OSI | WEB SERVICES
World Digital Library www.wdl.org
Collaboration to Spotlight Thematic
Presentation on the World Digital Library
(Qatar National Library / Qatar Foundation and World Digital Library)
World Digital Library Partner Meeting
October 29-30, 2014, Rome, Italy
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
The Qatar National Library/Qatar
Foundation-WDL Partnership
 2009: The Qatar Foundation, and later the Qatar National Library, and the Library
of Congress signed a cooperative agreement to help develop the World Digital
Library. As part of the capacity building component, the partnership has
sponsored four training-based workshops in Doha, Qatar.
 The 2010, 2011, 2012 technical workshops focused on:
 Standards for digitization of different types of material
 Preparation of metadata
 Writing of expert descriptions
 Procedures for file preparation and transfer to the WDL
 The 2014 workshop was a symposium focused on Heritage Awareness and
included sessions on:
 Preserving cultural heritage content
 Thematic approach to increasing user engagement
 Identifying and selecting collections for digital preservation
 Capacity building as a sustainability tool
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Proposed Goals for the Heritage
Awareness Symposium
 Provide input to expand the broader WDL Content
Selection guidelines review process
 Constitute the group as a forum/mechanism to advise on
selection issues relating to this region
 Identify categories of content for focus
 Identify items and/or collections
 Identify priorities that will best support:
 Preservation
 Local and regional educational goals
 International outreach
 Building thematic sections on the WDL
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Participants and Panelists
 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi
Arabia
 Sultan Qaboos University Library, Oman
 Omani Digital Library
 Iraq National Library and Archives
 Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Saudi Arabia
 National Library of Jordan
 King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia
 Kuwait University
 Imam Aidarous Omer Alhabshi Library, Yemen
 Al-Noor Centre for Studies and Research, Yemen
 Supreme Council on Education, Qatar
 Qatar University
 Qatar Museums
 Qatar National Library
 California State University at San Francisco
 Library of Congress – Field Office, Cairo, Egypt
 World Digital Library, Library of Congress
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Session One
 PRESERVING CULTURAL HERITAGE CONTENT
 Dr. Claudia Lux, Project Director, Qatar National Library
 Dr. John Van Oudenaren, Director, World Digital Library
 Mr. William J. Kopycki, Field Director, Library of CongressCairo
 Dr. Houda A.Bouslama, Supreme Education Council, Doha
 Mr. Jamal Al Alwchi, Deputy Director-General, Iraq National
Library and Archive
 Moderated by Hala Al Khalifa, Qatar Museums
The importance of preserving cultural
heritage content. Preserving and promoting
the Arab and Islamic identity.
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Session Two
 THEMATIC APPROACH TO INCREASE USER ENGAGEMENT
 Dr. John Van Oudenaren, Director, World Digital Library
 Dr. Houda A.Bouslama, Supreme Education Council, Doha
 Dr. Joachim Gierlichs, Associate Director, Special Collections
and Archives, QNL
 Dr. Kaveh Niazi, Lecturer, California State University San
Francisco
 Moderated by Dr. John Van Oudenaren
Thematic approach for cultural heritage
content. User interface (UI) as a tool to
strategically develop and increase user
engagement.
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Session Three
 IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING COLLECTIONS FOR DIGITAL
PRESERVATION
 Dr. John Van Oudenaren, Director, World Digital Library
 Mr. William J. Kopycki, Field Director, Library of Congress-Cairo
 Dr. Kaveh Niazi, Lecturer California State University San
Francisco
 Dr. Joachim Gierlichs, Associate Director, Special Collections
and Archives, QNL
 Moderated by Mr. Mark Paul, Heads, Partnerships, QNL
Content selection with members’ overview of
their institution’s collections. What are the
priorities for digital preservation? How can
collections develop or enhance themes?
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Session Four
 CAPACITY BUILDING AS A SUSTAINABILITY TOOL
 Mr. Jason Yasner, Operations Manager, World Digital Library
 Mr. William J. Kopycki, Field Director, Library of Congress-Cairo
 Mr. Jamal Al Alwchi, Deputy Director-General, Iraq National
Library and Archive
 Ms. Krishna Roy Chowdhury, Associate Director Information
Technology, Qatar National Library
 Moderated by Mr. Jason Yasner
Experience-based capacity building. Value in
building capacity within organizations and the
region
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Discussion Highlights
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Feedback: Model theme and User Interface (UI) development
 UI must be user-friendly and mobile-friendly
Review existing WDL content for gaps and unbalances
 Start with themes to fill gaps and target content that tells a
coherent story
User-generated themes via online tools
Proposed survey of students/teachers to define themes
How to bring the content together under a theme? How to merge
images with narrative essays?
World Heritage sites. Materials related to these sites could make
good thematic candidates
Review ground-breaking, online exhibitions and catalogs
Define and target which audiences? For consumers vs for
scholars? Is visual appeal more important than historical
“importance?”
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Discussion Highlights (cont’d)

Suggested themes:
 Construction of railroads
 Medical manuals from diverse cultures and
languages
 Cross-cultural travel logs/narratives/experiences
 European travelers to Arabian Peninsula
 Architecture, e.g, renovation of mosques
 Ottoman Empire
 Egyptian culture
 Museum artifacts: 3D objects
 Historical content from Arab-speaking East African
regions
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
Moving Forward…
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New beta.wdl.org site launched on October 9, 2014
First model for a thematic section: “Arabic and Islamic
Science and Its Influence on the Western Scientific
Tradition”
Propose additional themes, timelines, and interactive
maps
Identify content in their collections to help build or
complete themes
Recruit new institutions that have important content
relevant to these themes
Identify scholars and curators to work on thematic
narratives
Qatar
National
Library
· www.qnl.qa
World
Digital Library
www.wdl.org
| WEB SERVICES
World Digital LibraryOSI
· www.wdl.org
QUESTIONS?
Mark T. Paul
Head, Partnerships
Qatar National Library
mapaul@qf.org.qa
Jason M. Yasner
Operations Manager
World Digital Library
jyas@loc.gov