A few months after the expansive library at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) had opened in the May of 2012, Susan Parker-Leavy

took charge of its affairs. “Things were very quiet then,” she recalls.
While a deafening silence is a hallmark of any library worth its weight in books, Susan, the Head of MIA Library, is certainly

not referring to that. “Only 50 visitors turned up in my first month here,” she says, smiling and looking over the hall now used

up by a handful.
In fact, the total visitors through that year were 1,198, as opposed to 7,294 in 2013, and a cool 12,867 by the end of 2014. What

gives?
“Initially, it wasn’t busy,” says Susan, “So we started thinking of programmes and activities we could do to attract more people.

Once we did that, we earned quite a solid base of patrons. We have figured what people are interested in, and what works.”
The focus of the books lined throughout the library, which sits invitingly by the Arabian Sea and is mostly awash by a flood of

natural light, is “to reflect the Museum’s collection, and explore Islamic Art.”
It’s not for nothing that it is recognised as the region’s first public library to specialise in Islamic Arts. The MIA Library

stocks more than 15,000 books; a staggering range encompassing books, journals, auction and exhibition catalogues, rare books,

scholarly periodicals, manuscripts, specialist books, monographs, and even online databases relating to Islamic Art.
“The books are shelved using the Library of Congress subject classification so that the subjects are grouped together,” Susan

points out. Sample the wide sweep of subjects covered: Museum studies, social studies, religion, philosophy, Islamic art,

architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, science, medicine, jewellery, gardens, carpets, ceramics, glass, metalwork,

calligraphy, and so on.
“Our library is one of the best places to come to do research about the objects on display at the Museum, or generally to know

about Islamic Art, the medium, material, techniques, etc. It was originally supposed to be a specialist research library,” she

says.
However, based on Qatar and its people’s needs, the library needed to be more than that. “That’s why it has become like a

community centre and a place for children and tourists to come by. A lot of university, PhD students, and even architecture

students visit us. We kind of have to be something to everybody, which is sometimes quite tricky. But I think we are doing a

successful job of it so far,” Susan says.
Be it the Majlis Book Club — a monthly meeting to discuss a chosen book in English and Arabic, the Instagram Club — a monthly

meet-up group for Instagram users who want to share their Instagram experiences of the Museum, the MIA Collectors Club — where

people gather to discuss their personal collection of Islamic Art, or Story Time for Kids, engaging the community through a

series of programmes has been largely rewarding.
“It was difficult to get people in, but now that we have established a base, we can focus on increasing numbers even further,”

says Susan. “At the moment, the library’s biggest users are kids. Since a lot of school groups visit us, some kids have become

our biggest fans. I think a lot of parents, too, are pushing the point that you can’t find everything on the Internet.”
This explains why the children’s books cover everything; from general reference and story books to science and art history. “Just

getting the kids used to the idea of using a library, letting them come here and use story books is essential,” she says.
This is also why Susan finds the Supreme Education Council’s initiative of including visits to the MIA library in the curriculum,

to be a major boost. “It has been so helpful. And we really enjoy working with kids,” she says.
Recently, much to the delight of its regulars, the library’s timings were significantly extended. It is now open on

Sunday, Monday and Wednesday from 10.30am to 11pm; from 12 noon to 8pm on Thursday; and from 12 noon to 11pm on Saturday. It is

closed on Tuesdays and Fridays. “Now we can expand our programmes and accommodate more people,” says Susan.
While the urban world is increasingly choosing the digital over the physical, the MIA Library authorities see a lot of potential

to draw more crowds under its wings. “We will do more outreach activities and welcome people to come and use this space. We have

PCs, free Wi-Fi, coffee set-ups during evening, and even outdoor seating in the central courtyard. We must make our patrons feel

that we are happy to have them here,” Susan says.
Quite a few people are trickling in to utilise the calming ambience of the library, and Susan encourages that, too. “One of our

regulars is a gentleman who likes to sit here all day long and work on his business projects. We would like people to come and

use the space. Maybe, via osmosis, they may pick up a book sometime and get interested in reading more,” she says, smiling.
“One of the most frustrating things for me is that when I have told quite some people that I am the Head of Library at the MIA,

they said they didn’t realise there was a library here,” continues Susan, “I just want people to come in and see what we have,

and discover what might interest them.”
Not only does the library have its own databases, but even its staff of eight is trained to help patrons find the right material.

Susan shares an anecdote of a British tourist who was recently down in Doha and ended up spending most of his two-week-long

holiday holed up in the library.
“He was interested in gardening and he wanted to read up on Islamic Art and gardening books. He came every day. I helped him with

searching for the right books. He returned to the UK, but left pages for us to scan and mail him. We’d like to help people in

every way,” Susan says.
When the man phoned Susan to thank her, she asked him if he could put all his research together and make a presentation at the

library the next time he returns. “That’s how we can continue the dialogue.”
Even producers of the popular TV show Stars of Science — the Arab world’s first and foremost ‘edutainment’ reality television

programme — once descended upon the library. “We have some great books that delve into astrolabes and medical diagrams from the

Islamic era. They used that content as a huge backdrop in the show and invited us for the episode,” Susan says.
Among the many such goldmines of knowledge steeped in the neatly aligned racks, some highlights are the original volumes of

Creswell’s Early Muslim Architecture — very popular with students of Islamic Architecture — and 23 rare Arabic manuscripts that

are as special as they are fragile.
Conversely, publicising the possession of these antique books may not always earn enthusiasts. “Some people walk in and say: Oh,

we heard you have a rare book. I just want to touch a rare book… just touch it,” Susan says, laughing, “But we can’t give one

just like that.”
At the beginning of last year, an extensive gap analysis conducted on the library revealed that it had about 90 per cent of the

resources it needed to have on Islamic Art. The partnership with Qatar National Library now seems to be yet another fillip to the

library’s steady rise as it has marked the onset of the digitisation of its Arabic manuscripts.
The key, then, is to bolster the public interaction, Susan feels. “The Majlis Book Club, for instance, has benefitted from great

word of mouth. It is growing and evolving,” she says, “Like at the last session, we were reading Reflections on Islamic Art, and

had a core group of eight ladies — who are all expats from different nationalities.”
“Soon, six Qatari teenage boys joined us as well,” she continues, “So it was a really nice interaction between the boys and the

ladies. Once the conversation got going, they realised they had so much to share. In one chapter about stars and maps of stars,

one boy complained he doesn’t even see the point of having stars. All the ladies laughed. One of them explained to him the

importance of stars and how they help us navigate.”
Stressing on the point of the library catching on with the kids, Susan shares a sweet anecdote: “A few days back, a little girl,

about 10 years old, walked in with her father at night. She said she had enjoyed her school’s tour to the library so much that

she wanted him to take a look around, too. As she now wanted to write a report about the library for her school project, she

explored the place, took photos and even interviewed me. You could tell that her dad was very proud of her.”
“So yes, the children are really enjoying this,” says Susan, having enough reasons to be convinced.