British Council Launches Free Digital Library In The UAE As Part Of The Ubuntu Love Challenge

THE British Council has launched a free digital library in the UAE today (Wednesday, August 12) as part of the positivity movement – the Ubuntu Love Challenge.

To give back to the community, this new resource will provide UAE citizens and residents 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.

Through this new initiative, the British Council aims to share the joys of reading, learning and culture and enhance the wellbeing of UAE citizens and residents.

Speaking about the digital library and the challenge, Aida Salamanca, Director, British Council UAE said: “We wanted to take part in the Ubuntu Love Challenge as we know that the last few months have been difficult for everyone, and there’s a need to spread joy.

“This free digital library is a fantastic resource and has something for everyone – from Harry Potter to The Economist, to live music concerts and professional development tools and we believe it can help build vital learning skills, improve wellbeing and provide world-class entertainment.

“In these difficult times, there’s a need to connect people, and this resource provides the UAE with the best in British culture, ideas and values. 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, and benefit from the rich resources we have gathered.”

The Ubuntu Love Challenge is a global initiative spearheaded by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) and Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group, and thought-leader, Mamadou Kwidjim Toure, founder of the Africa 2.0 Foundation. It encourages people in the UAE and the world to share skills and knowledge to tackle global issues amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the UAE, 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 the UAE is free to all who sign up. To register, please visit: https://www.britishcouncil.ae/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.ae/en. For enquiries about the new digital library, please email GulfBritishCouncilDigitalLibraryEnquiries@britishcouncil.org.

To find out more about the Ubuntu Love Challenge visit:

UbuntuLoveChallenge.org