National Archives receives precious titles from National Media Council

The National Archives has received a large collection of valuable books and periodicals courtesy of the acting Director General of the National Media Council. The Emirates Library in the National Archives will make these readily available to researchers and other interested parties.

The transfer includes titles on different types of folklore heritage as well as books documenting the achievements of the nation, its society and culture, and some on media and communication affairs. Among them, for example, are Diary of the UAE from 1971 to 1996 and Nature in the UAE: Wildlife and Environment, along with a number of rare periodicals, such as volumes of Al Hikma magazine and the journal Middle East Affairs. The collection also includes a number of academic and research papers, statistical books and reports, and photographs of the country’s dignitaries. The Emirates library will be transferring the photographs received along with the collection of books to the Presidential Archives and to the Photo Archives at the National Archives.

In the past, the National Archives has received a large number of books and periodicals in both Arabic and English, mostly concerned with the affairs of the United Arab Emirates and its civilization. These deal with different aspects of the lives of the nation’s great leaders and founding fathers, most prominently the life of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The overall collection also features books about UAE history and heritage as well as the natural environment of the UAE, and covers a large number of important reports and statistics of the state.

“The National Archives values the collection of specialized resources, references, cultural books and periodicals received from the National Media Council,” said H.E. Dr. Abdulla El Reyes, Director General of the National Archives.

“We consider it as a noble gesture coming at a time when the UAE in general and the National Archives in particular embark upon a cultural initiative introduced by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: 2016 – The Year of Reading,” he said.

“The contents of these historical books shed light on the establishment of the Union, the development of the UAE and its prosperity, lifestyles of the past, and they document some of the rich heritage of the UAE which embodies the authenticity of our forefathers. These publications have a role in strengthening the foundations of national identity among our clientele,” Dr. El Reyes said.

“The National Archives has worked since its inception in 1968 to establish its own library and in the last decade has accelerated the development of its collections and improvement of its services. This began a trend of specialization regarding the functions and objectives of the National Archives – to acquire paper and electronic contents from the largest local and regional exhibitions of books. The Emirates Library has opened its doors to its many users, researchers and academics,” he said.

Dr. El Reyes said the Emirates Library will make an index of the new collection and add these accessions to its sources and references on Arab and Islamic civilization, and to the books on the UAE and the Gulf region, in order to facilitate their broad utilization by scholars and citizens.