DIGITIZATION CENTER
The QNL Digitization Center provides
solutions for digitizing books, magazines,
manuscripts, newspapers, maps, documents,
2D and 3D objects, photography collections
(slides, negatives, and glass plates), and
audio/video collections.
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In addition to the digitization of all forms of
content related to Arab and Islamic heritage
and making them publicly accessible, the Center
undertakes custom digitization projects for
governmental institutions, private entities, and the
local community organizations.
The Center is equipped with cutting-edge
technology and software including:
• ICC Color-managed workflow to ensure color
accuracy
• Lab and studio facilities with high-end
digitization, scanning, and photography
equipment
• Advanced image enhancement software tools
• Text recognition for both Arabic and Latin text
using Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
technologies that enrich the digitized images by
adding a content-search feature and allow the
user to discover beyond the scanned images
• Cutting-edge imaging and lighting equipment
for 3D imaging, allowing researchers to view
objects in minute detail
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PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION LABORATORY
Preserving cultural heritage is an important part of the QNL’s
mission. Therefore, QNL offers the expertise of a fully trained
international team and laboratories that are equipped with the
most up-to-date techniques and machines to handle activities
in the following areas:
• Preventive conservation
• Bio-deterioration analysis and treatment
• Conservation
• Material analysis to support conservation actions
• Scientific research
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QNL has a public restaurant located under the north tier. The
counter has open live cooking stations.
The building also houses a coffee shop under the bridge
where QNL visitors can grab a cup of coffee while reading
their favorite books.
RESTAURANT AND CAFÉ
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SERVICES
MEMBER SERVICES
Although the Library doors are open for all to visit, read
books, and attend public events, there are services that are
exclusive for QNL members - such as borrowing books,
reserving individual and group study rooms, making use
of the Innovation Station services including its studios and
production facilities, accessing online resources, utilizing
research services, and using the Document Delivery Service.
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This is a national reference service, which is offered
through the QNL website. It connects people who
have questions with the appropriate resources. To
use this service, please visit the ‘Ask QNL Librarians’
page on the Library website.
QNL users can also approach the Information Desk
in the library building for onsite help.
Through the Document Delivery Service (DDS), QNL provides its
members with materials, in electronic or print formats, that are
not available in QNL resources and collections. This service also
includes borrowing between libraries.
If, after searching the QNL catalog and online resources, a user
cannot find the material they are looking for, they may use this
service.
All requests for this service should be submitted through the
DDS online form available on the QNL website, with detailed
information.
For more details on this service and how to use it, please visit the
‘Document Delivery Service’ page on the QNL website.
ASK QNL LIBRARIANS
DOCUMENT DELIVERY SERVICE
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QNL provides the following writing support services:
• Individual or small group consultations with writing specialists
• Training workshops on academic, business, and leisure writing
• Assisting in exploring, generating, organizing, and evaluating ideas
• Guiding the user through the writing process that is related to a
specific topic
• Providing constructive feedback on the overall organization or
structure of the composition
• Explaining the logical development of content
• A writing club, where members come together to share ideas and
write poetry, plays, song lyrics, novels, and other genres
WRITING SUPPORT SERVICES
In addition to academic and research online resources,
QNL offers researchers free access to the following:
• Qatar Digital Library
• The QNL Digital Repository
• Subject Guides and Research Tools (available
through QNL website)
• Open Access Author Fund
• Open Access Vouchers
RESEARCH SERVICES
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