The United Arab Emirates' Sharjah Library has allowed access to its more than 6 million e-books and digital knowledge resources for free, according to a statement on Sunday.

The statement, announced by the Rabat-based Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), said the initiative came in a bid to enrich the contents of "ICESCO Digital Home" and "Distance Culture" initiatives, and to support the efforts to limit the impact of COVID-19 on educational, scientific and cultural fields.

The accessible contents cover more than 30,000 videos spanning all fields and disciplines, 160,000 e-books, 5 million global dissertations, 21,000 periodicals and scholarly journals as well as a large number of manuscripts, rare books, audiobooks, and e-books, according to the statement.

The Sharjah Library was established initially as the Qasimi Library in 1925 by Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah (1924-1951), at his palace.

(Cover image from VCG)