For your reference

IFLA has now been brought into this case through prof Paul Sturges who is chair
of the FAIFE-committee in IFLA:
http://www.ifla.org/faife/index.htm

Initiatives are taken to get information about the status and possibilities of
concrete action

Any information about status etc should be brought out on this list.
I am in direct contact with prof Sturges as I am a member of the IFLA FAIFE
committee

Frode Bakken
Library director
Telemark university college, Norway



----- Videresendt melding fra Kai-Henning Gerlach Books & Online
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    Dato: Fri, 18 May 2007 13:27:22 +0200
     Fra: Kai-Henning Gerlach Books & Online <[log in to unmask]>
Svar-til: Middle Eastern and Islamic Library Collections and Bibliography
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    Emne: Re: Al-Ansari Library Jerusalem
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Is there anyone who has contact details or is posted in Jerusalem? We could
then find out more about circumstances and deadlines. I would try to get
people involved who have at least some influence in the country.
Kai Gerlach




Am 18.05.2007 13:06 Uhr schrieb "G.J. Roper" unter <[log in to unmask]>:

> It seems desirable also to involve IFLA and, of course, MELCOM-International.
> Perhaps a resolution at the Sarajevo Conference might help, if it is not
> already too late by then.
>
> Geoffrey Roper
> London
>
> On May 18 2007, Ahmed Abu-Zayed wrote:
>
>> A petition by LIS-MIDDLE EAST and other groups could be sent to the
>> UNESCO.  But again, What is the official deadline for this evacuation?
>>
>> Ahmed Abu-Zayed, Exeter
>>
>> Kai-Henning Gerlach Books & Online wrote:
>>> Reading this my immediate question is: is there anything that can be done?
>>> What is  the official deadline for this evacuation? Is there anyone on the
>>> spot to whom support (of whatever kind) would be of help?
>>> Kai-Henning Gerlach, Berlin
>>>
>>>
>>> Am 18.05.2007 10:37 Uhr schrieb "Paul Auchterlonie" unter
>>> <[log in to unmask]>:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I thought this report originally sent to Melanet worth passing on.
>>>>
>>>> Paul Auchterlonie.
>>>>
>>>> Israeli authorities to demolish a Palestinian library in Jerusalem
>>>> Ma'an News 13 / 05 / 2007 Jerusalem --
>>>>
>>>> The Israeli authorities have handed a warrant to the owner of the
>>>> Al-Ansari Library on Saint George street, in Jerusalem, asking him
>>>> to evacuate the building because it is to be demolished for the
>>>> enlargement of the street and the construction of a train station.
>>>>
>>>> The library comprises 45,000 books, which have been collected over
>>>> 47 years. It is one of the most important libraries in Jerusalem.
>>>> It has a variety of books on subjects such as ancient history and
>>>> politics, as well as literary novels. The library also contains all the
>>>> periodicals and local newspapers that were issued in Jerusalem and the
>>>> Arab world since 1967 and even before that.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=21996
>>>> background article on the Al Ansari library....
>>>> http://www.jerusalemquarterly.org/details.php?cat=10&id=53
>>>> Libraries and Archives Bayt al-Maqdas: The Fahmi al-Ansari Library
>>>>
>>>> Jerusalem has a long and rich history of private family libraries.
>>>> As a divided city with practically no governmental institutions
>>>> catering to its Palestinian residents, the city lacks some of the
>>>> basic cultural services available in most other cities. One area
>>>> in particular in which such deficiency can be felt is that of
>>>> public libraries. In a city filled with research centers and
>>>> historical archives, few, if any, libraries can be found that
>>>> cater to the Palestinian general public. In such a context, family
>>>> libraries and book collectors have often offered an important
>>>> alternative to the general readership.
>>>>
>>>> The Bayt al-Maqdas - located at 7 Omar Ibn al-As Street between
>>>> Nablus Road and Salah al-Din Street - is one such private library.
>>>> In 1957 its founder and owner, Fahmi al-Ansari, placed his
>>>> collection of books at the disposal of the general readers of
>>>> Arabic in Jerusalem. His library came to replace an older family
>>>> library that had had been burnt in 1938.
>>>>
>>>> The library contains a collection of over thirty thousand books in
>>>> Arabic on a variety of topics. Most of them were printed sometime
>>>> between 1950 and 1980, with a few of them dating back to the
>>>> 1930s. Of special interest is Mr. Ansari*s collection of books on
>>>> Jerusalem that, according to him, includes all the books that have
>>>> been printed in Arabic on the city since the founding of the
>>>> library. Al-Ansari library does not contain any archival
>>>> materials, except for an impressive collection of Palestinian
>>>> newspapers that date back to as early as 1948. According to Mr. Al-
>>>> Ansari the collection contains all daily papers published in
>>>> Palestine since 1967. And, as he maintains, the goal of the
>>>> library is to collect all periodicals that have been published in
>>>> Arabic since the nineteenth century. Mr. Al-Ansari is proud of his
>>>> collection of 1876 copies of the Beirut based periodical al-Jinan.
>>>>
>>>> The library does not possess a cataloguing system. In order to
>>>> find a book, the visitor must ask Mr. Al-Ansari or look through a
>>>> long roster of titles. Titles are not organized alphabetically or
>>>> by subject but are listed following the order in which the books
>>>> are kept on the shelves. Thus, there is a list with all 2693 books
>>>> on shelf number one, another one with the 5166 titles on shelf
>>>> number two and so forth. As one can easily imagine, it is rather
>>>> difficult to depend on the listing. Due to lack of space, Mr. Al-
>>>> Ansari*s collection of newspapers is no longer accessible to the
>>>> general public but is rather kept in a storage room.
>>>>
>>>> The patrons of the library are mostly students - especially from
>>>> the schools of Jerusalem. However, specialized scholars may find this
>>>> place useful for its collection of newspapers and of books on Jerusalem.
>>>> Despite its modest collection, this library has something very special to
>>>> offer to book lovers in general. It is Mr. Al-Ansari*s obvious
>>>> pride in his collection.
>>>>
>>>> In this rapidly changing country, which is nowadays filled with
>>>> billboards advertising all kinds of merchandise, book collectors
>>>> are becoming a rarity. Mr. Al-Ansari*s face shows that same
>>>> profound enchantment expressed by all book lovers when they
>>>> display their precious collection to a passerby. He knows exactly where
>>>> each one of his books is and is able to offer the most detailed
>>>> information about the content of most of them.
>>>>
>>>> This retired educator serves as the library*s on line computer or
>>>> card catalogue. At the mention of a subject, he goes from one
>>>> shelf to the next and brings out all relevant books in his
>>>> collection. Indeed, Mr. al-Ansari, knows each of one of the more than
>>>> thirty thousand titles that constitute his personal collection.
>>>>
>>>> Al-Ansari library opens from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. every day except
>>>> Fridays. Patrons can photocopy any material they might need, but,
>>>> unfortunately, can not borrow books.
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>

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Frode Bakken

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