Qatar Digital Library Guide
Library @ University of Kurdistan Hewlêr
Content for this guide is adapted from Qatar Digital Library What is Qatar Digital Library and its coverage How to access – where to find it Content How to use it - Search functions and filters How to refine your result Tips on how to improve your search Introduction
The Qatar Digital Library is an archival digital collection of primary sources pertaining to Gulf Coast countries and regions, including Kurdistan. The personal and institutional archival collection consists of manuscripts, letters, maps, musical recordings, and photographs complete with contextualised explanatory notes and links, in both English and Arabic. The QDL is a collaboratively developed project of the Qatar Foundation, the Qatar National Library, and the British Library. 950,000 images have been added thus far. The content is aimed for those with a general interest in the history of the Gulf to the academic researchers undertaking ground-breaking research. The QDL will transform the study of Gulf history, improving understanding of the Islamic world, Arabic cultural heritage and the modern history of the Gulf. • Go to https://www.ukh.edu.krd/ How to access • Navigate to Library → Resources → Databases → Qatar Digital Library How to start a search
QDL is quite a simple database to use. However, it is necessary to plan the keyword(s) to be used for your search. It is necessary to plan which keywords to use, and how you will relate them to each other. It is only through planning that the optimal search results will be obtained. Searches can be carried out using the search box or the ‘Explore the Archive’ link on the home page. When using these tools, various search filters may be employed, such as timeline or date, place, subject, people or organisations. How to start a search
• QDL is quite a simple database to use. However, it is necessary to plan the keyword(s) to be used for your search. It is necessary to plan which keywords to use, and how you will relate them to each other. It is only through planning that the optimal search results will be obtained. • Searches can be carried out using the search box or the ‘Explore the Archive’ link on the home page. When using these tools, various search filters may be employed, such as timeline or date, place, subject, people or organisations. How to start a search
▪ When clicking the ‘Articles from Our Experts’ link, the user is led to curated articles based on themes, such as Culture and Religion, Power and Politics, and People and Places. The articles highlight books, articles, music, and other digital items in the archive. There are 145 articles to explore Refining your results Filters
▪ You can filter your results to find more relevant materials. The filters are located on the left pane of the page. ▪ Filters available include: ▪ Document source ▪ Search term location ▪ Subject ▪ Place ▪ Type i.e. map, photograph, books etc ▪ People and organisations ▪ Holding institution ▪ Date (CE) Result – Image of the record
Note: Most record are downloadable in PDF format Result - Options to review the record further Result – Choose the right resource
Do not just look at the title
You can refine your search by reading the abstract, to ensure that the content is relevant
Once you are satisfied you can choose to download in PDF format Tips to improve your results
Review the results and if: You have too many results, you narrow your search. You have too few results, you widen your search. You have found enough relevant sources, save the articles and citations to your laptop or memory stick Some tips to remember when conducting searches: When searching SPELLING COUNTS – if you are getting no results, but you think you should be, check your spelling Search engines generally ignore capitalisation (Taiwan = taiwan) Search engines generally ignore articles, such as the, an, and a.