@BioDivLibrary report by @UDCMRK at the Global BHL meeting, Fes, Morocco (27 May 2013)

Here's my report for the 4th Global BHL meeting:

Biodiversity Heritage Library: 2013 Report from Martin Kalfatovic

And here's our group photo:

Recap of the 3rd International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives #ICADLA3

We had a very good 3rd ICADLA meeting in Ifrane, Morocco. As part of the Advisory Committee, I was very pleased with the over all program (though disappointed that there was so much confusion in having a representative from the Google Cultural Institute and then the person ended up not attending).

The opening keynote, by Misako Ito (UNESCO Office for Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) provided a good kick off to the meeting.

Next up was a special panel presentation by members of the Global Biodiversity Heritage Library community. I moderated the panel and the presenters included Nancy Gwinn (Smithsonian Libraries/BHL), Ely Wallis (Museum Victoria/BHL Australia), Anne-Lsse Fourie (SANBI/BHL Africa), Magdy Nagi (Bib. Alex/BHL Egypt), Jiri Frank (National Museum, Prague/BHL Europe), and William Ulate (Missouri Botanical Garden/BHL).

Here's the abstract for the panel:

Creating a Global Biodiversity Heritage Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), originally formed in 2006 with twelve U.S. and U.K. museum and botanical garden libraries, has grown to incorporate regionally-based global nodes in Europe, Australia, South America, Egypt, China, and most recently Africa. BHL now globally aggregates nearly 40 million pages of biodiversity literature representing over 110,000 volumes. Including both pre-Linnean (> 1753) and contemporary volumes, the BHL allows life-science researchers to find important references to the planet's biodiversity. Created to provide open and free access to the published literature of biodiversity, the BHL serves as a model for a large-scale curated digital library collection. Coordinating content selection, digitization, and post-digitization service to a world-wide audience. Recent projects have started to identify illustrations that have a user-base beyond the core-science community of BHL to a wider audience of school children and life-long learners. Topics to be discussed in this panel include strategies for creating and maintaining a multinational digital library program; digitization platforms and services; creating value-added features for discipline-specific digital libraries; use of social media and outreach to increase use and build new audiences; and migration of projects to sustainable programs. This session will include participation from BHL global partners from Africa, Egypt, the United States, and Australia. A one hour time slot would be preferable for this session. Presenter from the BHL Africa project will be finalized shortly.

Here's my presentation (thanks to Bianca Crowley for suggesting that title).

The first day was then filled with breakout sessions on the topics of "Policy and Skills Development," "National and Collaborative Projects", and "Institutional Experiences". The day concluded with a gala dinner and local Berber music and dancing at the Al Akhawayne University Faculty Club.

Day two began with an excellent presentation by Driss Khrouz, Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco. Mr. Khrouz covered the development of the Moroccan Digital Library, particularly in relation to manuscripts. He also discussed relations between Morocco and other national libraries as well as issues around theft and black market sales of Moroccan manuscripts. Mr. Khrouz is a passionate advocate for libraries and made a passionate plea for increasing library services in Morocco to promote overall literacy. Too many children do not have a place to read and too many universities are not devoting resources to libraries.

I then participated in the panel discussion on "A Roadmap for Digitization i Africa". The topics generated out of that panel (and the roadmap document) fed three breakout sessions that discussed the topics in more depth and which were then presented in a plenary reporting session.

The meeting ended with a final statement by Felix Ubogu and Abraham Azubuike, representing the ICADLA Standing Committee.

Thank you to Felix Ubogu, Michelle Pickover and Gabriele (Wits) and the rest of the ICADLA steering committee. And also a special thanks to our hosts at the Al Akhawayn University Library for wonderful local logistics: Abdelhamid Lotfi, Hanane Karkour, and the other staff of the library.

#ICADLA3 meeting is wrapping up ; good meeting and many ideas

Congratulations to Felix Ugobu, Abraham Azubuike, Abdelhamid Lotfi and all the organizers and presenters. So long to old and new friends and to the interesting town of Ifrane, Morocco.

Driss Khrouz, Director, Nat. Library of the Kingdom of Morocco on their digital initiatives @ #icadla3

"Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage Library" presentation for the #ICADLA3 meeting in Ifrane, Morocco

Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage Library from Martin Kalfatovic

Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globaly: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. 3rd International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives. Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco. 30 May 2013.

After #ICADLA3 dinner at the Al Akhawayn U Faculty club, with Berber music and dancers

Closing the first day of the ICADLA 3 conference in Ifrane, Morocco with some traditional Berber music and dancing at the Al Akhawayn University Faculty Club.

Quite a different experience from the Harvard Faculty Club!

Said Ennahid of Al Akhawayn U. On the topic of digital library MSS collections in Morocco @ #icadla3

In the national and collaborative projects breakout session,

16 African nations are represented at #ICADLA-3

Felix Ubogu, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa thanking the staff and organizing committee of ICADLA-3.

Welcome and opening of the #ICADLA-3 meeting in Ifrane, Morocco

First keynote address by Misako Ito, UNESCO Office for Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.

To Ito's left is Al Akhawayn University librarian Abdelhamid Lotfi.

Ito spoke on the opportunities for digital libraries in Africa. She also noted that the economic benefits of widely available digital resources have been underestimated. At the same time, the challenges of developing sustainable project (as well as those that meet rigorous digital preservation standards) are great.

Collaboration can assist with these issues. UNESCO also has a number of programs underway that can help.

