Qatar University inaugurates new library

HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, vice president of the Supreme Education Council, inaugurated yesterday the new library building of Qatar University. The state-of-the-art facility opened in Spring this year as a symbol of QU’s expansion and ongoing commitment to drive forward Qatar as a leader in knowledge and education in the region. HE Sheikha Hind illuminated a plaque which marked the formal opening of the library. She was joined by QU president Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad, vice presidents, college deans, heads of departments and staff, as well as librarians from Education City, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, Community College Qatar, Museum of Islamic Art and Mathaf. Prof al-Misnad stated on the occasion that Qatar University remains, as always, committed to providing its students with a high quality education and valuable skills for life-long learning. “The new library, with its up-to-date acquisitions and inviting spaces, will be a valuable resource for students, faculty members and researchers, supporting their work and helping them to excel. “It is also a space to which we welcome the broader community beyond Qatar University and one that we hope they will enjoy and benefit from using.” Designed with the capacity to hold one million volumes, the library is located in the newly developed part of the QU campus. The five-storey building of approximately 51,464sq m (553,958sq ft) has ground and first floors dedicated to female students, faculty members, staff and visitors. The second floor is for male students. Qatar residents are also welcome to use the library, free of charge. Membership is required for those wishing to check out books. With 1,500 study spaces inside the library, additional facilities include computer labs, a special needs lab, multi-media lab, three library instruction labs with capacity for 40 people in each, 24 individual and 16 group post-graduate study rooms, three meeting or lecture rooms, a 165-seat capacity auditorium, exhibition areas, a Qatari corner, an American corner and a special collection room. The library also houses the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, which conducts survey research on issues related to the development and welfare of Qatari society. In line with QU’s mission to optimise usage of the library, some 300 PCs will be available for online catalogue and Internet access and to use MS Office applications. In addition, 30 laptops can be booked to use inside the library. The library building is linked to the campus-wide wireless network.