Higher Management Department

The Top Management comprises:

A- The Director General’s Office which consists of two sections: first of which is the Consultation Services provided by four advisors for research, law, media and archiving, and second of which is the Strategic Planning Office which aims at improving and developing the National Library and Archives administrative processes and disseminating practices of corporate excellence, identifying and assessing new development opportunities and building a culture of departmental and staff performance assessment. This section prepares and follows up the National Library and Archive strategic plan and other departmental operational plans; it assesses and analyses corporate key performance indicators at a departmental level and supervises the application of an integrated system for quality and operations management for the National Library and Archives development and qualification as per standards of excellence.

B- The Executive Director’s office which oversees four of the National Library and Archive departments, namely: Archives, Research and Knowledge Services, Corporate and Community Outreach and Support Services.

Strategic Planning Office

Aims at improving and developing the National Library and Archives administrative processes and disseminating practices of corporate excellence, identifying and assessing new development opportunities, building a culture of Departmental performance assessment. This section prepares and follows up the National Library and Archives strategic plan and other departmental operational plans, it assesses and analyses corporate key performance indicators at a departmental level, supervises the application of an integrated system for quality and operations management for the National Library and Archives development and qualification as per standards of excellence.

Archives Department

The Archives Department collects administrative records, historical documents and manuscripts related to the UAE and other GCC countries from various sources such as government entities and international Library and Archives. The Department validates, preserves, archives the material collected, and makes them accessible to the public. Furthermore, the department collects old and contemporary photographs and archives them as per international standards.

Historical Archives

This section collects all foreign documents relating to the UAE and the Gulf region from International Library and Archives around the world. It also chronicles daily events and activities in the UAE, GCC countries, as well as Iran from local and other Arabian Gulf newspapers. Hard-copy documents are then scanned and indexed for easier and faster retrieval and accessibility to researchers, scholars and students. This section consists of three units: Arab Archives, Foreign Archives and Multimedia.

Government Archives

This section organizes federal and local government authorities’ archives by publicizing  archival culture and providing a number of technical, training and consultation services in accordance with  the Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 and its bylaws.  This assists parties,  concerned in document and archive management in government bodies, to perform their duties effectively and according to best international standards and specifications in archive preservation. This section is also engaged in collecting historical documents from government bodies and organizing destruction procedures. The section is made up of the following units: Government Archives Regulation Unit, Government Archives Development Unit and Archiving and Documenting Unit.
This section collects all historical documents pertaining to the UAE from federal and local government institutions in the country then it indexes, audits and publishes them as per international regulations and standards. The documents are then made accessible to scholars and researchers. The section also establishes rules and procedures for the collection of documents and the different records management mechanisms in government Institutions. It trains National Library and Archives staff members as well as clients to archive their documents and records according to best practices. Additionally, the department is in charge of arranging and developing governmental archives as well as the documentation and archiving affairs.

Preservation and Restoration

The duties of this section include: protecting, securing and maintaining all types of hard-copy historical documents and restoring old documents, newspapers, rare books and photographs following the best international standards and practices. This section works, with the collaboration of different Authorities, on environment preservation by using environment friendly materials.
   
The section examines the National Library and Archives collections periodically to inspect their conditions, and sets preventive measures to ensure their safety and repair all damages.

Digital Archives

This section conducts scanning projects and the conversion of archival materials into digital or microfilm format as per the National Library and Archives approved plans and policies. It also improves the preservation of electronic archives and selects the appropriate storing materials for both the National Library and Archives and government Institutions. Furthermore, it contributes to setting preventive and corrective measures for long-term conservation of electronic storing materials. Moreover, it contributes to awareness campaigns and closely monitors developments in the field of electronic archiving. Besides, it assists government bodies in the evaluation of their electronic programs.

Presidential Archives

This section contains photos, videos and historical documents that document the march of the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan and the activities of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, at the local, regional, Arab and international levels, as well as  historical photographs and photos of senior community figures in general.
The section retains UAE’s maps; as it indexes photographs and paper and electronic maps and classifies them practically according to global standards and international measures related to photographs organization, classification, preservation and protection as well as promoting their use. The section has two units: Presidential Documents Unit and the Multimedia Unit.

