MEMP is governed by its members and the MEMP Bylaws [1] can be revised by a vote of the representatives at MEMP member institutions [2]. The members of MEMP also elect the MEMP Executive Committee [3], which helps set and enact MEMP's organizational priorities. MEMP meets once a year, usually in the fall, in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA [4]). At these meetings, MEMP considers and votes on funding proposals for new projects and acquisitions.
Educational institutions and nonprofit organizations that maintain a library and whose interests coincide with MEMP are welcome to Join MEMP [5].
MEMP was founded in 1987 by members of MELA who saw the need for cooperative preservation of research materials from and about the Middle East. An article about MEMP's History [6] describes the work of MEMP over the years.
November 1987
Amended November 1991, 1993, 2002, 2013
Purpose and Geographic Scope of MEMP
The purpose of the Middle East Materials Project (MEMP) is to provide access to unique, scarce, rare, or unusually bulky and expensive research material in all formats pertaining to the field of Middle Eastern studies using proven technologies through cooperative acquisition and/or preservation.
The geographic coverage of MEMP includes materials from or about the Arab world, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and other related areas not covered by other cooperative preservation projects.
Governance
Ownership
The MEMP Committee
The Executive Board
The MEMP Executive Board meets once a year, normally in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Middle East Librarians' Assocation (MELA). It may also meet a second time during the year at the discretion of the Chairperson. A telephone or video conference may be substituted for an in-person meeting. Members of the MEMP Executive Board make arrangements to cover the expenses of attendance at the annual meeting with their own institutions. The expenses of Executive Board members for attendance at a second meeting can be reimbursed by the Executive Board in consultation with the CRL Representative. In arriving at the amount of reimbursement the Executive Board will take into consideration support from one's home institution, travel distance to the second meeting, and any other special circumstances.
The MEMP Executive Board is composed of both elected and ex-officio members, each of whom has one vote, except for the CRL Representative. Members or their designated substitutes must be present at Executive Board meetings in order to vote.
The Center for Research Libraries (CRL)
Amendment of the MEMP Bylaws
Membership in MEMP is open to any institution or nonprofit organization maintaining a library and whose interests coincide with the project.
Member institutions are entitled to borrow, via Interlibrary Loan or by fax or electronic document delivery, all MEMP-funded material in accordance with CRL’s lending policies. These materials are available through the Center for Research Libraries’ online catalog [8] and are in OCLC.
Members receive discounted prices on purchasing microform material filmed by the project and within copyright limitations. Members also participate in the programmatic direction and governance of the project by proposing and voting on materials to acquire or film under the project.
Membership is assessed on an annual basis (beginning in July). Members in North America are assessed an annual membership fee of $750. The annual membership fee for MEMP member institutions outside of North America is $500.
See the MEMP bylaws [9] for more details.
To join MEMP, please complete and return the Membership Request Form.
For more information about membership or to inquire about joining MEMP, please contact Marlies Bauhofer [10].
The MEMP Executive Board consists of both elected and ex-officio members.
Elected members of the Executive Board are: six (6) representatives of member institutions.
Ex-officio members of the Executive Board are: a representative designated by CRL, the Head of the Library of Congress [7] Near East Section or a nominee, and the current President of the Middle East Librarians Association [4] (MELA).
Deborah Schlein & Peter Magierski (Co-chairs) (2023-)
Sohaib Baig, University of California, Los Angeles
Dale Correa, University of Texas at Austin
Michael Hopper, Harvard University
Deborah Schlein (2023-2026), Princeton University
Peter Magierski (2019-2022), Columbia University
Evyn Kropf (2021-2024), University of Michigan
Heather Hughes (current MELA President), University of Pennsylvania
Sean Swanick, Duke University
Guy Burak, New York University
Joan S. Weeks, Library of Congress
Anaïs Salamon, McGill
Rustin Zarkar, UNC-Chapel Hill
Marlies Bauhofer, Center for Research Libraries
The Middle East Microform Project (MEMP) was founded in 1987 by members of the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA) [4]. Its founding was the culmination of a long-perceived need for cooperative preservation of research materials from the Middle East, discussed as early as 1975 in a MELA workshop entitled “Cooperation Among Middle East Libraries of North America [11]”.
For more information on MEMP, see also: “The Middle East Microform Project: Past, Present, and Future [6]” in FOCUS, Volume XXIII, Number 3, Spring 2004.
Links
[1] https://www.crl.edu/area-studies/memp/membership-information/by-laws
[2] https://www.crl.edu/area-studies/memp/membership-information/members-representatives
[3] https://www.crl.edu/area-studies/memp/membership-information/executive-committee
[4] http://www.mela.us/
[5] https://www.crl.edu/area-studies/memp/membership-information/how-become-member
[6] https://www.crl.edu/focus/article/5843
[7] http://www.loc.gov/
[8] http://catalog.crl.edu/
[9] https://www.crl.edu/pt-br/area-studies/memp/membership-information/by-laws
[10] mailto:mbauhofer@crl.edu
[11] http://www.mela.us/coop.pdf#page=159