The project will delineate between material that can be published and accessible for all and that which will be preserved for research purposes only.


Qatar National Library’s (QNL) Digital Family Archive Project is set to document an array of archival material, including passports, photographs, stamps and correspondence to make them easily available electronically, Qatar News Agency (QNA) has reported on Tuesday.

The report added that the original copies will remain with the owners, as well as the intellectual property rights.

Speaking to QNA, Maryam Al Mutawa, Head of Collections Access at the Heritage Library at QNL and the director of the project, said that there has been a “great welcome” from the Qatari community to contribute to digitally archiving the country’s heritage.

Al Mutawa added that there is a transparent line of communication between the participating families and QNL to determine which material will eventually be published on the platform and which will be best suited to be kept for research purposes only.

Beyond providing the country with a digital archiving platform, Al Mutawa also explained that the library will assist with restoration services. QNL regards the nation’s archives as valuable and enriching sources of Qatari history, Al Mutawa further explained.

The Head of Collections Access at QNL also stressed the coordination between QNL and the National Archives of Qatar (NAQ), which is a subsidiary of the Amiri Diwan. She said that as the QNL’s Digital Family Archives project does not involve retaining original material, there is no overlap between the two bodies. She added that both parties are complimentary of one another.

NAQ’s project to preserve Qatari print

A meeting was also held between the NAQ and various editors-in-chief and representatives from Qatari newspapers to discuss a project to archive the nation’s newspapers, on Tuesday.

The meeting was chaired by Ahmed Abdullah Ali Al Jibran Al Buainain, who was appointed as the NAQ’s Secretary-General after the issuance of Amiri Decision No. 82 in 2023.

QNA reported that the aim of the project is to collate and digitally archive Qatari news prints, creating a database and online browsing platform to prevent this national historic information from being lost in the future.

The NAQ is mandated to archive Qatari developments over time and make national archival materials accessible.

The Amiri Diwan-affiliated body was inaugurated by the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in January.

The building’s establishment came under the implementation of Law No. (7) of 2023 on documents and archives, according to QNA.

The right to access information has been brought to the public’s attention over the past years.

Addressing the nation during the beginning of the 2017 Gulf Cooperation Crisis crisis, Qatar’s Amir stressed the importance of accessing information in the country.

“Freedom of expression is meaningless if the citizen does not have the right to access information. Qatar has quashed the monopoly on information through the media revolution it started, and it is no longer possible to go back,” said Sheikh Tamim at the time.

The Qatar National Library plans to unveil its digital family archives platform next year.