Former envoy donates 12,000 books to library

Dubai: A personal library of 12,000 books was added to the Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage this week.

Dr Khalifa Bakhit Al Falasi, former UAE ambassador to the Australia and former undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, donated the books from his personal collection to the centre in an attempt to show support and to benefit researchers.

The valuable collection is varied, covering topics such as UAE heritage, sociology, science, and strategic politics of the UAE. Many books also focus on politics of the Middle East and Arab strategic thinking, with multiple copies available for some books.

Dr Al Falasi was encouraged by the idea that his collection would help researchers and students with their work. He told Gulf News, "I looked at this in terms of benefit; the collection would be more accessible at the centre. I also wanted to show my support for this centre and for Juma Al Majid's exceptional vision ... it's the best venue to share my collection."

Currently, the books are being checked at the centre's workshop in Al Ghusais, where books can undergo repair if necessary. Once the books are bound and issued numbers, they will be moved to the centre, where they'll be placed in the library, along with the rest of the centre's books. Today, the centre has more than 250,000 titles.

According to Ali S. Bin Masoud, the public relations manager for the centre, personal libraries will soon receive special treatment as the "centre plans to establish individual rooms for every 'private' library, with background information to be provided on each persona behind their collection."

The centre houses 73 private libraries for a number of Arab thinkers and media moguls.