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Dear Sir or Madam, I would be very interested in seeing the manuscript survey form, if that is possible. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend the conference, though it sounds most stimulating. With best wishes, Kristen Kern Paul Auchterlonie wrote: >Dear Sir or Madam, > >Invitation to the Second Islamic Manuscript Conference 2006 > >Following the great success of the First Islamic Manuscript Conference >last year, we are delighted to announce that the Thesaurus Islamicus >Foundation and the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the >University of Cambridge will host the Second Islamic Manuscript >Conference, entitled The Islamic Manuscript II: A Conference to Establish >The Islamic Manuscript Association, from 7-9 August 2006 at Emmanuel >College, University of Cambridge. > >Since our last correspondence detailing the activities of The Islamic >Manuscript Association (TIMA), the following have happened: > >1. As you will recall from our last letter, on 2 October 2005, the >Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation signed a protocol with the National Library >and Archives of Egypt (Dar al-Kutub) and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture >making it responsible for the cataloguing and conservation of the Qur’an >manuscripts of the National Library. This project, which is entitled the >TIF-DAK Conservation Project (Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation – Dar al- >Kutub Conservation Project) is an affiliated project of TIMA. During >March 2006, nine world-renowned conservators visited the National Library >at the invitation of the TIF-DAK Conservation Project. They were: Mr. >Robert Proctor of the Fitzwilliam Museum and Trinity College, University >of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom; Mr. James Bloxam and Ms. >Kristine Rose of Cambridge University Library in Cambridge, United >Kingdom; Ms. Cheryl Porter of the Cardinal Barbarigo Seminary Library in >Montefiascone, Italy; Mr. Paul Hepworth and Ms. Nil Baydar of HB >Preservation and Conservation; Ms. Ana Beny of Barbáchano and Beny >Conservation in Madrid, Spain; Mr. Marco di Bella of Social Fund for >Development in Sana‘a, Yemen; and Mr. Abdulwahid Al Shami, Freelance >Conservator in Appaiano, Italy. The purpose of the conservators’ visit was >to survey the manuscript collection; examine the premises of the National >Library’s conservation laboratory and recommend what must be done to raise >the level of the laboratory to the highest standard; and to identify from >amongst the existing conservators at the National Library those who have >the potential to become competent conservators through an education and >training program that will be designed by the TIF-DAK Conservation >Project. The conservators also prepared the first manuscript survey form >created specifically for Islamic manuscripts. This form is freely >available through TIMA. Any suggestions to improve the form will >obviously be welcomed. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a >copy. > >2. The TIF-DAK Conservation Project welcomed Mr. Hermann Cruse, >manufacturer of Cruse Scanners (www.crusedigital.com), one of the world’s >finest digital scanners, to Cairo. Mr. Cruse visited the National Library >and Archives of Egypt where he examined the manuscript collection in order >to design a custom scanner that the TIF-DAK Conservation Project is hoping >to purchase in order to digitize the National Library’s manuscript >collection. We have suggested that this design could be made available >for purchase by other members of TIMA as a way to initiate a possible >convergence of digital hardware and digital software technologies between >Islamic manuscript collections. > >3. The Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation also welcomed two Turkish >visitors to Cairo: Mr. Tevfik Barın, chairman of the Barın Bindery and son >of the famous Turkish calligrapher, typographer, graphic artist, and >bookbinder Emin Barın; and Mr. İslam Seçen, Turkey’s greatest living >traditional bookbinder and former assistant to Emin Barın. Mr. Barın and >Mr. Seçen were invited to Cairo to examine the Qur’an manuscripts at the >National Library and Archives of Egypt and to discuss the plans for >establishing an international institute to teach conservation and the >traditional Islamic book arts. This school would invite students from >across the world to study with the world’s best conservators and >craftsmen. This much-needed training institute has met with unanimous >approval by the directors of manuscript collections. > >4. On a recent trip to Turkey, representatives from the Foundation >met Prof. Uğur Derman, the world’s foremost expert on Ottoman calligraphy >and calligraphers. Professor Derman has agreed to work with the >Foundation and the TIF-DAK Conservation Project in order to prepare a >catalogue of the Ottoman masahif of the National Library and Archives of >Egypt. Masahif from other regions and eras