Dubai Municipality is currently finalising designs for a new premises for the Dubai Central Library which will come up on the banks of Al Mamzar Lagoons.

The new book-shaped building will be constructed according to high international standards and specifications – with the focus being on electronic services as well as state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities.
Preliminary designs have been selected through a contest among internationally-renowned and experienced consultants. These designs show a book-shaped building that reflects the library's main theme, said Essa Al Maidour, assistant director-general of Dubai Municipality for General Projects Affairs.
"The main focus of the library would be on the central area of the building which would be naturally lit," he said.
"The basement would be dedicated for parking which will accommodate as many as 1,000 cars. Other facilities of the central library will include administrative and technical sections, reading halls, service areas, children's library, business library, exhibitions and conference centre, and training halls."
Final designs are expected to be ready by the end of the third quarter of this year, which will be followed by a tender for the project's construction. Works of the library  is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
He added that the central library would consist of over 1.72 million books and other library materials including CDs and audio-video cassettes.
Meanwhile, Dubai Municipality is gearing up for the launch of the second phase of its Building Permit Certification Service, which will be one of the biggest eGovernment implementations undertaken by the civic body. The completion of this phase will ensure 100 per cent online transactions between Dubai Municipality and building contractors in Dubai.
The system will offer a host of electronic services to clients and will process large amounts of data related to building permits and construction activities in Dubai.
One of the innovative features of the service will be the availability of information on all major construction projects being undertaken in Dubai, in addition to detailed descriptions on existing and upcoming buildings that come under the purview of Dubai Municipality.
"The launch of the second phase of this project is a major landmark for the Dubai Municipality and reflects our commitment to provide high-quality services to our clients. The services that will now be available through our portal will significantly help building consultants and contractors throughout the entire process of the construction project, while also providing detailed information on major buildings in Dubai. This project also complements Dubai's efforts towards achieving the highest levels of eGovernance," says Abdullah Al Shibani, director general for technical service, Dubai Municipality.
The primary goals of introducing this service include reducing traffic congestion around the Dubai municipality office, which is situated in the heart of the city; lessening the workload of municipality staff by eliminating manual processing of documents; providing all services pertaining to building permits ranging from new building licences to issuance of completion certificates; assisting clients to check the status of their applications online; facilitating online payment of fees and fines.
It will also offer a comprehensive database of all buildings in Dubai providing important statistics and reports about buildings that will help decision-makers in Dubai in the strategic planning of roads, assist departments such as police, civil defence and economics, besides consultancy and construction companies.