Photo: Courtesy of Wam
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai recently inaugurated the Mohammed bin Rashid Library located in Al Jaddaf, Dubai, set to open on June 16. It cost AED 1 billion to build the seven-floor library, which is shaped like a wooden book stand known as a ‘rahl’. The space was conceptualized with the aim to foster and nurture a love for reading while supporting the development of creativity, knowledge, and art at both, individual and social levels.
“Today, we launch a cultural and intellectual edifice for our new generations, through which we aim to promote reading, spread knowledge, and support researchers and scientists. Our goal is to illuminate the human mind,” Sheikh Mohammed said following the library’s inauguration. “The economy needs knowledge, politics needs wisdom, nations need to learn, and all of that can be found in books. Through this library, we have brought together millions of books to develop our path, consolidate our identity, culture, and roots, and create our future.”
Photo: Twitter.com/hhshskmohd
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, Dubai’s latest landmark.
The library is an ocean of knowledge and books
The Mohammed bin Rashid Library is home to more than 1.1 million printed and digital books in Arabic and foreign languages, over six million dissertations, around 73,000 music scores, 75,000 videos, approximately 13,000 articles, and more than 5,000 historical print and digital journals within an archive covering 325 years, along with about 35,000 print and digital newspapers from around the world, and nearly 500 rare collectibles.
It is divided into nine sections
The library has nine specialized sections which are, The General Library, The Emirates Library, The Young Adults Library, The Children’s Library, The Special Collection Library, The Maps and Atlases Library, The Media and Arts Library, The Business Library, and The Periodical Library. With the goal to create a space for all fragments of society such as the youth, children, government and private institutions, writers, researchers, thinkers, and artists, the library provides access to a wide range of e-books, other digital media, and information sources from around the globe.
Photo: Courtesy of Wam
The library incorporates high-end, latest technology to maximize the reader’s experience
The Athenaeum is part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) and makes use of the latest technology and artificial intelligence (AI) which include automated storage and electronic book retrieval system, self-service kiosks, a book digitization laboratory, and smart robots to respond to visitors’ inquiries, along with augmented and virtual reality technologies, among others.
The library was built to be sustainable and ecologically sound
The exteriors of the environment-friendly library are designed in a way to insulate the building’s interior, reduce heat gain, and help regulate the building’s internal environment with an abundance of natural light flooding the interiors through ceiling windows. The building receives 10% of its energy from solar panels installed on the roof and is built to reduce water consumption by 50%. The place also recycles water from air conditioners to irrigate its green spaces.
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