Dubai: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library (MBRL) received a delegation from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), led by Salem Al Marri, MBRSC director-general, to view its collection of space-related books and learn about the specialised services the library offers to visitors.
The visit was also aimed at discussing ways to enhance cooperation between the two entities.
Mohammed Ahmad Al Murr, chairman of the MBRL Foundation, who welcomed the delegation, underlined the importance of creating channels for knowledge exchange across institutions and specialised research centres, including MBRSC in the national space sector.
The delegation got acquainted with MBRL’s various facilities, services, and libraries, along with a tour through the UAE photography exhibition, a journey that recounts the UAE’s cultural, political, and social development over the past 50 years.
The delegation also visited the Treasures of the Library exhibition, which displays a collection of rare and old books, atlases, and manuscripts, some of which dating back to the 13th century. The visit included a briefing on the library’s dedicated spaces for meetings, and organising cultural and artistic festivals, and hosting local and international film screenings, theatre performances and music concerts.
Significant support
Al Murr said: “[MBRL] embeds Dubai’s new vision of boosting the cultural movement and providing significant support to the country’s new knowledge-based economy, both directly and indirectly. It is committed to establishing strategic partnerships with local, regional, and international entities to provide a better environment for cultural and knowledge exchange. These aims come in line with the UAE’s ambitions to create a knowledge-centered society that focuses on reading as an integral component.”
During the visit, MBRL staff detailed the library’s vision in terms of hosting activities and its annual programme of events, as well as its adoption of the latest artificial intelligence and library technologies
Premium services
Al Marri admired the library’s premium services, facilities, and technologies. He said: “Undoubtedly, [MBRL] performs a leading role towards uplifting the UAE’s cultural scene and improving its knowledge-based economy on all levels.”
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Al Marri focused on the necessity of bolstering collaborative efforts between MBRSC and MBRL to exchange expertise in related fields.
The visitors presented MBRL a range of its valuable publications, including one in Braille system, which sheds light on the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope Probe), the Arab world’s first mission to another planet. The delegation members also admired the library’s knowledge treasures and aspiring efforts to raise awareness of the UAE’s Space achievements.
Advanced library
With an architectural concept inspired by the Rehl, the traditional X-shaped lectern used across the Islamic world, MBRL is one of the most technologically-advanced libraries in the world, utilising artificial intelligence technologies (AI), augmented reality (AR), holograms, and smart robots.
