The first phase of Dubai Digital Library was launched by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) during an event organized by MBRF at the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Men’s College, Academic City.
The library aims to serve as an advanced electronic platform aimed to inculcate the habit of reading by showcasing a wide collection of Arabic books, including translated works involving all genres. It will also feature Arabic and international periodicals, biographies, dictionaries, photographs and maps.
The Managing Director of MBRF, Jamal bin Huwaireb, mentioned that Dubai Digital Library initiative complements the announcement of President HH Shaikh Khalifa in Zayed Al Nahyan having declared the year 2016 as the Year of Reading in the UAE. The initiative is also led by the directives of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, together with Shaikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum to provide an advanced electronic platform involving books of all genres, said Jamal bin Huwaireb, Managing Director, MBRF.
Bin Huwaireb emphasized that MBRF through its various projects aims to offer advanced platforms that facilitate knowledge sharing of the Arab culture with rest of the world, and reflects its lead position among global cultures and civilizations. The MBRF aims to preserve the emirate’s national heritage, culture and identity, while also building bridges of communication and understanding with various global cultures.
The first phase of Dubai Digital Library will comprise 1600 books which cover all aspects of documented knowledge like language, medicine, geography, pharmacy, religion, history, biographies, sociology and others. The library offers easy access to a vast body of knowledge through search options and tools.
The Dubai Digital Library is available on multiple platforms and devices. Visitors have the opportunity to comment too.
Bin Huwaireb mentioned that Dubai Digital Library is one of the several ambitious projects that aim to enrich the volume of Arabic content online and promote the use of language through various platforms in a quick and interesting manner for the community.
The library also reaches the widest possible segment of people through its features like Arabic and international books, translations, dictionaries, biographies, periodicals, pictures and maps. It also has various other initiatives like Dubai International Programme for Writing, ‘Book in Minutes’ initiative, Flashes and Wamadat magazines.
It also includes newspapers and magazines issued in Arabic and dictionaries will be provided to support the public in strengthening their language skills. In future, several translated works would also be included.
The digital library is accessible by people with special needs also, as there are plans to launch audio books on the platform, including multimedia with videos and images.