Support Services Department

This Department provides support to the National Library and Archives with regard to financial and administrative affairs, human resources, IT and computer services as well as the National Library and Archives Central Archive. The Department manages all personnel affairs, prepares the National Library and Archives budget in coordination with other departments and monitors the implementation of the approved budgets. Moreover, it exercises financial control over the various National Library and Archives activities and manages all the general services and maintenance works of all departments. The Department also sets the National Library and Archives Human Resources (HR) policies and procedures as well as other requirements in collaboration with other departments. It sets technical and progress reports, statistics and operational schedules and submits these to the Director General. It also recommends policies and procedures for the development of the National Library and Archives overall performance. The Support Services Department consists of five sections:

1. Information Technology Section

Information Technology (IT) Section provides technical support, follows up network affairs, IT services and applications. It is responsible for the development of National Library and Archives technological systems and operations. It has been supervising the National Library and Archives IT infrastructure; and within a decade, it managed to take strategic steps to develop the infrastructure with several advanced servers that operate independently to ensure control, supervision and protection of both hardware and software. Under the supervision of the IT section, the National Library and Archives has been granted ISO 27001 certificate for information security.

The IT Section supports and develops various systems within the National Library and Archives including employee attendance and self-service systems, library, electronic archiving, communication system, Human resources, finance and purchasing, Information security, electronic network support and National Library and Archives website.

2. Human Resources and Career Development Section

This Section is concerned with human resources and career development. It is responsible for the recruitment and employment of highly qualified and skilled UAE Nationals who would achieve National Library and Archives vision and goals. It manages staff affairs from the time of their appointment to end of service. It acquaints the staff with the National Library and Archives human resources policies that contribute to maximizing job satisfaction. This Section also helps staff realize their goals through the observation of general policies, work ethics and code of conduct at NA.

The National Library and Archives staff training and development, as well as motivation, is one of the priorities of this section, in order to increase their productivity and efficiency in the best interest of both the National Library and Archives and its staff.

3. Finance and Purchasing Section

The Finance Section manages the National Library and Archives staff salaries, budget estimates, bank accounts, invoices and verifies integrity of all financial procedures in compliance with regulations. It also manages revenue-expenditure records and periodic departmental reports and prepares annual balance sheets.

The Purchasing Section is the main channel for securing the needs and requirements of all National Library and Archives departments and acts as a link between National Library and Archives on one hand and suppliers and service providers on the other. It also conducts National Library and Archives bids.

4. Logistic Support Section

This Section manages and preserves National Library and Archives assets with a view to providing the best possible services for National Library and Archives and external users. It also ensures the provision and maintenance of an appropriate and safe work environment and the ongoing operation of health and safety tools and systems in the National Library and Archives.

5. National Library and Archives Central Archives Section

This Section links all National Library and Archives departments, as it is mainly responsible for the establishment and management of a central archive using a unified electronic record management system, in accordance with international standards in encoding of incoming and outgoing internal and external correspondence. This section receives, sends, codifies and archives National Library and Archives correspondence electronically on a daily basis into a temporary archive and on a weekly/monthly basis into the permanent archive, thus facilitating retention and retrieval as per work requirements.

One of the main duties of this section is to preserve official National Library and Archives documents and safeguard them against damage or loss. Lists of all files are periodically prepared and referred to the Disposal Committee and disposal is eventually carried out as per the established procedures and regulations.

Research And Knowledge Services Department

This Department undertakes research and studies emanating from within the National Library and Archivesor referred to it by other government bodies. The department assesses research papers on the history and culture of the UAE, the Gulf region and the Arabian Peninsula using authenticated scientific methods. It also conducts specialized in-depth studies, translates and publishes books and research papers according to the most advanced technical standards. The Department also participates in the National Library and Archives scientific and cultural activities as well as local, Arab and international conferences, seminars and symposiums. The Department provides support to researchers and scholars within its field of specialization and its publications are distinctive.

Research and Knowledge Services Department comprises of the following sections:

1. Research and Studies Section

This section lays down objective plans and scientific standards for researchers and scholars at the National Library and Archives to follow. It also examines books and research papers presented to it, provides scientific consultation and knowledge services to researchers into the history of the UAE and the Arabian Peninsula, encourages academic research and serious scientific studies, makes recommendations for publication and preserves copyrights. In addition, it undertakes projects within its specialties to improve performance levels, in accordance with the operational objectives of the National Library and Archives, for the benefit of researchers and other people interested in the history and heritage of the UAE and the region. This section also examines research presented for educational awards such as “Khalifa Award for Education” and “Young Historian Award” for students of preliminary and secondary schools to encourage Emirati young researchers to study the Arabian Gulf region in general and the UAE in particular in order to document its history, events, developments, famous people’s biographies, their accomplishments and relations. This is in addition to reviewing, analysing and substantiating what was written about the region, to eliminate uncertainty about its people and their history, and to highlight their controversial, ambiguous or unknown customs and traditions.

2. Translation and Publishing Section

This section carries out the translation of books and archival records closely and directly related to the history, heritage and culture of the UAE and the Gulf region into Arabic for the benefit of researchers and students. It publishes works of leading specialists in Gulf studies in both Arabic and English languages. Publications include history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf Region, biographies, memoirs, travel literature and proceedings of conferences, symposiums and seminars organized by the National Library and Archives. The section consists of two units, namely: Translation Unit and Publication Unit.

