Mohammed Bin Rashid Library opens its doors
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, a new cultural beacon in the region. Built with an investment of AED 1 billion, the library aims to cultivate a culture of reading, supporting the development of creativity, knowledge and art at both an individual and social level. It will provide a platform for intellectual, literary and creative minds across the region and the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Today we are opening a cultural and intellectual building for our new generations, through which we aim to promote reading, disseminate knowledge and support researchers and scholars… Our aim is to enlighten the human mind.”
His Highness added: “Economics needs knowledge… politics needs wisdom… nations need learning… and all this can be found in books. In this library we have collected millions of books to develop our way, to strengthen our identity, culture and roots… and create our future.”
His Highness toured the various sections and facilities of the new cultural attraction and toured the library’s collection, which will strengthen the UAE’s position as the cultural and creative capital of the region and an incubator of intellectual and literary initiatives and projects in the Arab world.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library aims to help people with diverse interests, especially the youth, gain access to printed and digital books in order to foster an Arab generation that understands the role of reading and culture in the development of society.
The seven floors of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library contain a significant amount of material. It includes over 1.1 million printed and digital books in Arabic and foreign languages, over 6 million dissertations, some 73,000 music scores, 75,000 videos, some 13,000 articles, over 5,000 historical print and digital magazines in an archive spanning 325 years, some 35,000 print and digital newspapers from around the world and some 500 rare collectibles.
The library will officially open its doors to the public on Thursday, June 16, 2022.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library consists of nine specialised libraries, including the General Library, the Emirates Library, the Youth Library, the Children’s Library, the Special Collections Library, the Map and Atlas Library, the Media and Arts Library, the Business Library and the Periodicals Library. In addition to paperback books, the library provides access to a wide range of e-books and other digital media, as well as access to millions of books, information sources and materials from around the world.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library’s state-of-the-art technology and artificial intelligence facilities include an automated book storage and electronic retrieval system, self-service kiosks, a digitisation laboratory for books, smart robots responding to visitors’ requests, and augmented and virtual reality technology, among others.
It is also an eco-friendly library, as it gets 10% of its energy from solar panels installed on the roof of the building. The exterior structure is designed to insulate the interior of the building, reduce heat gain and help regulate the building’s internal environment.
The library, strategically located in the city centre, has natural light thanks to the ceiling windows in the building and is designed to reduce water consumption by 50%. Water is recycled from the air conditioning units to irrigate the green space.
. @HHShkMohd inaugurates AED1 billion ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Library’, the new cultural beacon in the region includes nine specialised libraries, over 1 million print and digital books, and more than 6 million research articles. #Dubai pic.twitter.com/aNNQDA6JFI
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 14, 2022
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