MEMP General Business Meeting
16 Nov 2007
Montréal, Canada

In attendance:
Marlis Saleh (University of Chicago), William Kopycki (University of Pennsylvania), Meryle Gaston (University of California, Santa Barbara), Michael Hopper (Harvard University), Akram Khabibullaev (Indiana University), Muhammad al-Faruque (University of Illinois), Connie Lamb (Brigham Young University), Rebecca Routh (University of Iowa), Robin Dougherty (University of Texas), Jonathan Rodgers (University of Michigan), Christine Dykgraaf (University of Arizona), Stephen Wiles (Harvard Law School), Shayee Khanaka (University of California, Berkeley), Mary St. Germain (University of Washington), Peter Magierski (New York University), John Eilts (Stanford University), Joed Elich (Brill Academic Publishers), Jaleh Fazelian (Washington University, St. Louis), James Weinberger (Princeton University), Jeff Spurr (Harvard University), Saad Eskander (Iraq National Archives and Museum) Gamil Youssef (New York Public Library), Patrick Visel (Ohio State University), Chris Murphy (Library of Congress), Christof Galli (Duke University), Simon Samoeil (Yale University), Judy Eckoff Alspach (Center for Research Libraries).

I. Minutes from last year’s November meeting approved

II. [Update on Iraqi National Library (Dr. Saad Eskander) See below]

III. CRL Reports

Judy Alspach: Announcement of a new staff member: Sam Wright, who has a background in South Asia Studies
CRL report: Digitization efforts are driven in response to scholarly demands for monographs mostly.
Question of superseded reference works, what to do with the old after the new edition appears: should CRL collect spare old editions?
Global Resources Network: The was a conference last month at Columbia on Human Rights information online, and it was a big success.
Microfilming of al-Samir (D. Hirsch): We shall publicize the availability of the back-run at MESA. It is nearly complete run 1936-57, but for one issue, in 29 reels. Publicity will be conducted by leaving fliers at MESA. The periodical has broad appeal at other institutions, who will purchase it

IV. Elections

(M. Hopper is chair of elections committee and serves with Brenda Bickett)
Candidates, including others nominated from the floor: Akram Khabibullaev, Shayee Khanaka, Jonathan Rodgers, David Hirsch, Muhammad al-Faruque, Peter Magierski.
Election takes place during which process D. Hirsch calls for proposals for filming[/digitization], and reminds us that the Executive Board may approve projects which costs less than $5000.

V. Old and Continuing Business

Handouts (Agenda, financial statement, project proposals, MEMP received and on order project films) distributed. We are reminded that if you contribute the original print documents, you get a copy of the material on microfilm. Another copy of the microfilm is housed at CRL available for loan indefinitely until another request.
Financial statement: handout indicates a healthy positive balance
MEMP commitments are on the verso of budget statement
An explanation is offered by J. Alspach of details, and fields specific questions
Next: handout 1. MEMP received (projects are complete and back from filmer or otherwise received in CRL possession on film) and 2. on order at filmer
Next report “MEMP report” one page handout “no action required” complete or funded etc.
“Action required” e.g., Arabic pamphlet collection details in handout individual details are added or are in included the notes: call for more issues and more funds to support proposals introduced.
Tangier Gazette: Peter Magierski reports that the order from the BL shows no progress; Debbie Cox is on leave and has been in charge. In part the delay is caused by complications related to copyright and use: If an individual researcher signs off as the requester (borrowers must be legitimate researchers), the title can be lent, but with these conditions because of copyright.
Official Gazettes of Arab world countries: John Eilts reports on opposition newspapers at Hoover/Stanford: there is some progress report but not much to report

Update on Iraqi National Library

Saad Eskander: preservation at the Iraqi National Library under old regime was prohibited, there could be no filming or copying. New archival regulations have been issued, and it is now allowed, beginning with 1980 and later, film could begin of periodicals.
About 60% of the collection of film and equipment was lost in the chaos of 2003- Iraqi War
Eskander began to make inquiries in Europe about film and digitization possibilities, and decided to use both methods
In 2004 the Czech republic government funded the equipment for a microfilm lab and work on the classified collection has begun, since late 2006.
The transfer from film to digital was made possible by other equipment donated from another source in Ohio[??].
The practice is to keep the original in safety and make film to be available to user, but in fact, the original is not safe and the master film itself is also lost.
There was no damage after the initial invasion to National Library, but mosque libraries suffered some damage
D. Hirsch: suggests that purchase is possible, but exchange is also possible through duplication of titles held here.
There are documents filmed that are available to restore collections.
Among other possibilities suggested: Cooperation? Proposals? Periodicals digitized under LC program.
The entire collection of filmed titles was in the basement of state bureau of tourism, but it was flooded and looted.
Because of its durability, microfilming continues.
The coverage of archives held spans the late 19th centuries to 1970's.
The distribution of losses in fire reaches 60%, and there were high losses in the republican archive, as it was linked to former regime and thus destroyed as evidence; photograph collection was destroyed.

