Qatar National Library has renewed an agreement with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), which extends its role as the IFLA Regional Center for Preservation and Conservation (PAC) for the coming three years.
The agreement enables the Library to take a leadership role in coordinating preservation and conservation activities among Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa. As part of the arrangement, the Library will coordinate capacity-building programs, and promote best practices in preservation and conservation in Qatar and the region. The regional PAC will raise awareness around these issues among leaders in heritage and precious collections, as well as the wider public.
Stephane Ipert, Preservation and Conservation Manager at Qatar National Library, said: “We are delighted to extend our role as the IFLA Regional Preservation and Conservation Center. This enables us to continue our crucial role in preserving Qatar’s and the region’s heritage in an inclusive manner. The Library has world-class resources in-house, which allow us to continue raising awareness of the best ways to maintain rare books, documents and manuscripts.”
The Library will undertake several projects to support the preservation of documentary heritage in the Arab region, which includes an 18-month long project in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The project focuses on identifying documentary heritage in Arab countries, and offers support in capacity-building and professional development to specialists working in this field. The Library will also hold training courses and workshops on preservation and conservation in several Arab countries in the future.
In collaboration with the National Archives of Morocco, the Library and UNESCO, recently concluded a three-day training course entitled, ‘Practical Methods for the Scientific Examination of Library Objects.’ The course, which was organized by IFLA’s Regional PAC Center at Qatar National Library, mainly highlighted technical photography of heritage collections and the technique of reflectance spectroscopy.
The IFLA Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Centers network supports libraries around the world to safeguard documentary heritage in its diverse forms and formats, and promotes international cooperation in support of this cause.
