ICBA contributes books to Mohammed Bin Rashid Library

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has contributed a number of seminal scientific books from its collection to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, an upcoming visionary hub of knowledge from around the world in Dubai, UAE.

The books include titles in Arabic and English authored and co-authored by ICBA scientists and cover a wide range of subjects from soil classification to biosaline agriculture to salt-tolerant plants of the UAE.

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of ICBA, said: “It is a great honor for us to be able to make a small contribution to this grand initiative by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The vision and mission of the library strongly resonate with what our center does, that is making knowledge available to all. I do strongly believe that knowledge has no borders and is the engine behind any human development.”

Mr. David G. Hirsch, Advisor on Library Services at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, said: “We are delighted to receive these books from ICBA. They would be an excellent addition to our collection as they are relevant to the UAE and cover topics such as soil and water, salinity, and agricultural research in general. Some of them are also great references on soil, water and plants in the UAE.”

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is due to open its doors in 2019. It will house around 450,000 printed books in Arabic, English and other languages of UAE residents. The library will also have large collections of e-books, journals, videos and films, databases and audio content.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library will be organized into seven smaller, specialized sections: a children’s library; a youth library; a general library; a business library; a maps and atlases library; an arts and media library and a special collections library which will include rare books and manuscripts.

As part of their research work, ICBA scientists produce various scientific publications. Over the years, the center has generated a wealth of knowledge which is shared through an open access repository with different stakeholders, including young researchers and scientists.

The main aim of ICBA’s knowledge repository is to disseminate scientific know-how in order to help solve some of the most pressing agricultural issues in different regions, including the Middle East and North Africa.