Friday 14 August 2020

 

The British Council launched a free digital library as part of this year’s Kuwait International Book Fair.

This new resource will provide the people of Kuwait with unlimited access to thousands of entertainment content and Academic resources - including online study resources, popular eBooks and audiobooks and award-winning movies and documentaries. 

Digital Library members will also have access to magazines and newspapers, comics and graphics novels from around the world and online learning resources.

With the beginning of a new school year just around the corner, this online digital library also aims to support English learners and students with free resources that can help improve their language skills. The library also provides video-based training courses, as part of multiple online learning resources available within the library. Its goal is to provide members with the skills to prepare and motivate school students.

The British Council launched this new digital library in partnership with the National Library, at the first-ever virtual Kuwait International Book Fair.

Michael Gordon, Director, British Council Kuwait said: “We are delighted to be able to partner with the National Library today and launch at their first-ever virtual book fair. We hope through our new digital library to continue to share the joys of reading, learning and culture. It is a fantastic resource and has something for everyone – from Harry Potter to The Economist, to live music concerts and professional development tools.

“In these difficult times, we want to connect the people of Kuwait with the best British knowledge and resources.  We believe that the future of the United Kingdom depends on people of all cultures who live and work together on the foundations of education, mutual understanding, respect and trust. Now, more than ever, we need to facilitate cultural exchange and cooperation and we hope young and old will take advantage of this great hub for creativity and culture, and benefit from the rich resources we have gathered.”

This is the 44th year of the Kuwait International Book Fair, having been created to promote the value of reading and writing in Kuwait, and in the rest of the Gulf region. 

Kuwait National Library Director, Sheikha Rasha Nayef AlSabah, said: “This partnership with the British Council in launching the free digital library, is a distinguished cultural collaboration that gives readers and researchers  the opportunity to get all types of knowledge  easily and without cost. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important that people continue learning useful things and enjoying them during this period.

“Kuwait National Library would like to thank the British Council for this fruitful partnership and for selecting Kuwait for starting the launch.”

Also speaking about the new resource was The British Ambassador to Kuwait, H.E. Michael Davenport, who said: “I warmly welcome the new digital library initiative that the British Council has announced. This library will enable English Language and literature lovers to easily get unlimited numbers of books, movies and reviews as well as documentaries. 

“It is my pleasure that the launch of the digital library coincides with the virtual meeting of the Education and Culture Group which is part of the 16th UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group subcommittee as this will definitely enhances the cultural partnership between the two countries.”

In Kuwait, members of the digital library have access to:

Newspapers: 2,400 full-text newspapers from over 100 countries 

Magazines: 4,000 full-colour, digital editions such as Newsweek for instant desktop and mobile reading. Library members can select both new and back issues, adding them to personal reading libraries with no holds, no checkout periods, and no limits to the number of magazines checked out 

EBooks and Audio Books: Read or listen on the go to over 3,000 titles from all major publishers and authors 

Comics and Graphic Novels: 1500+ comic titles are available to library members of all ages 

Music: over 1,500 of live moments in music, full-length concerts and music documentaries streamed on-demand to any digital device

Independent Films: streaming movie service that offers access to over 7,000 pop culture favourites, box office hits, award-winning feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Library members can instantly view thousands of titles from around the world, including the best from classic TV, horror, comedy, film festival darlings

Theatre: The best of British theatre to teachers and students - library members can enjoy more than 600 productions, as well as talks and discussions from leading theatre practitioners

Academic Books: 100,000 eBooks in all academic subject areas along with powerful research tools. Subject areas include: Anthropology, Business and Economics, Computers & IT, Education, Engineering & Technology, Fine Arts, History, Language & Literature, Law, Life Sciences, Medicine, Physical Sciences, Psychology, Religion and Social Sciences

Software Training: online how-to training on hundreds of common software applications and devices, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, google Docs and IPad.

The British Council Digital Library in Kuwait is free to all who sign up. To register, please visit: https://www.britishcouncil.com.kw/en/english/learn-online/digital-library. Users must be over 18 years of age.

Once registered, members will be able to download the app – which is available from Google Play and the App Store - and will be able to access content from their smartphones anywhere, anytime.  

Find out more: https://www.britishcouncil.com.kw/en. For enquiries about the new digital library, please email GulfBritishCouncilDigitalLibraryEnquiries@britishcouncil.org.

The Kuwait International Book Fair will run from August 4-16 – to find out more, visit: https://kuwaitofw.com/kuwait-international-book-fair/

Notes to Editor

For further information please contact: 

Claire McAuley, Senior Communication Manager, Gulf Cluster - T +44 (0) 28 9019 2224 | M +44 (0) 7856524504 Claire.McAuley@britishcouncil.org  

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.