Certificate Templates for Photoshop Establishing a Digital Library Infrastructure in Afghanistan Atifa Rawan and

							Establishing a Digital Library
Infrastructure in Afghanistan




           Atifa Rawan and Yan Han
        University of Arizona Libraries
         Living the Future Conference
                Tucson, Arizona,
                  May 2, 2008
Afghan Academic Library Initiatives
   Since April 2002 - University of Arizona’s involvement in
    rebuilding Afghanistan academic libraries.
   2005 - Invitation to participate in Digital Libraries Alliance
    (DLA)
   Digital Libraries Alliance goals in Afghanistan:
    ◦   Build capacity for libraries and librarians.
    ◦   Work with open source digital library platforms.
    ◦   Provide and enhance access to scholarly information resources.
    ◦   Open content that will benefit all Afghanistan higher education
        institutions.

   Creating Afghanistan digital libraries and an ILS using
    open source software for Afghanistan academic libraries.
University of Kabul Campus and Surroundings - 2002
Damaged Libraries and Books – 2002
     Creation of Afghanistan
        Digital Libraries
 Overview
 Afghanistan Digital Libraries
 Integrated Library System using open
  source software for Afghanistan academic
  libraries
 Collaboration
 Digitizing unique resources and setting up
  digitization infrastructure
               Overview:
    Afghan Higher Education Libraries
Since 1979 the education           Kabul University was
system has been virtually          demolished by 1994;
destroyed:                         completely closed down
                                   by 1998:
   Schools and colleges have
                                      Kabul University Library’s
    been closed, looted, or
                                       collections are mostly
    physically reduced.
                                       damaged or destroyed.
   Student bodies and faculties      Current holdings:
    have been emptied by war,
    migration, and economic            ◦ 60,000-70,000 English
    hardship.                            titles
                                       ◦ 2,000-3,000 Persian titles
   Libraries were gutted.
                                       ◦ 2,000 Persian theses
              Creation of the First Digital Library:
Remodeling of the College of Agriculture Electronic Library - 2004
      Afghanistan Digital Libraries –
        WSU/USAID Grant Project

Website contents:
   Integrated Union
    Catalog
   Databases & Articles
   News & Events
   Reference Guides
   Digital Collections
   Search
   Links
   Services
   Contact Us


                                  Afghan e-Quality Alliances
                           ANGeL-Afghan's Next Generation e-Learning
                                      Kabul University
                 Contents (continued)

Databases & Articles:
•  General,
   Multidisciplinary
• Free e-Books
• Subject Areas:
  This sections allows
  users to select full-text
  articles from a variety
  of open access and
  password-protected
  journals in various
  disciplines.
              Building an Integrated
               Library System (ILS)
   Using an open source software

   Using Koha: open source ILS software chosen for its
    functionality, maturity, and support

   Components: acquisitions, cataloging, catalog (search and find),
    circulation, and member management

   Primary function is to access library materials

   Presently implementing ILS for four academic universities in
    Kabul: Kabul University, Polytechnic University, Kabul Medical
    University, and Kabul Education University.

   Further development of ILS will eventually support over 40,000
    students and 2,000 faculty in Afghan higher education.
            Searching the
       Integrated Union Catalog


Integrated Union
Catalog
Searching the Catalog:
    Basic Search
                 • A basic search
                 • Boolean search
                 • Truncation
                  can be used to get
                  expanded search results
                  (e.g. econom*).




                 • Personal account
                   Searching the Catalog:
                     Advanced Search
An advanced search
can be performed
by: title, author, or
subject. Boolean logic
operators also can be
used to expand a
search by using the
operator OR, or limit
the search by using
the operator AND.


Search words can
be in English or
in Persian/Dari.
             Searching the Catalog:
                Search Results
There are 10 search
results for keyword
botany. Results are
displayed in a short
bibliographic format,
indicating such fields
as: title, author, call
number, date, and
publisher.
            Sample Bibliographic Record


