Date: 15 - 16 September 2024 | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Language: Arabic, with English interpretation provided

Call for Papers and Presentations

Globally, traditional archives contain vast and ever-increasing amounts of historical data and information, posing significant challenges for their preservation and sustainable accessibility. Digital technology provides crucial opportunities to enhance archive management and facilitate access.

This forum seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Introduce the reality of digital documentary heritage within the broader international context and in Arab countries.
• Familiarize participants with models of digital repositories for documentary heritage in governmental and private institutions within the cultural sector in Arab countries.
• Explore future projects aimed at enhancing the reality of digital heritage in Arab countries.
• Build a collaborative community to support the digitization of documentary heritage and facilitate its accessibility for researchers.

Topics:

• Exploring the paths of digital transformation and their potential implications for the future of traditional archives.
• Examining models of digital repositories housing heritage resources within libraries, cultural institutions, and heritage organizations.
• Addressing the challenges posed by the digital era to heritage: identifying risks, devising overcoming mechanisms, and proposing solutions.
• Discussing the requirements to enhance the digitization of heritage in Arab countries and outlining future perspectives.
• Enhancing digital information management for improved usability and searchability of archives.
• Delving into the concept and reality of digital heritage, considering both theoretical and practical aspects in the context of the artificial intelligence.

Submissions and Contact Information:

We are pleased to receive applications to present a 20-minute research paper. The paper proposals should address digital transformation and archival themes within contexts such as (but not limited to):

• Techniques for digital transformation and archival preservation
• Project experiences in digitization of archival collections
• Information management and retrieval strategies.
• Legal challenges and copyright issues in the realm of digital archives.

Submissions are welcome in both Arabic and English.

If you wish to participate in the forum sessions by presenting a research paper or a presentation, please submit the abstract of your contribution, ensuring it does not exceed one page, by 12 May 2024.

Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their abstracts no later than 23 June 2024.

Please send your research abstracts to the following email addresses (click to display) with the subject line "Proposal-ARADO":

• Heritage Library at Qatar National Library: heritagelibrary@qnl.qa 
• Dr. Dalia Nassar, Head of the Scientific Committee at the Arab Organization for Administrative Development: dnassar@arado.org 

Forum fees:

• Participants presenting a research paper are exempt from the forum's fees.
• For those from inside Qatar wishing to attend the forum, a fee of 500 QAR charged by ARADO is payable through this link.

Target Audience:

• Officials overseeing the heritage and historical resources sector in both public and private domains
• Directors of archives, documents, and rare resources departments across various ministries, governmental institutions, and private organizations
• Professionals spearheading the digitization of documentary heritage in libraries and cultural institutions
• Individuals engaged in the archival and digitization of heritage materials and rare resources

Seats are limited! Click here to register.