will be catalogued by a team >of scholars to be organized by Prof. Dr. Jan Just Witkam, Professor of the >Paleography and Codicology of the Islamic World at Leiden University in >Leiden, The Netherlands, and Dr. Ayman Fuad Sayyid, Professor of Islamic >History and Manuscript Expert. Contributors will include Dr. Habibollah >Azimi, Director General of the Handwritten Books Department of the >National Library of Iran and author of that National Library’s Qur’an >catalogue. Other persons who wish to nominate a colleague or themselves >for working on these catalogues should contact Prof. Dr. Witkam at once. >His e-mail address is [log in to unmask] The TIF-DAK >Conservation Project’s catalogues of the masahif of the National Library >and Archives of Egypt, which will be realized through the exchange of >knowledge and experience that TIMA has made possible, will serve as an >example for other TIMA affiliated cataloguing projects. Any suggestions >or recommendations are welcomed. > >As these recent accomplishments demonstrate, TIMA has made real progress >since the First Islamic Manuscript Conference held at King’s College, >University of Cambridge in July 2005. Given that TIMA has already proven >itself to be active and influential, we have decided that the purpose of >the Second Islamic Manuscript Conference will be the signing of the >constitution and the formal establishment of TIMA. For this reason we >will welcome to the conference those who are willing to work over the >coming months to finalize TIMA’s draft constitution and who will, in >August 2006, sign that constitution and commit their institutions to >TIMA’s mission. Therefore, between now and the conference, we kindly >request that all persons interested in joining TIMA, including those >intending to join as an individual, be in communication with us so that we >can come to an agreement on the constitution as well as all other aspects >of the organization of TIMA, namely nominations for the membership of the >board of directors and the association’s subcommittees, before the >conference is convened. > >The Second Islamic Manuscript Conference will open with a constitution >signing ceremony, a general meeting, and a celebratory dinner on the first >day. The remainder of the conference will be dedicated to presentations >on those subjects with which TIMA is concerned: accessibility, >cataloguing, conservation, copyright, and digitization. These topics will >be discussed as they pertain to furthering the work of TIMA, not as >subjects in and of themselves. As explained in the draft constitution, >the object of TIMA shall be to standardize the terms of and facilitate >access to digital and microfilm images of manuscripts as well as construct >a mechanism for protecting the rights of institutions possessing >manuscripts. It will assist in the creation of universal cataloguing >standards and encourage and assist with conservation. It will assess the >needs of manuscript collections around the world, draw up a list of >priorities for action, and seek international funding for fulfilling those >objectives. Furthermore, it will encourage scholarship related to Islamic >manuscripts. In general, it will promote the welfare and interests of >Islamic manuscripts. TIMA is non-profit and non-denominational. > >I take great pleasure in inviting you to the conference as a distinguished >guest and as a founding member of The Islamic Manuscript Association. > >To accept this invitation, please reply immediately as there are a limited >number of places at this conference. Please return the enclosed >registration form to either of the TIMA contacts below: > >Mr. Davidson MacLaren >Director of Manuscript Research >Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation >21 Misr Helwan al-Ziraa‘i St. >al-Ma‘adi >Cairo >EGYPT >Telephone: +20 2 380 1764 >Fax: +20 2 380 2171 >E-mail: [log in to unmask] >Webpage: www.thesaurus-islamicus.li > > >Ms. Phoebe Luckyn-Malone >Senior Secretary >Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge >Sidgwick Avenue >Cambridge CB3 9DA >UNITED KINGDOM >Telephone: +44 (0) 1223 335103 >Fax: +44 (0) 1223 335110 >E-mail: [log in to unmask] >Webpage: www.cmeis.cam.ac.uk > >Should you be unable to join TIMA at the forthcoming conference, please >contact us as we are interested in your comments and suggestions. We will >keep you informed of our work and await your participation at a later date. > >After receiving your registration form, we will send you additional >information about the conference. You may also be interested in visiting >the conference website at www.islamicmanuscript.org. We await a >favourable reply and will be honoured to host you at the second Islamic >Manuscript Conference this summer. > >Yours faithfully, > >Mr. Faarid Gouverneur > >Chairman >Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation > > > -- Kristen Kern Preservation/Catalog Librarian Portland State University Library P.O. Box 1151 Portland, OR 97207-1151 phone: 503-725-5218 fax: 503-725-5799 email: [log in to unmask]