   Title

   Author

   Abstract

   Descriptors
    (subjects)
            Why an Open Source ILS?
   Koha – open source ILS software chosen for its
    functionality, maturity, and support:
    ◦ Software architecture – open source LAMP software bundle,
      which is popular, stable, and predominant.
    ◦ Staff skills and competencies in open source software.
    ◦ Full-featured open source ILS components, such as multiple
      branch support and users management, critical for union
      catalog.
    ◦ Current use: two public libraries in New Zealand with 30,000-
      patron base and some public libraries in the United States.
    ◦ Software stable and most bugs have been fixed.
    ◦ Koha support – mailing list by Koha developers and users as a
      communication tool to ask and answer questions.
                Overview of ILS Options
   Current market dominated by            Underlying architecture – Linux,
    commercial ILS vendors.                 Apache, MySQL, and Perl (LAMP)
                                            stack.
   Open source systems offer a
    viable solution. Open source      o   OpenBiblio – short history; still in
    characteristics: undeveloped,         beta 0.1.0 version since 2002.
    few products available, full           Underlying architecture – LAMP
    features not provided.                  (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

   Decision to build ILS with        o   WEBLIS – based on UNESCO’s
    “OPEN” concept: open access,          CDS/ISIS database; developed by
                                          Institute for Computer and
    open source, and open                 Information Engineering in Poland;
    standards.                            ILS features include cataloging,
                                          catalog (search and find), loan, and
    ◦ Decision influenced by:             report modules.
      globalization and users’
      behavior and expectations.            Underlying architecture –
                                             requires Windows/Windows-
   Current open source ILS                  based servers (Xitami/Microsoft
                                             IIS and ISIS database).
    software:
                                      o   Gnuteca – developed in Brazil; some
    o   Koha – full-featured ILS          ILS features such as cataloging,
        developed in New Zealand in       catalog, and loan; software interface
        2000.                             written in Portuguese.
                      Major Challenges
   Arabic/Persian language support
    ◦ Koha version 2.2 cannot correctly handle East Asian language
      records, including Arabic/Persian records.
    ◦ Language support crucial for Afghan universities.
    ◦ Persian/Dari is one of the official languages of the
    ◦ Koha generates Web-based GUI via Perl templates, which use
      HTML “meta” tag with Western character set (ISO-8559-1) to
      encode characters.
    ◦ IE and Firefox use “meta” tag to decode characters with predefined
      character set.
    ◦ We identified and updated Koha software
       Templates modified to allow characters to be encoded in Unicode to solve
        problem.
       Most of Editors (e.g. Notepad, TextPad) do not support editing right-to-left
        (purchased a new editor (UEDIT) for this purpose)
    ◦ In ILS, Persian/Dari characters can be entered into the cataloging module
      and displayed correctly in GUI.
      Major Challenges (continued)

Hardware support:                         Enhancements:
  • Considerations:
     o Afghanistan still developing
                                           • Koha interface in bilingual:
       its infrastructure: electricity,      English and Persian/Dari.
       transportation, and                 • Supporting new ISBN-13
       communication.                        (effective on January 1, 2007)
     o IT companies such as Dell,
                                             and ISBN-10.
       HP, and IBM have very               • Some bugs fixed.
       limited services and support
       in Afghanistan; hardware
       procurement is difficult.
     o Viruses in Windows platform
       (lack of current anti-virus
       updates).
  • Temporary solution: extra parts
    and redundant servers.
  • Linux: Debian.
Collaboration
        E-Quality Alliance
Other Universities and Institutions
       Other Organizations
Collaboration: eQuality Alliances
Atifa Rawan and Yan Han at Heart University Campus- 2006
Herat University Medical Library -2006
Herat University – Old and New Campus- 2006
More Consultations and Technical Support
               Short-Term Training
• Staff and faculty training started from April 2002.

• Training included library staff and faculty (including Medical
  University faculty and staff).

• Provided individual training sessions as well as group sessions.

• The last two training workshops (2006-2007) included use of IT
  classroom and Included specialized ILS and databases training for
  Kabul University Library and IT staff.

