BA Holds a Digitization Training Workshop for the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
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As the Library of Alexandria pursues its mission of becoming the center of excellence in disseminating knowledge and exchanging expertise, a training workshop on digitization techniques was held for the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The workshop was conducted by the BA throughout10 consecutive days, 7–18 February, on KISR premises.
Through the workshop, the participants were offered training in the latest digitization techniques and standards that are complied with at the BA. They were introduced to the measures of quality assurance in scanning, as well as the techniques of image processing and optical character recognition (OCR), with an emphasis on dealing with Arabic texts—a field in which the BA excels. The participants were also introduced to Digital Asset Factory (DAF), which was established and developed at the BA in order to create and preserve digital collections.
Hands-on sessions were included in the workshop to develop the participants’ skills in dealing with different details and techniques, aiming to achieve the highest levels of performance and quality. These sessions mainly focused on the KISR collection and on presenting various digital initiatives and projects executed by the BA.
Being a pioneer in digital library practices in the Arab world, the BA was approached by KISR for consultation in the digitization project of 6000 scientific research papers. In response, the BA team assisted KISR in establishing their digital lab and planning a workflow for the implementation of the project.
The workshop comes in accordance with the BA mission to offer technical support and training for researchers from Egypt and the world. It is noteworthy that, during the past decade, the BA has held several training workshops on digitization for many partners, including a workshop in cooperation with Yale University, training for the Municipal Administration Modernization Syrian team, the American university of Beirut, and Brill publishing house in Leiden, Netherlands.
KISR is a pioneering, independent institute of scientific excellence whose main role is to disseminate applied sciences and technology-based solutions. KISR routinely embarks on strategic partnerships with other regional and international institutes, agencies, and academic bodies, allowing an exchange of knowledge and expertise.