King Fahd National Library

King Fahd National Library is the national library of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh. It became a national library under a statute issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (80) of 6/5/1410 AH and endorsed by Royal Decree No. (M/9) of 13/5/1410 AH. [1]

The library began as a commemorative landmark built at the citizens' expense to mark the accession of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, and it later became the national library responsible for collecting, organizing, documenting, and making available the Kingdom's intellectual output. [1][2]

The library project was announced at a celebration held in 1403 AH, after the people of Riyadh wished to express their loyalty to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz on his accession to power by raising a commemorative landmark. It received financial support from the state. [1]

The landmark was built at the citizens' expense as an architectural showpiece, in cooperation with the Riyadh Municipality, which provided the land and the technical, architectural, and administrative supervision. It was initially designed as a public library. Implementation began in 1406 AH under the supervision of the Riyadh Municipality. A temporary administration was formed in 1408 AH and devoted itself to planning the development, organization, and preparation of the collections and to laying the groundwork for the administrative and technical divisions. In 1409 AH the building, furnishing, and equipping were completed. [1]

The library became the national library of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the name King Fahd National Library, by a statute issued under Council of Ministers Resolution No. (80) of 6/5/1410 AH and endorsed by Royal Decree No. (M/9) of 13/5/1410 AH. Under Article One of the statute, the library gained an independent legal personality, is administratively attached to the Diwan of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, has its headquarters in Riyadh, and may open branches within the Kingdom. [1]

This transition came on the proposal of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, then governor of Riyadh Province, chairman of the library's Board of Trustees, and chairman of the advisory committee during the construction phase. [1]

The library building stands in a vital area of central Riyadh, between King Fahd Road to the west and Al-Olaya General Street to the east, a location that gives it ease of access and prominence in the heart of modern Riyadh. It consists of a ground floor topped by three upper floors under a skylight dome, and it is designed in a modern architectural style adorned with Arabesque ornament and marble inscriptions. [1]

Under Article Two of its statute, the library aims to acquire, organize, register, document, publicize, and disseminate intellectual output. It collects everything published inside the Kingdom, everything published abroad by Saudis, and everything published about the Kingdom; it issues the national bibliography, union catalogues, and other documentation tools, and it establishes bibliographic information databases. [1]

Under the legal deposit statute issued by Royal Decree No. (M/26) of 7/9/1412 AH, which took effect in 1414 AH, the library registers everything published inside the Kingdom and assigns a deposit number to publications before they are released. [2]

The library is the national centre responsible for registering publications and allocating International Standard Book and Serial Numbers (ISBN and ISSN) under an agreement with the international centre for the registration of publications. Each year it supplies UNESCO with statistical listings on authorship and translation in the Kingdom, and supplies international centres in Germany and France with a precise inventory of Saudi publications. It has also become the national centre for depositing the publications of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). [2]

Under the Manuscript Heritage Protection Statute issued by Royal Decree No. (M/23) of 16/5/1422 AH, the library registers original manuscripts held by official and non-official bodies and by individuals, and assigns each one a registration number and a certificate of ownership. [2]

The total area of the current building is 21,000 square metres, and with the completion of the new building it will reach 87,000 square metres, including the underground parking for library staff in addition to the old library building. The contract for the new headquarters was signed on the morning of Tuesday, 18 Shawwal 1428 AH, with the Saudi Bin Laden Group, at a cost of 287,660,903 riyals and a construction period of 30 months. [3]

The expansion design was chosen after an architectural competition that lasted seven months, won by the entry submitted jointly by Gerber Architect of Germany and the Saudi consultancy Saud Consult. [3]

The modern design will accommodate 2.4 million books, periodicals, and documents, with the possibility of future expansion to 3.3 million. [3]

The library's vision is leadership in preserving the national intellectual output and the Arab and Islamic heritage, and excellence in organizing and making them available to build a knowledge society. It has seven declared objectives, among them collecting, organizing, and providing access to the national intellectual output; delivering high-quality information services to all categories of users by the latest means; leading and developing the Saudi library and information community; and raising performance efficiency. [4]

Q: What is King Fahd National Library? A: It is the national library of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh, which became a national library under a statute issued by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (80) of 6/5/1410 AH and endorsed by Royal Decree No. (M/9). [1]

Q: Where is the library located? A: In Riyadh, between King Fahd Road to the west and Al-Olaya General Street to the east, in the heart of modern Riyadh. [1]

Q: What are the functions of the national library? A: Collecting, organizing, documenting, and providing access to the national intellectual output; registering publications and allocating ISBN and ISSN numbers; issuing the national bibliography; and protecting manuscript heritage. [1][2]

Q: What is the legal deposit system? A: It is a statute issued by Royal Decree No. (M/26) of 7/9/1412 AH and effective from 1414 AH, under which the library registers everything published inside the Kingdom and assigns a deposit number before publication. [2]

Q: What is the library's area after the expansion? A: The current building covers 21,000 square metres, rising to 87,000 square metres when the new building is completed; it will hold 2.4 million items and can expand to 3.3 million. [3]