Digitizing Arabic Materials in Alexandria - From ancient to digital age

In order to establish digital libraries in Arab countries, a great deal of initial investment is required. Developing online Arabic materials, as well as a wide range of universal information in Arabic and facilitating their accessibility for Arab users may be a challenge and may seem problematic but the beneficial outcomes are outstanding and will show significant results on educational, economical, and social levels within the region.

History includes several incidents in which libraries have been burned, as in the ancient Library of Alexandria and Iraq and. Destruction of valuable historical and cultural heritage has also occurred in the past. Today, in which many countries are involved in and suffering from several military conflicts and unstable political circumstances, the need for developing digital library is urged. Issues such as intellectual property, developing archiving digitization standards, and preserving the integrity of digital library resources by maintaining quality information infrastructure should be the first concerns on the national information policies.

This lecture will present the development phases of digitizing Arabic materials in the region in addition to a number of Arabic digitization projects among which The Digital Assets Repository (DAR), Arabic and Middle Eastern Electronic Library (AMEEL) and others, as well as ways of finding and creating advanced solutions to challenges that keep Arabic digital libraries contained in their growth.