Thousands flocked to National Library in '08

Abu Dhabi: Last year about 135,000 people visited the National Library situated in the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach).

"More than one million documents classified in the library as books, journals, documents and manu-scripts, were read," said Juma Al Qubaisi, manager of the library.

"Around 800,000 used the website to search the library contents and other services available online, such as the monthly journal."

The library also added 11,412 new titles; 6,500 in Arabic and 4,912 in foreign languages. The number of journals reached more than 350, making the total number of titles in the library more than one million.

"The library is keeping its doors open to all creative and talented people, and is working to present Emirati books to the world. In addition, we are providing everybody with knowledge as well as preserving Arab heritage."

The library's manuscript department has completed the fourth stage of its classifications of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts.

The department is almost done classifying the approximately 25,000 original manuscripts and copied documents, some of which are 700 years old. It also includes very rare items.