Digital Library for the Maghreb

Implementing a Maghreb Digital Library for Education, Science & Culture

A workshop in Rabat, Morocco - January 25-27, 2007)

The January 2007 Workshop will focus on the creation of networked digital libraries and how they might be used by individuals and institutions in North Africa. A digital library of cultural heritage of the Maghreb region would facilitate education and scholarship by providing local and international access to cultural heritage resources held by institutions around the world. Such a library also could serve as a security and preservation repository in the case of the loss of physical resources due to fire, theft, or natural degradation. A digital library would have broader applications as well, in terms of education &training, access to information, building an informed citizenry, etc.

Our workshop will address steps needed to implement a digital library for the Maghreb region. Major issues include content development, management structures, tele-communications infrastructure, and training for digital managers and users. The structure will mirror a meeting funded by NSF and others which was held at the Alexandria Library in Egypt in January 2006. http://www.sis.pitt.edu/~egyptdlw/

The workshop will bring together key constituents in the region and abroad so the vision can be realized. It will include presentations, panel discussions and tours. The meeting findings will be incorporated in a report and plan of action that can inform government agencies, libraries, universities, research institutes, grant-making entities, and the private sector.

Attendees will include experts in library science, digital information, telecommunications, and Maghreb culture. Invited guests will include representatives from national governments, telecom agencies and businesses, libraries, and other institutions. The workshop will be open to the public, but attendance will be limited.

The Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology is involved because this workshop promotes the broader discussion of how technology can advance knowledge and to foster international cooperation. Members of the Fulbright Academy work for agencies, universities and corporations around the world on numerous topics directly related to this workshop. Therefore, the workshop will include a delegation of Academy members.

The workshop is hosted by the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research and held in Rabat, the capital of The Kingdom of Morocco. We are limiting the workshop to 75 attendees, including government, private sector, and academic representatives from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Tunisia. A planning meeting was held on October 19 at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia.