Reading is a favourite past time of many expats whether it’s a book about Dubai or the latest thriller.  Amongst the expat community there are many “book-clubs” which is a great way of meeting people and learning about new titles. Even with the popularity of the Kindle a favourite past-time of many expats in their home countries would have been to visit the local library and even in this ultra-modern city this is still possible at The Old Library.

The Old Library is Dubai’s leading English Language Lending Library with over 1800 family and individual members. It is a non-profit organisation which is run entirely by volunteers as a service to the Dubai community. The Library is part of the Dubai Community Theatre and Art Centre (DUCTAC) which is located at the Mall of the Emirates on Sheikh Zayed Road in Al Barsha.

The library has been in its present location since 2006 however, it has a long history within the Dubai expat community having been is existence since 1969.  Originally operating under the name, the Dubai Lending Library, donations of books from commercial companies and members of the expatriate community enabled the library to flourish.

The Library has a collection of over 20,000 books with well stocked specialist sections for Children, Teenagers, Adult Fiction, General Reference, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance and the Middle East. New books are purchased every month for both the Children’s and Adult sections of the Library. The Library also offers a toddler’s reading session, and secondhand books for sale.

Membership costs AED 200 (annual subscription fee + AED 50 joining fee)

The Library also gratefully accepts donations of second hand books. Books in ‘as new’ condition are used to supplement the book collection and others are sold as secondhand books to raise money for the purchase of new books. New books are purchased monthly for both the children’s and adult sections of the Library.