Graham Shaw, Director of the British Library Oriental & India Office
Collections, has posted on IFLANet an
"assessment of damage to Libraries and Archives in Iraq", which gives a
useful concise summary of what is known (and not known) so far about the
fate of printed books, MSS & archival collections in Baghdad, Mosul,
Basra and elsewhere. It can be found at
http://www.ifla.org/VI/4/admin/iraq0205.htm
On the initiative of the British Library, IFLA (the International
Federation of Library Associations), is working with the International
Council on Archives (ICA) through the International Committee of the
Blue
Shield (cultural equivalent of the International Red Cross) to establish
fact-finding missions in Iraq and to assess what may be needed by way of
international assistance. It is hoped that they may be represented at
the forthcoming conference of MELCOM-International in Beirut, which will
have an extended session on Iraq. It is also hoped to secure the
attendance there of at least one Iraqi librarian or official to report
on the situation, although communications and travel difficulties may
possibly prevent this.
Geoffrey Roper
Islamic Bibliography Unit
Cambridge University Library
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