A new library in Dubai will integrate artificial intelligence in its operations, including in choosing titles and borrowing and returning books.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Library will be the first of its kind in the Middle East, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
The automated storage and electronic book retrieval system on the library’s first floor contains over one million titles and utilises a smart system that uses AI to send commands to robots to locate books and deliver them to readers wherever they are in the different libraries spread across seven storeys.
Dr. Mohammed Salem Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, said that the library comprises nine specialised libraries, including The General Library, The Emirates Library, The Young Adults Library, The Children’s Library, The Special Collection Library, The Maps and Atlases Library, The Media and Arts Library, The Business Library and The Periodical Library.
The UAE has worked to foster a culture of reading. In the capital Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s statistics centre found this year that around 55 percent report they have a reading habit, up from 38 percent three years ago. However, 79 percent prefer reading online. In 2022, the average number of reading hours devoted to performing work tasks reached 20 hours per month, while the average leisure reading time reached 25 hours per month.
