Briefed Them on Its Latest Projects and Role as a Headquarters for Preserving the Memory of the Nation and a Beacon of Culture
The National Library and Archives Receives International Delegations and discusses with Them Enhancing Cooperation and Exchanging Experiences
The National Library and Archives received at its headquarters a number of Arab and foreign delegations, and discussed with them ways to enhance cooperation, exchange expertise and distinguished experiences and a number of joint ventures. Among the most prominent delegations the National Library and Archives received were: the Uzbekistani delegation representing the Presidency of the Uzbek Republic, the Albanian delegation, which included the Director of the Institute of Education, Heritage and Tourism, and a delegation of senior journalists in the Russian media.
These visits stem from the significant role the National Library and Archives plays in the archiving and preserving the memory of the nation, and its constant efforts to establish a national library that rivals the largest libraries in the world and preserves the cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates.
The National Library and Archives discussed with the Uzbek delegation the joint projects building coordination and cooperation in several strategic projects of mutual interest. The Uzbek delegation extended an invitation to the National Library and Archives to visit Uzbekistan for knowledge exchange, sharing expertise, innovative and successful experiments, and to observe the progress of joint projects and their launch.
The National Library and Archives also welcomed the Director of the Institute of Education, Heritage and Tourism and her accompanying Albanian delegation, and discussed with them the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding or cooperation agreement to enhance relations between the two friendly archives.
The Albanian delegation listened to a detailed explanation about the National Library and Archives, and expressed their admiration for the significant development and progress the National Library and Archives has acheived in its projects. They also praised its role in documenting the achievements of the United Arab Emirates and its relations with brothers and friends, as well as the excellent organization of the International Council on Archives Congress and its contribution in enhancing documentation affairs and archival management methods.
A delegation of media professionals working in Russian media also visited the National Library and Archives. This visit, which was organized by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), was part of the delegation’s visit program to the United Arab Emirates. The delegation heard from Mr. Hamad Al-Mutairi, Director of the Archives Department, a detailed introduction to the National Library and Archives since its inception in 1968 under the directives of the founder and builder, the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The presentation focused on the new corporate branding of the National Library and Archives, and its new strategy that extends up to 2032 that relies on the mission of the National Library and Archives in the next stage, which aims to collect, preserve documentary heritage and make it accessible in order to empower and enrich the knowledge societies.
The Director of the Archives Department concentrated on the stages of organizing the archive, the archival achievements and most important projects, such as: the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive (AGDA) project, the Center for Preservation and Restoration project, the academic and qualification programs project with the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the international strategic projects, and the interest in the latest smart technologies in documentation and archiving. .
Mr. Hamad Al-Mutairi discussed the archival chain, which consists of: collecting archives from entities, individuals, and archives in various parts of the world, then processing and saving historical documents of all kinds that are subject to damage, digitizing and indexing them, and preserving them, whether they are paper or electronic, up to making them accessible to researchers and historians via the Internet and smart platforms for the public, and preserve them for generations to come.
In Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Hall, the delegations watched a documentary film about the history of the UAE, visited Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Hall, and acquainted themselves with its contents, which made it an advanced modern historical museum that showcases the most prominent features of each emirate coupled with synopsis about its history and achievements in an attractive interactive manner. They also became acquainted with the cultural sources and references in the Emirates Library, paper and electronic media with content related to the history, heritage and culture of the United Arab Emirates.