Qatar National Library (QNL) and KidZania Doha announced that a QNL area will be established inside the edutainment centre, where children can practice working as librarians, borrow books and read as patrons, and even make short stop-motion animations.

QNL’s decision to establish an area inside KidZania Doha aligns with its mission to create and sustain trusted educational environments and to develop innovative programmes for children using technology and culture as key learning tools. The establishment of a QNL area also complements KidZania’s goal to benefit from the expertise and skills of international and local institutions to realise its vision of providing a realistic edutainment environment, where children are inspired to learn through role-playing activities.

QNL Executive Director Dr Sohair Wastawy, said that their effort to strengthen the culture of reading and learning in Qatar go beyond the walls of the Library, and this project is an example of how they work with other organisations to achieve this goal. She said that they want to inspire the next generation of librarians. ‘Learning through play is an effective way of showing children what it means to be a librarian in today’s digital age.’

According to Ric Fearnett, Governor of KidZania Doha, the creation of the new QNL will allow them to share the rich history, heritage, and culture of Qatar, as well as reach out to the younger generation to promote reading in a fun environment.

KidZania Doha, expected to open its doors in the last quarter of 2018, is located in Aspire Zone. It has a footprint size of over 5,500 square metres and will be housing 42 establishments. Children four to 14 years old will be able to role play ‘adult jobs’ in up to 60 pretend roles, learn a variety of values including self-reliance, teamwork, honesty, integrity, and giving back to society. The establishment will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 children and approximately 250 employees at any one time.

For updates and information about KidZania Doha, visit their website at doha.kidzania.com.