QU forms a committee to collect Qatari heritage from the 1950s and 1960s

Qatar University (QU) Within the framework of Qatar University (QU) Library's keenness to collect Qatari heritage, a joint committee was formed with the College of Arts and Sciences aiming to collect the stories of the Qatari people and their daily lives during the 1950s and 1960s, and to document those stories that tell about their lives and their daily experiences in various walks of life.
The importance of this initiative led by Qatar University is due to the lack of written records about this period in Qatar's history, as many changes occurred in the lifestyle of the Qatari community during the 1950s and 1960s.
Therefore, QU will collect and document the stories of the people of Qatar that tell about their lives and daily experiences during that period. This documentation aims to preserve an aspect of the national heritage of the State of Qatar. In order to benefit the future generations of the Qatari people, as well as students and researchers from all around the world interested in studying and researching Qatar and the Gulf region in general.
For concerned members of the Qatari community, this project represents a rare opportunity to narrate and document their life experiences during the 50s and 60s, and based on the above, this committee will interview Qataris or those living in the 50s and 60s in Qatar. To write their memoirs from that time period of their lives up to their personal choices.
Maryam Al Thani, Section Head of Reference and Information Services at Qatar University Library said, "We will start this campaign to collect the stories of the Qatari people and individuals who lived in Qatar during the aforementioned period. These stories can be sent to the e-mail: Library.Events@qu.edu.qa”
“The committee respects the privacy of individuals if they wish to share some stories without mentioning their names. Among the topics that can be written about are: work in the oil industry, changes in the family system, bureaucracy, school systems and any other topics in the same context,” she added
Dr. Peter Polak Springer, Associate Professor of History said: “The Qatar University Library is building an archive that documents the social history and intangible cultural heritage of the early modernization era in the State of Qatar in the 1950s and 1960s by collecting realistic experiences and stories of those who lived through that period. The importance of documenting social history and monitoring the living reality during that era stems from the fact that it is a period of time during which the Qatari society witnessed social and cultural transformations that represented a turning point in the lives of those who were contemporary of that period.”
“They have lived through the changes and transformations that affected them and were affected by them. Therefore, we urge the people and residents of Qatar who were contemporaries of that era to convey to us their experiences and stories, as they deserve to be an integral part of the history and heritage of our country,” he added.