ArtDayME: Established in 2014, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library (MBRL) in Dubai has a view of the Rahel-shaped Dubai Creek. Its seven-story building, which may be a reference to the Seven Heavens, is one of the city's most beautiful examples of imaginative and majestic architecture.

The purchasing of millions of volumes from all over the world and the abundance of cultural and artistic activities, together with this significant structure, have helped to forge a strong institution in the Middle East.

MBRL consists of ten main collections: The General Library, Young Adult Library, Children's Library, Information Centre, Map and Atlas Library, Media and Arts Library, Business Library, Emirates Library, Periodicals Library and a Special Collections Library.

The audience is astounded by the size of the collection of rare manuscripts, as well as the cultural and artistic works from the Arab, Islamic, and rest of the worlds. More than 600,000 e-book and audiobook titles are a testament to the collection's currentness.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Library consistently hosts an exciting and varied calendar of events, free workshops for learning and collaboration, and cultural arts activities. In recent years, this calendar has become even more vibrant and magnificent thanks to the recruitment of Mohammad Al Murr as the foundation's chairman.

Al Murr is a well-known cultural and artistic figure in the UAE and the region who has held important positions in the past. His attendance at the library demonstrates the significance of this institution to the Dubai and UAE governments.

He has long been an acknowledged name to those interested in culture and the arts. Al Murr has worked hard to advance and promote the flow of Islamic art. He is a recognised manuscript collector and a passionate calligrapher.

When speaking of MBRL, Al Murr notes that "the leadership of the UAE is very interested in the expansion of science and reading, and the increasing development of public libraries and their promotion to international levels shows this importance."

"I used to be a journalist," he adds. "I wrote an article in the Al Bayan newspaper in which I discussed the value of public libraries and the need to build ones in residential areas. The authorities at the time consented with my idea, and later libraries were constructed in various branches in residential neighbourhoods.

As fall approaches and schools and institutions reopen, MBRL has also created a number of programmes about which we will undoubtedly update our valued readers.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Library can be visited between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, at 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, as well as 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.