QNL plans project to digitize historical documents owned by Qatari families
Published: 14 August 2024
Qatari families and heritage collectors possess valuable historial documents: Official
QNA
DOHA: Qatar National Library (QNL) plans to launch the Digital Portal for Family Archives next year, to publish digitized materials from Qatari families and collectors’ collections and make them available electronically.
The Digital Family Archive Project is a key initiative by QNL’s vision to preserve and make available materials related to the history and heritage of Qatar and the Gulf region. The project aims to collect, digitize, and provide access to archival materials, photographs, correspondence, and other historical documents owned by Qatari families, while ensuring that the original copies remain with their owners.
Director of the Family Archives Project and Head of Collections Access at the Heritage Library at QNL, Maryam Al Mutawa, said in exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that work is currently underway to develop and prepare the digital portal to publish digitized materials for family collections, which is expected to be launched next year, noting that there is a great welcome from families to digitize their personal historical collections.
She emphasized the library’s commitment to ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of sensitive documents and data. Direct communication with families or document holders will determine which materials are made publicly accessible via the digital platform and which are preserved solely for specific research purposes.
Al Mutawa added that the library provides restoration services for some materials for the purpose of maintaining and preserving them, pointing out that this project aims to enrich the sources of the general history of the State of Qatar, as Qatari families and heritage collectors possess valuable documents that reflect the importance of Qatar and the depth of its history throughout the ages.
She also stressed that the library appreciates the value of these documents as a valuable and precious family and personal legacy, and therefore families can keep the original copies and at the same time participate in this important project and help preserve Qatari history for future generations.
