The Iraqi Virtual Science Library is an Iraqi Virtual Library providing

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

i academics with access to recourses via the internet. The library, launched in May 2006, initially provided access to more than one million articles from 17,000 electronic journals and other resources. Access to this knowledge is considered vital for the rebuilding of Iraq as it will improve the curriculum which suffered under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

's regime. The library is part of the overall plan to improve access to information in Iraq.

Background

The library's creation was spearheaded by a group of

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...

(AAAS) fellows, including D.J. Patil, a scientist from the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

, in connection with

JSTOR JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...

. According to Patil, Iraqi libraries have been looted while available texts in existing archives are out of date. The construction of a scientific library for the strife-torn country would have been expensive and time-consuming so the virtual library initiative was launched, making some 17,422 journal titles immediately available to Iraqi scientists and engineers. The library was funded in part by the US Department of Defense. The National Academies of Science is also part of the collaboration. The U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF) has managed the Iraqi Virtual Science Library following its official launch in May 2006. It is part of its initiative to redirect human capital, particularly out of the weapons experts who found themselves out of work after the collapse of the Soviet Union, into entrepreneurial initiatives and collaboration. Continued funding has been provided by the US Department of State and the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

.CRDF Fact Sheet: Iraqi Virtual Science Library: http://www.crdf.org/factsheets/factsheets_show.htm?doc_id=676089 In 2008, the Iraqi Virtual Science Library was expanded to provide access to all public universities in Iraq and a handful of Iraqi Ministries that are key to reconstruction efforts and future development. From 2010 to the present, the IVSL is managed and funded by Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Digital databases such as

Elsevier Elsevier () is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as '' The Lancet'', '' Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, '' Trends'', ...

Project Muse Project MUSE, a non-profit collaboration between libraries and publishers, is an online database of peer-reviewed academic journals and electronic books. Project MUSE contains digital humanities and social science content from over 250 univers ...

, and

Springer Springer or springers may refer to: Publishers * Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag. ** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...

, among others are partners.

Participating Institutions

University of Anbar

Al-Mustansiriya University Mustansiriyah University (Arabic: الجامعة المستنصرية) is a university in Baghdad, Iraq. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 1232/34 A.D. by some accounts) by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir ...

Al Muthanna University
Al-Nahrain University

Al Qadissiya University , mottoeng = My Lord Giveth Thy Knowledge , established = 1987 , parent = Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research , type = Public - Research , president = Ehsan Kathem , provost ...

Babylon University
Baghdad University
Basrah University

Diyala University The University of Diyala is an Iraqi university located in Baquba, Diyala Governorate Diyala Governorate ( ar, محافظة ديالى ) or Diyala Province is a governorate in central-eastern Iraq. Provincial government *Governor: Muthan ...

University of Dohuk
Hawler Medical University - Kurdistan
The Islamic University, Baghdad
University of Karbala

Kirkuk University The University of Kirkuk ( ar, جامعة كركوك) is an Iraqi university established in 2003 in Kirkuk, Iraq. The University of Kirkuk included eight faculties/colleges when it was established in 2003. These were Engineering, Medicine, L ...

University of Koya

Kufa University The University of Kufa is one of Iraqi universities located in Kufa, Iraq. It was founded on December 23, 1987 of only two faculties; Education for Women and Medicine. Worthy mentioned that the Faculty of Medicine was established roughly a decad ...

University of Kurdistan - Hawler
Misan University
Mosul University

Salahaddin University Salahaddin University-Erbil (''Zankoy Selaheddîn-hewler'', ''زانکۆی سەلاحەدین-هەولێر'' in Kurdish) is one of the public higher education institution in the North of Iraq and especially in Kurdistan region. It is located in ...

University of Sulaimani
Thi Qar University

Tikrit University Tikrit University ( ar, جامعة تكريت) is an Iraqi university located in Tikrit, Saladin Province, Iraq. It was established in 1987. It is one of the largest universities in Iraq with over 30,000 students. While it has faced challenges in r ...

University of Technology, Iraq
Wassit University
Iraqi Academy of Science
Ministry of Environment (Iraq)
Ministry of Science and Technology (Iraq)
Ministry of Electricity (Iraq)
Ministry of Oil (Iraq)
Ministry of Agriculture (Iraq)
Ministry of Health (Iraq)
Ministry of Water Resources (Iraq)
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Iraq)
Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works (Iraq)

References

{{reflist

External links

Iraqi Virtual Science Library
Web directories Iraqi digital libraries American Association for the Advancement of Science Libraries established in 2006