King Fahd National Library

King Fahd National Library is a national cultural institution located in Riyadh City, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was founded at the beginning of the reign of King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, through the efforts of citizens and the support of the Riyadh Municipality, to serve as a public library. Then, in 1989, it was transformed into a national library, after which its facilities were renovated and its area was expanded

in 2014 . It obtained membership in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in 2022, serving beneficiaries in various fields within its jurisdiction. It also publishes a magazine named 'King Fahd National Library'.

King Fahd National Library was built through collaboration between the Riyadh Municipality and Saudi citizens to serve as a public library. Following a proposal by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, it was transformed into a national library, with him assuming the presidency of the advisory committee during the construction phase.

The library was established to commemorate King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's ascension to the throne in 1982, serving as a memorial landmark for this occasion. Construction began in 1986 under the supervision of the Riyadh Municipality, and after two years, an interim administration was formed to plan the development, organization, and establishment of the library's technical and administrative apparatus. By 1989, its construction, furnishing, and equipping were completed. On December 5, 1989, the Council of Ministers approved the library's law and its administrative structure, and under this law, the library was transformed into a national library.

A project to expand and develop its exterior was implemented in 2014, increasing its area to approximately 87,000 m² from its previous size of no more than 21,000 m². Additionally, a theater with about four hundred seats was added to accommodate cultural events and activities organized by the library.

King Fahd National Library undertakes a number of mandates. Since the implementation of the Legal Deposit Law in 1994, the library has started to register all published information in the Kingdom, applying a deposit number before their publication. For old books, the library continues to acquire old and rare editions through cooperation with authors, as well as through donations and purchases of early Saudi publications.

Additionally, the library is responsible for the registration and international numbering of Saudi publications and indexing contents that serve researchers interested in the Kingdom and the Arabian Peninsula. It also maintains its collections, whether through sterilization or binding, and restores manuscripts and documents. Furthermore, the library provides photocopying services to individuals, libraries, and government bodies, and contributes to the preparation of studies and research.

The library also provides information services, including information processing, reference services, interlibrary loan, and the preservation of manuscript heritage. It offers special services to owners of original manuscripts, such as issuing a registration certificate for the manuscript, sterilizing it, and recording its data in the unified Saudi manuscript catalog.

King Fahd National Library offers several electronic services for users. These include requesting registration for printed material, registering non-printed material, requesting registration of periodical prints, requesting registration for artistic material, and requesting updates to Saudi publishers' data.

Additionally, the library facilitates requests for research statements on master's and doctoral topics, alongside research in documenting intellectual production, research in the system for summarizing Saudi intellectual works, and requests for source lists. It also enables its beneficiaries to request manuscripts or historical documents, a historical image from the Kingdom's Information Center, biographical data about a Saudi author, publication of research in the library's magazine, suggestions for purchasing a specific book or subject, and visit requests.