Transcript Slide 1

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
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Since April 2002 - University of Arizona’s involvement in
rebuilding Afghanistan academic libraries.
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2005 - Invitation to participate in Digital Libraries Alliance
(DLA)
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Digital Libraries Alliance goals in Afghanistan:
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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
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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
system has been virtually
destroyed:
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Schools and colleges have
been closed, looted, or
physically reduced.
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Student bodies and faculties
have been emptied by war,
migration, and economic
hardship.
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Libraries were gutted.
Kabul University was
demolished by 1994;
completely closed down
by 1998:
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Kabul University Library’s
collections are mostly
damaged or destroyed.
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Current holdings:
◦ 60,000-70,000 English
titles
◦ 2,000-3,000 Persian titles
◦ 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:
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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)
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Using an open source software
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Using Koha: open source ILS software chosen for its
functionality, maturity, and support
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Components: acquisitions, cataloging, catalog (search and find),
circulation, and member management
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Primary function is to access library materials
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Presently implementing ILS for four academic universities in
Kabul: Kabul University, Polytechnic University, Kabul Medical
University, and Kabul Education University.
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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
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Title
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Author
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Abstract
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Descriptors
(subjects)
Why an Open Source ILS?
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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 30,000patron 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
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Current market dominated by
commercial ILS vendors.
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Open source systems offer a
viable solution. Open source
characteristics: undeveloped,
few products available, full
features not provided.
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Decision to build ILS with
“OPEN” concept: open access,
open source, and open
standards.
 Underlying architecture – Linux,
Apache, MySQL, and Perl (LAMP)
stack.
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OpenBiblio – short history; still in
beta 0.1.0 version since 2002.
 Underlying architecture – LAMP
(Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).
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WEBLIS – based on UNESCO’s
CDS/ISIS database; developed by
Institute for Computer and
Information Engineering in Poland;
ILS features include cataloging,
catalog (search and find), loan, and
report modules.
 Underlying architecture –
requires Windows/Windowsbased servers (Xitami/Microsoft
IIS and ISIS database).
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Gnuteca – developed in Brazil; some
ILS features such as cataloging,
catalog, and loan; software interface
written in Portuguese.
◦ Decision influenced by:
globalization and users’
behavior and expectations.
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Current open source ILS
software:
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Koha – full-featured ILS
developed in New Zealand in
2000.
Major Challenges
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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:
• Considerations:
o Afghanistan still developing
its infrastructure: electricity,
transportation, and
communication.
o IT companies such as Dell,
HP, and IBM have very
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.
Enhancements:
• Koha interface in bilingual:
English and Persian/Dari.
• Supporting new ISBN-13
(effective on January 1, 2007)
and ISBN-10.
• Some bugs fixed.
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-iSharif, 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:
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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
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Plan to offer online library and information
science course – 2-year certificate program at
Kabul University’s Department of Computer
Science.
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All library and information sciences modules are
in both English and Dari languages and available
via ANGeL (e-learning system).
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Discussion to create a library organization group
in Afghanistan.
Creation of Library and Information Program
at Kabul University
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Afghans’ Next
Generation
e-Learning
(ANGeL)
Library and Information Science Program
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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.
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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.
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Complete final assessment of the Library and Information Science program.
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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
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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
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Total Number of Titles and pages Digitized
As of 4/24/2008
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Afghanistan Kalanay: 1933 - 1990
Pages: 30,950
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Afghan Jihad collection:
Titles: 235
Pages: 33,000
ACKU Digitization Challenges
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Distance training
Logging
Metadata
Staff (including IT)
Equipment
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Communication
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◦ Limited hardware/software
services in Kabul
◦ Bought hardware (server,
scanners) from Dubai, UAE
◦ Dealing with viruses
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Email (primary)
Skype
YouTube
FedEx (not really working
well)
Digitization
management
◦ Digitization tracking system
◦ 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