As I hopped out of the Careem, I remember seeing quite a number of people from all directions, converging on the roughly 4-metre wide slight gradient that rose some 15 or so metres all the way up to the main entrance. Hmmm, I wonder whose idea that was. Why the gradient? Why not steps? Not that I prefer steps. Or gradients. Just needed to know why.
Note to self: Is too much curiosity a thing?
Moving on…
I still had to ask where the entrance was, for some reason. Common sense would dictate I follow the stream of people heading up the incline. But what if they were going to a workshop, or event, or a campus thing? (the most plausible one - seeing as how QNL is surrounded by a *lot* of universities) Also, I couldn’t be certain that the driver dropped me off at the main entrance. The place is huge. Probably had multiple entry points. And I probably wasn’t at the main one.
So, first time on site, HAD to ask.
I make my way up to the entrance. The 4 year old - give or take - in front of me takes matters into his own hands and presses the big button so aptly named 'Push To Open', after seeing his parents fumble about trying to find a way to open those big double glass doors. Doors open outwards, and in we go.
One is required to surrender their bag/backpack/handbag to security as it is fed into the baggage scanner, into the darkness, into the abyss, never to be seen again...for like 5 seconds. Phones go over the baggage scanner. You go through the full body scanner. On the other side, you are reunited with your effects. You also find yourself in the marvel that is Qatar National Library.
I went there to get my library card and do a bit of reconnaissance, so I didn't have any bag, books or laptop. With direction from security, I made my way to the User Services desk where I got my library card, a mini map and a brief explanation of the different sections of the library. I listened and nodded anyway, knowing full well I wasn't going to remember anything as soon as I turned away. I was that nervous.
I smiled, said thank you, fixed my eyes on the map, started walking, made about six or seven steps before I stopped, frowned, looked around and got reaaally confused. Where was I going anyway? I couldn't see any section labelled 'Humanitarian' and couldn't figure out where it fell among the 20+ given sections. I stood there, looking up and around at what seemed like millions of books, staircases going up high, almost to the ceiling, people huddled over desktop computers, people having coffee, people going this way, that way...
I turned around again to one end of the User Services desk, and there was a lady, clad in an abaya and hijab. Qatari? Could have been. 'Ask A Librarian' was written somewhere near her desk. I walk up, greet her. 'Salaam alaikum...' She looks up, half startled, from what she is working on and responds, 'Wa 'alaykum salaam.'
I straight up tell her I am confused and don’t know where to start. So, she stands, asks what I want to search for. I tell her anything on humanitarian organisations and I proceed to tell her I’ve been following the efforts of Qatar Foundation, Education Above All, Reach Out To Asia & Qatar Charity and I am inspired to start an organisation to help people too.
There’s a monitor with a keyboard in front of me. Actually, they’re *everywhere*. So, she prompts me to type 'Humanitarian Organisations' into this search engine that finds books, e-books and related material. A lot of results show up. I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for, but it sure isn’t in these results. She suggests trying 'Charity Organisations' and I see a book, 'Running a Charity' by Mark Mullen. Hmmm, we could start with that. She then shows me how to locate the book.
The library is divided into sections, and the books are classified in relation to these sections. Sounds simple enough, but it’s overwhelming if you are new. Okay so, on the screen, next to the book, there’s a Map function. She clicks it and an overhead plan of the library pops up, with the section the book is in highlighted in red, accompanied by a location pin. She asks for my mini map, and with her forefinger, traces where we are and where the book is. She shows me the path I should take, and before I go out into the wild, she also recommends subscribing to newsletters of the aforementioned^ organisations.
I thank her and smile as I turn around and head out into the strange lands. She has no idea how valuable those few minutes were.
I find my way to Section 2, head up to Level 5, and within another subsection, and rows of shelves - all coded - I find what I'm looking for. Sort of. Turns out, the book was more of how to set up a charity. Legal aspect, organisational structure, yada yada.
I'm seated at one of the monitors that line each row, just in front of the bookshelves. I pull the rather hefty keyboard drawer towards me from its retracted position and type 'How to end hunger for good'. Lots of results. I settle on four books, I manage to find two by myself. Not bad for a first timer. I take the steps down to the Information desk and make a beeline for the first person I see.
A lady with brown, highlighted, wavy hair listens closely as I tell tales of unsuccessful conquest within the book jungle. She asks for the book’s item number (alphanumeric), and I show her the photo I had taken of the map showing where the book was. She starts to give me precise directions, then ceases, and smiles, when she sees the protest in my body language. (Totally subconscious on my part.) She offers to accompany me up to the particular bookshelf. We get there. With the efficiency of a librarian, the book is swiftly located. It was right...there! Like, how did she do that? I was literally standing there five minutes prior. Sorcery, I tell you. Sorcery!
She bumps into someone as she begins to reveal her secret. Both of them say sorry lol. Okay, so, the trick is in the sequence, she continues. No matter how complex the alphanumeric code looks, they follow a certain sequence. Learn the sequence, adopt efficiency. I stand there, basking in the awesomeness of the librarian. I thank her, and with the biggest smile I’ve seen the whole day, she heads back down, where she will be needed by other mortals.
I head back to my spot, a vantage point of sorts. I go through the front and back covers of each book. Table of contents too. I’m so wired I can’t read anything else. I get on YouTube and watch about three Tedx Talks on the hunger issue - root causes, how to solve it, efforts thus far et cetera. At half past seven, I hear some form of announcement. It’s loud. And in Arabic, but I know what it’s for. The place closes at 8:00PM and that’s like a get-your-stuff-ready-we-close-in-a-few type of announcement. I want to get up, but my curiosity takes over. 'Do they really close at eight though?' One way to find out. So I watch a couple more videos. I take mental notes. I get perspective. Today has been really producti...
A few minutes past eight, the lights are switched off. Just like that. They weren’t kidding. Understandable though. Qatar National Library is a place that you can stay well into ungodly hours if they let you.
People converge towards the exit, and diverge again once outside. Some head to the parking, some head towards various locations within Education City, others head towards the rather convenient Metro station just a few metres away.
With such access to information and resources, free of charge of course, QNL just became the headquarters for my campaign to change the world.
(Originally published in January 2020)
