The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage (MoCAH) and Qatar National Library (QNL) is initiating a pilot project for the digitization of heritage material at the Ministry of Culture Arts and Heritage.
ictQATAR has taken the lead to facilitate and launch that pilot project, which came in the form of a tripartite memo of understanding signed today by the two ministries and QNL, on the sidelines of the third edition of Qatar ICT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2014) taking place at the Qatar National Convention Center on May26-28.
The project comes as a part of ICT Ministry’s efforts to digitize the Qatari heritage and culture and make them available in a digital format to display it for local and international audiences and make Qatar’s rich heritage more accessible to the nation’s increasingly digital savvy youth.
The project involves the digitization of audiovisual material and pictures related to the culture and heritage of Qatar that could otherwise be lost due to natural deterioration or technological obsolescence.
The MoU was signed by Reem Al-Mansoori, Executive Director of Internet and Society at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Mr. Hamad Al Muhanadi, Head of Heritage Department at the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, and Dr. Claudia Lux, QNL Project Director .
Qatar National Library was selected to play the role of a national digital conversion center. The library is already a centre of excellence having used its experience to digitize historic items from its extensive Heritage Library for publication on websites including the World Digital Library.
Following the MOU, QNL will use its state-of-the-art resources and expert technical staff to implement the pilot project which will see a selection of the digitized audiovisual and picture content published online through a public portal to be managed by the library.
Throughout the project, the ICT Ministry will be overseeing the digitization process to observe compliance with the policies and standards of digitization of Qatar’s culture, heritage and media.
“The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology realizes the importance of preserving Qatar’s heritage. Together with partner organizations in the media, culture and heritage sectors, the Ministry can develop new ways of using technology to preserve and disseminate Qatar’s national heritage, “ said Al-Mansoori Commenting on the MoU.
“The pilot project is an important first step in the Ministry’s national plan to digitize, preserve and share Qatar’s rich Arab and Islamic heritage online. By making Qatar’s heritage accessible on the Internet, we not only connect our youth with their heritage and traditions, but also enable them to express their identity in new and innovative ways. In the new digital age, technology provides new opportunities for preserving our shared national memory,” she added.
Al Muhanadi said; “The MoU comes within the framework of enhancing Qatar’s rank in the cyberspace in Arabic in accordance with the main pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the objectives of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, which pays great attention to preserving the national heritage of Qatar. It also meets the objectives of the national digitization plan for the preservation and digitization of heritage, culture and intellectual capital and for boosting the Arabic digital content.”
On behalf of Qatar National Library, Dr Lux praised the project saying: “In line with the library’s commitment to spreading knowledge, QNL is fully behind digitization to promote greater understanding of Arab and Islamic cultural heritage and history of the Gulf region.”
"The library’s experienced teams and latest technology are already integral to sharing resources from Qatar and beyond with the general public. This new project is exciting because it reaches even further which is why Qatar National Library is proud to become the first Conversion Center in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage,” she added.
Noteworthy, the ICT Ministry published a national policy and standards on digitization in the media, culture and heritage sector in July 2013. The Ministry is committed to facilitating these efforts through a national digitization plan and a national workgroup that can pull together the resources and expertise of different organizations in the media, culture and heritage sector.
Central to that national effort is a national digitization strategy that leverages the competencies of national key cultural, heritage and media institutions in Qatar. The model identifies three key national functional areas: Digitization facilitation, digital conversion centers and unified access platform.
QNL was announced in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development. Under the guidance of Qatar Foundation, the library provides free access for students, educators, researchers, and the wider community in Qatar.
In addition to book discussions, events and training sessions, QNL’s registered members can access a complete list of online resources by visiting http://www.qnl.qa/find-answers/online-resources. Anyone who lives in Qatar and has a valid Qatari ID/Residence Permit is eligible for free library registration. To register, please visit https://library.qnl.qa/selfreg
