Doha, Qatar - May 21, 2022 : Qatar National Library, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon, will be hosting a series of four webinars to provide guidance on collection care and document conservation practices.

As the IFLA Regional Center for Arab Countries and the Middle East, the Library will provide a platform to discuss collection care procedures, conservation practices and preservation activities adopted and applied by USEK Library.

The first webinar, titled ‘Introduction to Heritage Collection Care’ will be held on May 23, and will feature an introduction to basic care principles and practices of paper and leather-based collection.

It will be followed by another webinar on 24 May, called ‘Papermaking, Deterioration Factors and Causes’ that will touch on the history and technique of papermaking as well as the different factors and causes of deterioration from environment to handling.

The third webinar, ‘Collection Care Basics: USEK Library Preservation Strategy, Procedures and Practices’, was designed as a case study of the care basics applied at USEK Library including its daily care routine, preservation strategy, procedures and practices.

The series will conclude with the fourth session titled ‘Guidance for best conservation materials and exploring the NOs and DOs of preservation.’ The webinar will focus on avoiding bad practices in terms of preservation and will provide advice on how to choose the best conservation materials for the treatment of different types of documents.

Advanced preservation and conservation strategies have been a key focus of the Heritage Library’s efforts in recent years with its growing collection of rare and valuable items. These include archival documents, books and periodicals in various European languages as well as early Arabic printed materials, such as books, journals, magazines, newspapers and manuscripts that date back to the 15th century, when the printing process had recently been introduced in Europe.

By collecting, preserving, and making these documents available, the Qatar National Library seeks to fufill its mission of providing equal access to information and creating a learning and discovery environment that empowers society and contributes to a vibrant Qatari cultural landscape.