3. Oral History & Genealogical Studies

This section seeks to trace the history and heritage of the UAE through interviewing and writing narratives of individuals in order to fill the gaps neglected by foreign documents. The section has a database to save these interviews, while some of them are published in books and publications. The team helps researchers in studying documents and comparing them with the contemporary oral narratives; they are the nation’s memory and history. The aim of this section is to get youths acquainted with the historical events and lifestyles of each region of the UAE before and after the establishment of the Union. It also contributes to training, documenting the oral narratives of elderly and veteran people and monitoring the historical events and lifestyles in the past to preserve the material and moral peculiarities of the UAE society for the future generations by conducting audio and video interviews that are classified and saved to enrich the National Library and Archives. The staff of this section are keen to spread and develop this culture through participating in conferences and lectures related to oral history inside and outside the UAE. The National Library and Archives has a membership in several related associations at the Gulf and global levels such as:

• American Oral History Association (OHA).
• Center of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (CGAPS).
• Association of Moroccan Historians.
• Union of Arab Historians.
• Société Egyptienne des Études Historiques.
• UNESCO Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• GCC Society for History and Archaeology.

4. Emirates Library Section

The Emirates Library is part of the scientific research program of the National Library and Archives that allows researchers, scholars and students to benefit from its rich and specialized collections covering all areas of the National Library and Archives’ interests in their various paper and electronic formats.

The main objective of the library is to collect various sources of information available, anywhere and in any language, on the United Arab Emirates, with a focus on the Gulf region, and the Arab world.

The library has a distinct collection of electronic and printed sources which are available for public use, with integrated sets of references, dissertations, rare books, local, Gulf, Arab and international newspapers and magazines, periodicals and on-line subscription to benefit researchers.

Sources of information in the library are in both Arabic and English with materials in other languages such as French, German, Persian, Portuguese and Dutch. The library is involved in gifts and exchange program with several information institutions in the world.

Researchers can browse all the information regarding the library services, resources and facilities on the library portal: http://Library.na.ae

The Emirates Library works constantly to enhance its collections with materials of interest to researchers from inside and outside the National Library and Archives, who frequent the library to complete their specialized research and studies in the affairs of the UAE and Gulf region.

Corporate And Community Outreach Department

This Department is the fundamental link between the National Library and Archives and the community. It seeks to foster the corporate identity of the National Library and Archives and is therefore responsible for media, marketing and public relations activities. It is also responsible for promoting outreach within the National Library and Archives and outside it. It develops and maintains relations with agencies, end-users in both public and private sector institutions concerned. It also sets strategies for dealing with these users, developing educational programs according to international standards. Moreover, it seeks to develop and maintain strategic partnerships, and to organize promotional marketing and awareness campaigns apart from exhibitions aimed at promoting the National Library and Archives image and prestigious status. Additionally, it contributes to the organization of conferences and other events. Its action plan is inspired by the mission, vision and objectives of the National Library and Archives. This department consists of the following sections:

1. Corporate Relations Section

This division represents the front of the National Library and Archives. It establishes and maintains mutual understanding between the National Library and Archives and its users asserting its identity and achieving its strategies. It reinforces the National Library and Archives exemplary image by preparing and distributing brochures and media materials highlighting its activities. Moreover, it establishes and strengthens relationships with the media to raise awareness of NA and its activities. It offers visitors first-hand knowledge of its role and the value and importance of documents, thus establishing reliability and respect for National Library and Archives mission. This section is responsible for dealing with media, marketing and corporate relations and outreach. The section has four units: Marketing and Media unit, Electronic Media Unit , Corporate Communication Unit and Printing Press Unit.

2. Educational Programs Section

This section is responsible for the preparation of national awareness programs for the benefit of UAE educational institutions in order to promote values of identity, belonging and loyalty in the hearts of younger generations, and to enlighten members of community with the historical facts pertaining to the UAE. Thus, it supports the National Library and Archives to carry out its historical mission as a source of documented historical information and the official memory of natation.

3. Community Programs Section

This Section is responsible for developing relationships between the National Library and Archives and the community, through organizing activities of interest to its various segments, (such as visits, conferences, meetings and exhibitions). Additionally, this section participates in events organized by other institutions and prepares electronic media materials, bulletins and relevant books highlighting the role and importance of archival institutions. It also seeks to involve the community in National Library and Archives activities and programs. Furthermore, it prepares and implements recreational community programs aimed at highlighting the National Library and Archives vision and mission and answers interested users’ queries and meets their demands.