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Martin R. Kalfatovic

Find me: UDCMRK | Travel.Leisure.Pursuits: UDC793 | Twitter: @udcmrk | Skype: martin.kalfatovic | Flickr Fotos | VIAF ID: 32094717 (Personal)

Good morning Ifrane

Good night Ifrane, from my room at Al Akhawayn University

Wrapping up work on preparation for the BHL panel at the 3rd International Conference on African Digital Libraries in Ifrane, Morocco

Greetings from Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco

Here for ICADLA-3

Wrapping up some work on the roof terrace of the Dar Fes Medina, Fes, Morocco

Great meeting, fabulous place to stay for business and pleasure

QotD: No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on - Steely Dan

No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
That's what I am
Please understand
I wanna be your holy man

- Steely Dan, "The Fez" from The Royal Scam

Doing some Fez shopping in Fes

Bugs Bunny and a naked Clown walk down a street in Fes, Morocco ...

I really can't imagine (or can and now can't get that image out of my mind) exactly what this bunny, clown in a barrel and a handful of peanuts are selling ... but I do know one thing, I'm not buying!

Good morning to my neighborhood here in the Fes Medina

Goodnight Fes, from the fabulous rooftop terrace of the Dar Fed Medina

@ElyW from BHL Australia updating #gbhl on activities on scanning and more

Dr Cui (BHL China) and Anne-Lise Fourie (BHL Africa) look on

Magdy Nagi from Bib. Alexandrine updating Global BHL on BHL Egypt activities # gbhl

Dr. J. Cui from BHL China updating #gBHL group at Global BHL meeting in Fes

@JiriFrank giving updat on BHL Europe activities at # gbhl meeting in Fes

#globalbhl taking a mint tea break

Sent from my IBM Selectric

@wulate getting ready for the @BioDivLibrary #gbhl meeting

And another good morning to you, Fes

Bonne nuit, Fes! Long day, great food and the rest of our BHL colleagues are all now here

Bon matin, Fes. I see that someone was up early hanging laundry

And the roosters seemed to crow the whole night long.

Good night Fes, just after the muezzin called isha prayers

Very large moon over the minaret tonight.

Arrived in Fes, beautiful view from my room at the Dar Fes Medina

And a very hospitable host, Mohammed

We're off on the Road to Morocco! Representatives from the global @BioDivLibrary partners heading to Fes, Morocco

Well, all the global BHL-ers should be on the Road to Morocco! We're having the 4th Global BHL meeting in Fes, Morocco on 27-28 May 2013. We'll have representative (in person) from BHL China, BHL Europe, BHL Egypt, BHL Australia, BHL Africa, and BHL. Our Brasilian colleagues were unable to make it in person, but we hope to bring them in virtually.

So, here's our pluck trio from the United States, Nancy Gwinn, William Ulate, and me, somewhere, can't say exactly where  we are all at this moment, but we're all converging on Fes!

So I guess you could say that, with Bing Crosby that  ...

We're off on the road to Morocco
This camel is tough on the spine (hit me with a band-aid, Dad)
Where they're going, why we're going, how can we be sure
I'll lay you eight to five that we'll meet Dorothy Lamour 
(Yeah, get in line)

Off on the road to Morocco
Hang on till the end of the line (I like your jockey. Quiet)
I hear this country's where they do the dance of the seven veils
We'd tell you more (uh-ah) but we would have the censor on our tails 
(Good boy)

We certainly do get around
Like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound

We're off on the road to Morocco
Well look out, well clear the way, 'cause here we come
Stand by for a concussion
The men eat fire, sleep on nails and saw their wives in half
It seems to me there should be easier ways to get a laugh
(Shall I slip on my big shoes?)

Off on the road to Morocco
Hooray! Well blow a horn, everybody duck
Yeah. It's a green light, come on boys

We may run into villains but we're not afraid to roam
Because we read the story and we end up safe at home (yeah)
Certainly do get around
Like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound

We certainly do get around
Like a complete set of Shakespeare that you get
In the corner drugstore for a dollar ninety-eight
We're Morocco bound

Or, like a volume of Omar Khayyam that you buy in the
Department store at Christmas time for your cousin Julia
We're Morocco bound
(We could be arrested)

QotD: "If seven maids with seven mops swept it for half a year" Lewis Carrol on the streets of Casablanca

'If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,
'That they could get it clear?'
- Lewis Carroll

 There is an amazing amount of sweeping that goes on in Casablanca, and yet, well, everything seems to remain rather dirty ... I know I said the same thing about Beijing a few years ago, one of the differences in Casa is that they tend to throw water on the ground first (to keep down the dust) and often use push brooms (and the maids are mostly men it seems)

Good morning Casablanca, from the fabulous 6th floor of the Novotel Casa City Center

QotD: "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine" Rick Blaine, Casablanca

For some reason, the neon artwork of the famous quote by Rick Blaine from Casablanca in the bar of the Hotel Sofitel punctuates the quote as follows (with an odd question mark):

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world? She walks into mine."

Seafood tangine, mezze and grilled eggplant

At Delight in Casablanca

Good afternoon, Casablanca ... From the Novotel Casa City Center

Lotsa construction!!

Sunrise at Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris

Air France 1896: CDG to CMN

Sent from my IBM Selectric

Gate L21

Spinning the @BioDivLibrary globe again ... round and round ... where does it spin me?

Can we say North Africa?

Air France 39: IAD to CDG

Gate A20.

McKeldin Library, at the University of Maryland

Haven't been here in ages!