Digital Repatriation of Cultural Heritage Content: A Case Study Of Qatar National Library

The preservation of invaluable knowledge faces threats from various fronts including natural disasters, political conflicts, neglect, and rapid technological advancements, posing a significant risk to the essence of society, culture, and the economy. Recognising its pivotal role, the Qatar National Library is committed to providing access to information important to people's lives. To this end, the Library is actively engaged in curating and preserving rich cultural heritage collections for the people of Qatar. This case study offers an in-depth look into the Library’s ongoing digital repatriation efforts to digitally safeguard the nation’s cultural legacy. Through collaborative ventures with prominent institutions like the British Library, the Library identifies, digitises, curates, preserves, and provides access to archival collections relevant to Qatar and the wider Gulf region. Additionally, the case study explores the Library’s role as a custodian of Middle Eastern cultural heritage to support other local and regional institutions with curation and preservation of the rich cultural heritage and intellectual materials from the Arab world.

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Presented at: Libraries and the Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage; 6th Conference of the Lebanese Library Association
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
See the agenda on the conference website: https://lebaneselibraryassociation.org/agenda