GITEX Technology Week 2018: Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation Launches New Edition Of ‘Dubai Digital Library’ With Enriched Arabic Content

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) has launched the new edition of its Dubai Digital Library (DDL) as it takes part in GITEX Technology Week 2018, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre on October 14-18.

The Dubai Digital Library was established to make knowledge available and accessible to all segments of society all around the world and enrich online Arabic-language content to keep up with modern times and the requirements and demands of current generations.

The Foundation announced that registration for the Library is now open and free of charge for all citizens and residents of the UAE, which allows them to benefit from its valuable content, promotes reading in the local community, and facilitates their access to knowledge material across all sectors and from the convenience of their smart devices.

The Dubai Digital Library currently houses around 100,000 titles, including books, periodicals, heritage material, and summaries from the “A Book in Minutes” initiative, which MBRF issues after translating international best sellers into Arabic. The Library’s digital content, meanwhile, includes entire books, as well as separate chapters from a book, articles, manuscripts, and children’s books. It covers a wide array of topics such as philosophy, religion, social science, languages, science, technology, art, history, geography, and translations.

In addition, the DDL includes Zayed Library, which was launched during the Year of Zayed to document all that has been written and published about the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE. Visitors to the Dubai Digital Library can click on the Zayed Library tab to access the 500 written and visual material about the Founding Father’s life.

MBRF’s CEO His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb said the new edition of the Dubai Digital Library was developed to cater to the specificities of the Arabic language and content and allow Arabic speakers everywhere to take advantage of its growing collection of content, which was carefully selected to include the largest possible number of publications that document Arab and Islamic culture and heritage.

“We sought to widen the Library’s scope when it comes to supporting communities, adding services that are dedicated to organisations,” H.E. bin Huwaireb added. “These include project management, procedure setting, counsel and training for all sectors such as digital library solutions, content development, and development of personal libraries and libraries that are part of academic and research institutions.”

Any UAE citizen or resident can become a member of the Dubai Digital Library by registering on the website ddl.ae and filling out the registration form. This creates a new personal page for each user that can be used to download and store each individual’s personal digital library. Membership will be open to citizens of any country to avail the free content or download paid content at a nominal fee.

A DDL membership allows individuals to benefit from all provided services, where they can browse, download, print, share and comment on digital content, in addition to rating it and suggesting new content or events in all knowledge sectors. The Library seeks to be a leader among Arab digital libraries by providing digital content to Arab countries, encouraging digitisation, and enriching Arabic digital content.

The most notable developments organisations can ensure by joining the DDL’s digital solutions include: Developing their corporate inventory and digital libraries; building their digital memory; creating groups for digital, public, school and university libraries; receiving counsel and feasibility studies for their projects and services; creating terms & conditions handbooks for systems; overseeing development projects; training services in all sectors pertaining to digital libraries, digital information systems, and databases; and organising workshops and seminars in all knowledge fields in collaboration with knowledge experts from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.