George Washington University (Gelman Library System)

The libraries of George Washington University and Georgetown University will digitize their jointly held collections of Western literature on the Middle East and works by Middle East and North African authors comprising more than 2,500 volumes. The collections will be freely accessible to scholars and the general public worldwide. As part of the digitization process, the project team will test and evaluate the performance of a Kirtas 2400 book scanner and assess its capacity to produce high-quality/high-volume digital scans of bound volumes. Both libraries will produce enriched metadata records necessary for discovery, access, and long-term management and preservation of the digital content created, using robust metadata standards. Virtual and physical exhibits highlighting the collection will be produced. The physical exhibit will open at the Gelman Library and travel to selected libraries and/or museums around the world. A virtual exhibit will be hosted on the IMLS-funded Omeka virtual exhibit platform (http://omeka.org/).