Preserving and Creating Access to Unique Afghan Records, 1989 to 2006

FAIN: PC-50063-07

Arizona Board of Regents (Tucson, AZ 85721-0073)
Atifa Rawan (Project Director: July 2006 to March 2010)

The training of Afghan library staff in digitization and modern cataloging procedures, who would then scan and mount on the Internet 6,000 titles selected from the archival collections of the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University.

The University of Arizona Libraries in partnership with the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University will collaborate to catalog, digitize, and create metadata for a unique collection of documents related to Afghanistan history, culture, and its development during the Jihad period, 1989 to 2006. ACKU's Permanent Collection is the most extensive in the region covering a time of war and social upheaval in the country, with most of the documents in English or the principal languages of Afghanistan. The two-year project objectives are to: 1) train staff in standardized cataloguing, metadata creation, and digitization processing; 2) identify and provide international standardized cataloguing and classification (metadata) for 6,000 titles or 15,000 physical unique items; 3) scan, digitize, and preserve these 6,000 titles; 4) facilitate digital access and delivery; and, 5) build a preservation infrastructure at Kabul University that can be a resource for all 19 universities in Afghanistan.

Media Coverage

Atifa Rawan, Yan Han honored with ringing of USS Arizona Bell (Media Coverage)
Publication: LoQuePasa
Date: 4/15/2009
Abstract: The bell of the USS Arizona was rung today to honor two University of Arizona librarians for their work on a project to digitize and provide online access to a one-of-a-kind collection of historical materials on Afghanistan.
URL: http://lqp.arizona.edu/node/1301

LibLibrarian leading UA effort to build Afghanistan's Libraries (Media Coverage)
Author(s): The University of Arizona Office of Comminication
Publication: UA News
Date: 5/21/2008
Abstract: Atifa Rawan launched the UA into a project to help rebuild academic libraries in Afghanistan in 2002 and hasn't stopped working since.
URL: http://uanews.org/node/19718

Associated Products

Digital Archiving and Preservaton: A Unique collection in Humanities (Article)
Title: Digital Archiving and Preservaton: A Unique collection in Humanities
Author: Han, Y & Rawan, A
Abstract: The International Conference of Digital Archives and Digital Humanities. Taipei, Taiwan. Dec 1-2, 2009.
Year: 2009

Updates on Cloud Computing uses for Library Services (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Updates on Cloud Computing uses for Library Services
Author: Han, Y
Abstract: Using cloud computing technology for storing data for this humanities project.
Date: 06/25/2011
Primary URL: http://connect.ala.org/node/137568
Primary URL Description: 2011 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, New Orleans, USA, June 25, 2011.

On the Clouds: A New Way of Computing (Article)
Title: On the Clouds: A New Way of Computing
Author: Han, Y
Abstract: In Information Technology & Libraries. (29)2, 87 - 92. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/publications/ital/29/2/han.pdf
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/publications/ital/29/2/han.pdf

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