VI. Filming proposals

1. Muntada: [mu’tamar at LC will be filmed] Berkeley has some of the London exile title
2. Qenneshrin Assyro-Chaldean paper represents a small proposal and is approved
al-Quds al-Arabi: supplemental proposal currently active for 2002-05, is in progress and supplements include earlier and later dates out of the sequence.
University of Exeter will supply, as will Yale provide more fill-in. The cost, $12K with shipping and filming: The general membership must approve (the Board can approve up to $5K). Simon Samoeil has been greatly helpful together with Exeter in locating and providing issues. Thus there are good prospects toward completeness.
The new proposal includes 1989, 92, 97-01, 06-07.
There is unanimous approval.
S. Samoeil: al-Watan from Syria “independent” started a few months ago offering different points of view from the government position. It is a daily, and Yale has 2006- The very early issues not held, but Yale can fill in these early issues, and can get the first 2 months.
C. Murphy: That LC has also received the title from the beginning is very likely.
Chris can move it into the LC filming queue, then MEMP will not might need to work with Gale.
Simon wants it soon, while LC can take a long time to accomplish. There follows discussion, and Simon will continue to encourage Chris to get it into the queue.
It is agreed that it makes better sense to let LC do it rather than MEMP do it by itself.
Simon: al-Nur from Damascus. Yale has four years of the communist party newspaper, and Simon will submit a small proposal for $600 for that. It is approved.
There is a reminder to Chris about Mu’tamar to get it started at LC.
Call for further proposals.

VII. Other Business

Election results: J. Alspach announces: Shayee Khanaka, David Hirsch, Jonathan Rodgers are elected to two year terms on the Executive Committee to begin right after this meeting (reminder: the Executive Committee meeting directly after this meeting.)

Website Archiving: ArchiveIt can now better deal with Arabic according to Judy; we are referred to the MELA Notes 78 (2005) article “Center for Research Libraries Middle East Political Website Archiving Pilot Project” by David G. Hirsch, John Eilts, et al. on this topic.
Call for volunteers to work on it: Robin Dougherty, David Hirsch, and Shayee Khanaka will join to will take it on as the Website Archiving committee.

Digitization of “The Middle East in Microfilm” [In cooperation with MEMP, Fawzy W. Khoury and Michelle Bates compiled the “Middle East in Microform: a Union List of Middle Eastern Microforms in North American Libraries” (University of Washington Libraries, 1992), a revised and expanded version of “National Union Catalog of Middle Eastern Microforms” (University of Washington Libraries, 1989).]: Mary St Germain will begin the digitization early next year, and the publication comprises all filmed titles as of about 20 years ago.
What is needed is a searchable format Washington, first as PDF, then fully searchable with holdings, although some are rudimentary must be updated. Can it be made accessible [only] to members? No restriction should be necessary, but Mary can update according to our instructions and the contribution of our updated holdings.

Website translation: the MEMP site needs to be translated into Arabic: Shayee Khanaka volunteers to undertake the work of translation into Arabic.

VIII. Library of Congress Update (Chris Murphy):

He will not speak to the general situation covered already in the morning portion of the meeting, but will address preservation reformatting, filming and digitization, as he is in charge will ask staff to increase capacity to address Middle East materials awaiting filming.
Question: Is LC no longer selling film? Untrue. LC will sell if LC has permission: one must obtain copyright clearance first for one-time only filming from the publisher. LC will also approach the publishers and has charged users under cost recovery program and must charge. It will not have to charge, however, for service formerly free because of the cost recovery act of 1919.[??]
Lending: yes, this is permitted through ILL. One needs to ask Chris in the case of recent material to get it into the film queue.
Sales will proceed case by case basis with charge and permission secured for publication dates after 1923. Because of the copyright impediment, LC will approach the publishers, but will charge to recover costs and the process will be slow. So a requester desiring a film copy should go ahead ans secure written permission individually. This work will expedite the process.
You should send requests to his attention to reduce the time required to get approve of a request.
ILL? LC has no control over what happens to lent film copy.
“due diligence” condition is expected in cases of inability to locate readily copyright owners.
“orphaned materials”: Those whose copyright holders cannot be identified or located and thus remain in an uncertain state.
Currently received Middle Eastern newspapers: most have been catalogued, but not all. You should email Chris to inquire about particular titles.
Currently, staff in newspaper cataloguing is lacking.
Digitization projects: e.g., Timbuktu Mail manuscripts and calligraphy sheets.
Egyptian project: Dar al-Kutub and LC scientific manuscripts; the digitization of 60 titles by each institution is the goal. It is still a year or year &½ away from publishing results for viewing on the web. The Egyptian staff is trained, and work is probably under way. Overhead cameras have been provided. LC itself has completed 60 some manuscripts. Quality control problems have now been corrected at LC.
The entire process will take a long time before results appear on the web because of bureaucratic steps necessary. Some MSS are unique or superior to other known manuscripts.

LC agreement with National Library of Iraq: LC will provide a scanning lab. The decision on equipment and who will be trained in the UAE by the equipment provider has yet to be completed. No equipment is yet on site, but MaryJane Deeb and Chris will inquire when they return to LC. Periodicals and newspapers are to be included in the project.
M. Hopper asks for detail about the LC INL agreement, and Chris offers to answer Hopper’s questions in detail.
The mirror sites of the UNESCO World Digital Library show some differences: LC’s site will probably be more scholarly in details to be determined by the World Digital Library Board, and very many complicated details are left to sort out. The sites will show images and full text and comply with international copyright law with 1908 being the latest limit.
LC’s role in the project is to contribute equipment, and it is the venue and training provider, while Google provides the funds.
WDL is the idea of LC, thus Dr. Billington saw the need to take the lead in this project, although it was complicated to get the cooperation of UNESCO. Any stand-alone library anywhere in the world would be just as appropriate for LC to take part.
That the web-interface will be in six languages brought another complication.
LC is altruistic

D. Hirsch: small project Qenneshrin and Muntada will be digitized as well as filmed.
$1.20/pg. to digitize is the estimate, in addition to film. At that rate we can do it.

The meeting adjourns.