• At Kabul University, participants were from several provinces –
  represented academic institutions such as Herat, Kabul, Mazar-i-
  Sharif, Bulkh, Khost, Nangarhar, Kandahar at the workshop. The
  participants included library coordinators, library staff, technical
  staff, and faculty members from the following institutions in Kabul:

     ◦   Kabul University
     ◦   Kabul Medical University
     ◦   American University of Afghanistan
     ◦   Kabul Polytechnic University
     ◦   Kabul University of Education
                  Small Group Training – 2002-2003
University of Education and Kabul University Library Staff and Faculty
Training at Kabul Medical University and College of Agriculture – 2004
Faculty of Agriculture Training - 2005
More Training Sessions for Provincial Faculty and Staff, 2006-2007
Digital Library Training Provided by Atifa and Yan - 2006-2007
             Long-Term Training

   Plan to offer online library and information
    science course – 2-year certificate program at
    Kabul University’s Department of Computer
    Science.
   All library and information sciences modules are
    in both English and Dari languages and available
    via ANGeL (e-learning system).
   Discussion to create a library organization group
    in Afghanistan.
Creation of Library and Information Program
             at Kabul University

   Afghans’ Next
    Generation
    e-Learning
    (ANGeL)
Library and Information Science Program
   Offer, monitor, and support the delivery of modules and facilitate the certificate
    program for Library and Information Science courses using the Afghans’ Next
    Generation e-Learning (ANGeL) in support of the Library Science certificate
    program at Kabul University.

   To further facilitate delivery of these modules apply advanced technology
    methods developed at the University of Arizona for online courses known as
    the SLIC technology (Semantically Linked Instructional Content). SLIC
    technology presents lectures using video and slide presentations in Dari
    language and English.

   Complete final assessment of the Library and Information Science program.

   Course offerings to be taught and monitored, including 14 modules per course:
     ◦ Introduction to Library and Information Services – (3 credit hours)
     ◦ Reference Resources & Services – (3 credit hours)
     ◦ Collection Development – (3 credit hours)
     ◦ Cataloging/Classification & Metadata Management – (3 credit hours)
             Digitization Efforts
• Digital Collection - Full-text access to Da Afghanistan
Kalanay (Afghanistan’s Yearbook) volumes, 1933-1990

• Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage Digitization –
NEH Grant - Digitizing unique resources and setting up
digitization infrastructure - challenges, problems, and
barriers with language and lack of technological
infrastructure - including virtual training efforts in the
absence of training on the ground due to security issues in
the country
                    Digital Collections

   Digital Collections
    Offers full-text access
    to Da Afghanistan
    Kalanay volumes,
    1933-1990
 Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage Digitization –
                  NEH Grant

The University of Arizona Libraries with the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul
University (ACKU), is collaborating on Preserving and Creating Access to
Afghanistan Literature from the Jihad Period to catalog, digitize, and
create metadata for a unique collection of documents related to Afghanistan
history, culture, and its development during the Jihad period, 1989 to 2006.

ACKU’s permanent collection is the most extensive in the region covering a
time of war and social upheaval in the country. The project will:
• Train staff in standardized cataloging, metadata creation, and digitization
   processing.
• Identify and provide international standardized cataloging and
   classification (metadata) for 6,000 titles or 15,000 physical unique items.
• Scan, digitize, and preserve these 3,000 titles (approximately 300,000
   pages).
• Facilitate digital access and delivery.
• Build a preservation infrastructure at Kabul University that can be a
   resource for all 19 universities in Afghanistan.
ACKU
Unprocessed
Collection
       Digitization Standards
        and Quality Control

Digitization standards
  • National Archives technical guidelines for digitizing
    archival materials.
    http://www.archives.gov/preservation/technical/
    guidelines.html
  • File naming: ISO-9660 to avoid OS platform and
    other issues.

Quality control
   Use quality scanners.
   Quality control is currently carried out in UAL by us
   Wrote programs and used Photoshop to fix imaging
    problems
Total Number of Titles and pages Digitized


                  As of 4/24/2008

   Afghanistan Kalanay: 1933 - 1990
    Pages: 30,950

   Afghan Jihad collection:
    Titles: 235
    Pages: 33,000
       ACKU Digitization Challenges
   Distance training                    Communication
   Logging                               ◦   Email (primary)
   Metadata                              ◦   Skype
                                          ◦   YouTube
   Staff (including IT)
                                          ◦   FedEx (not really working
   Equipment                                 well)
    ◦ Limited hardware/software
                                         Digitization
      services in Kabul
    ◦ Bought hardware (server,
                                          management
      scanners) from Dubai, UAE           ◦ Digitization tracking system
    ◦ Dealing with viruses                ◦ Benefits

                               Records

                  •Cataloged data is saved in Excel
                  •A program will be used to map data into
                  MARC
                  •A program in Koha can load MARC
                  records into the ILS
Kabul University Campus 2007
Comments/Questions