On 24-29 January 2007, the Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology co-hosted a multi-day workshop in Rabat, Morocco, with the goal of developing a multi-stakeholder statement on the creation of a digital library and archive for North Africa - a “Vision for a Maghreb Digital Library.”  The workshop had expert panels focusing on national & regional nitiatives and priorities, and issues relating to content, collections and end users. These sessions were a key component of the meeting, providing an opportunity for participants break into smaller groups to discuss issues and suggest next steps.

The lead partners in the workshop were the US National Science Foundation, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Morocco's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.  The American Institute for Maghreb Studies, Memnon Audio Archiving Services, and Thomson Scientific also provided financial support.

Representatives from eight countries participated in the workshop: Algeria, Belgium, France, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, United Kingdom and United States. Representatives from Egypt and Libya were also invited, but were unable to attend.

The workshop was preceded by a one-day planning meeting at the US National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, with two-dozen representatives from US agencies, museums, and NGOs and several representatives from embassies of North African countries.  The workshop also built on the outcomes of a similarly-structured workshop held in Alexandria, Egypt on 15-17 January 2006. (click here to link to that workshop).

International Coordinating Committee:

• Mr. Stephen Griffin (Directeur de Programme, Science et Ingénierie du Computer et d’Informatique, US National Science Foundation)
• Mr. Eric Howard (Directeur Excécutif, Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology, USA)
• Dr. Ron Larsen (Professeur, University of Pittsburgh, USA)
  
• Mr. Khalid R. Temsamani (Coordonnateur National auprès de la NSF dans le domaine des sciences des Matériaux, Maroc)
• Mr. Mohammed Benbouida (Chef de Service des Matériaux et des Produits Manufacturiers, Direction de la Technologie, Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Enseignement Supérieur, de la  Recherche Scientifique, Maroc)
  

Meeting Overview (in French): Le workshop permettra de réunir des décideurs maghrébins et des experts américains et européens dans le domaine de la digitalisation des ressources culturelles, scientifiques techniques et du patrimoine humain afin de définir les orientations et un plan d’action pour mettre en place une librairie digitale à accès ouvert dont le Hub principal sera installé au Maroc.  Ce projet s’inscrit dans le cadre de la réforme globale du système éducatif et s’insère parfaitement dans les priorités nationales et internationales telle que la constitution de réseaux numériques éducatifs entre différentes librairies en vue de démocratiser l’accès à une éducation de meilleure qualité.

This webpage contains the "white papers" prepared prior to the meeting and the summary report from the meeting.  Because it was a bi-lingual meeting (English & French), some portions of the summary report are in French, such as the comments made by Morocco's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.