Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Announces Strategic Initiative to Revamp Dubai's Entire Public Library Network

• The announcement coincides with the UAE’s ’Year of Reading’

Dubai, UAE; April 30, 2016:  Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), announced the launch of a strategic initiative by Dubai Culture to revamp all its public libraries in Dubai. 

This initiative coincides with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to mark 2016 the ‘Year of Reading’ in the UAE. It is also designed to reflect the Dubai Public Libraries’ purpose as prominent centers for knowledge & culture in the Emirate.

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority said: “The launch of our public libraries revamping project underpins the strategic objectives of Dubai Culture to make reading and gaining knowledge very accessible and convenient for Dubai’s residents by providing them with fully integrated, comfortable and modern facilities. In addition, our efforts to shape these new enhanced knowledge centers in the Emirate support Dubai’s ambitious plan to become a city of Happy, Creative and Empowered people by 2021. We are excited to contribute towards consolidating Dubai’s status as a knowledge hub across the region and beyond.” 

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa added: “A key mandate of Dubai Culture is to develop and nurture local talents and provide them with the necessarily platforms to showcase their potential, and this was clearly translated in our decision to commission a local design house to undergo the project.”

The strategic initiative that will be led by Dubai Culture will start with a pilot project in joint collaboration with Dubai Municipality to revamp Al Safa public library. This pilot project is set to be completed by the first quarter of 2017.

The new Al Safa facility will consist of different areas and functions. The main library area will house all books and publications related to the arts and design industry, including books, manuals, magazines, publications and as well as reference materials and also a section dedicated to showcasing materials. Digital content and databases will also be accessible to visitors, including digital stock imagining libraries.

The pilot project will serve as a benchmark to the restructuring of Dubai’s other public libraries aiming to introduce new experiences for reading and literature across the city. 

Upon the delivery of the pilot project, Al Safa public library will include a large collection of books and additional resources covering the different fields of art and design. It will serve as a platform and community centre for members of the creative community and beyond to meet, create, work, research and read. In addition, it will also encourage partnerships and collaboration between regional and international institutions for content generation and programming. 

His Excellency Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, General Director of Dubai Municipality said, “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Dubai Culture in delivering this important initiative. The overhaul of the current public library system is a step in the right direction towards achieving our ambitious goals as part of the Dubai 2021 vision, and through this collaboration, we aim to highlight the importance of creativity and facilitate easy access to knowledge through reading.”

Dubai Culture is committed to nurturing the local talent and providing them with the necessarily platforms to showcase their creativity. As part of this mandate, the authority commissioned PRAGMA a multi-disciplinary design firm based in the UAE to deliver the architecture and urbanism aspect of the project. 

Currently, the Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children, as well as multi-purpose halls, classrooms. All Dubai Public Library branches are connected via computer systems and have links with other modern libraries, providing access to vast sources of information and knowledge on an immense diversity of topics in both Arabic and English. 

Dubai Culture has played a crucial role in further establishing Dubai as a vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes cultural offerings in the region.