The Role of Libraries in the Age of Digital Media

• Abdulaziz Al-Eid: “Social media has reduced the influence of libraries as the sole source of information.”

• Kafa Asiri: “Libraries retain their pioneering role in disseminating culture and knowledge in all its forms.”

• Siham Al-Qahtani: “The digitization of books cannot diminish the value of libraries because they are not merely repositories of books.”

Ahwal Al-Ma'rifa: Special Report

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a large number of public libraries, exceeding 150 libraries, including libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, university libraries, cultural-center libraries, charitable libraries open to the public, and specialized libraries.

These libraries play an important cultural and intellectual role by welcoming students, readers, researchers, and scholars. However, with the emergence of digital media and the widespread availability of electronic books, this role may have been affected, and libraries may no longer attract the same volume and frequency of readers and visitors as they once did.

How do intellectuals view the role of libraries today? What ideas could help develop them and make them more attractive to readers, allowing reading rooms to regain their former vitality and once again become spaces filled with readers, researchers, and students? And how should their new cultural role be understood?

A Central Role

Writer and media consultant Abdulaziz bin Fahd Al-Eid begins by saying:

“Public libraries in cities and provinces once played a central role alongside school libraries. Without a doubt, they contributed to educating and enlightening many generations of Saudi readers.

“Today, the Ministry of Culture, and the Libraries Commission in particular, is working to modernize some libraries so that they can be transformed into cultural houses. Alongside books, these spaces include theatres for lectures and seminars, areas for art exhibitions, outdoor spaces incorporating greenery and family seating, and children’s play areas.

“This represents a broader concept than the traditional paper-based library and contributes to a better quality of life. Information and history are no longer confined to books alone. The transformation brought about by social media has reduced the influence of libraries as the sole source of information.”

Al-Eid concludes:

“Libraries deserve credit for using their websites effectively. They have transferred many sources to the internet, saving researchers and reading enthusiasts considerable time and effort.”

Engaging Programs

Writer and short-story author Kafa Asiri discusses some of the challenges facing public libraries based on her own experience:

“As someone who works at the Abha Literary Club, now known as the Abha Literary Association, which is affiliated with the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Library, I regard the library as a fundamental institution for readers and researchers.

“For four decades, it has welcomed readers and researchers and provided them with dedicated spaces for reading, research, and study. Despite the development of research resources, it has continued to receive attention and regular visits in significant numbers.

“In fact, I would say that in recent years it has become more active and successful in attracting different age groups with diverse reading interests.”

Kafa Asiri emphasizes that public libraries continue to play an important cultural and intellectual role:

“Libraries retain their pioneering role in disseminating culture and knowledge in all its forms.”

She rejects the idea that libraries have been negatively affected by the rise of digital media and electronic books, saying:

“I do not see any obvious negative impact, particularly as we have noticed an increase in the number of young readers and their clear attachment to printed books.”

Kafa Asiri concludes:

“I believe the most important factor in ensuring the continuity of libraries is cooperation among them in organizing competitions and engaging programs for readers and researchers. They should also exchange collections and resources, or unify their research channels into a single platform that makes it easier for readers to find what they are looking for.”

An Absent Partner

Writer and author Siham Hussein Al-Qahtani emphasizes that libraries are the “missing cultural partner.” She says:

“Libraries in Saudi Arabia have become part of cultural development under Vision 2030 through the Libraries Commission, which seeks to transform the concept of libraries into cultural houses and platforms that contribute to improving people’s quality of life.

“The objectives of libraries have expanded to include reading, innovation, the promotion of the arts, and the development of skills through workshops. In this sense, they represent a parallel cultural approach.”

Siham Al-Qahtani explains that the decline in library use is connected to the traditional perception of what a library is:

“The problem of people drifting away from libraries is related to the traditional perception of the library that still dominates the collective consciousness, namely that libraries are primarily about reading.

“No matter how much the objectives of libraries evolve or how diverse their services become, unless this perception changes, libraries cannot truly become environments that attract people.”

She also argues that the dominance of cafés as cultural partners has pushed libraries out of the spotlight:

“The dominance of cafés as cultural partners has today pushed the real cultural partner, the libraries, out of the spotlight. Perhaps the reason is that the public has accepted cafés as cultural partners, while libraries have not been equally accepted in this role.

“Here, we return to the need to change the collective perception of what libraries are so that we can realize their true impact on people’s quality of life.”

Al-Qahtani also stresses that digitizing books cannot diminish the value of libraries:

“The digitization of books cannot eliminate the value of libraries because they are not merely repositories of books. Rather, they are sources of civilization in its various forms.