About MERJ: Middle East Research Journals Project

Project overview:

Project title: Middle East Research Journals Project

Project dates: October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2006

Grantee institution: Council of American Overseas Research Centers

Amount awarded: $313,744 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Key contact information:
Project facilitation at CAORC
Dr. Mary Ellen Lane, Executive Director <lane.maryellen@caorc.org>
Ms. Robin Presta, Program Manager <presta.robin@caorc.org>
Ms. Lisa Rogers, Grants Administrator <rogers.lisa@caorc.org>
Council of American Overseas Research Centers
Museum of National History, 10th and Constitution Aves NW
P.O. Box 37012, MRC 178
Washington DC 20013-7012
202-633-1599, fax 202-786-2430

Technical consultant
Dr. Maria deJ. Ellis, Executive Director
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
P.O. Box 311
Ardmore PA 19003-0311
610-896-5412, fax 610-896-9049
mellis@sas.upenn.edu

Technical consultant
Dr. David Magier
Director of Area Studies, Columbia University Libraries
304 International Affairs
New York NY 10027
212-854-8046, fax 212-854-3834
magier@columbia.edu

Project coordinator
Ms. Diane M. Ryan
Coordinator, Digital Library for International Research
Council of American Overseas Research Centers
c/o Center for Research Libraries
6050 S. Kenwood Avenue
Chicago IL 60637
773-955-4545 ext. 266
ryan@crl.edu , dlir@caorc.org

Project description: The Middle East Research Journals (MERJ) project, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services is an offshoot of a larger collaborative undertaking, the Digital Library for International Research (DLIR, formerly American Overseas Digital Library (AODL)), launched by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and its member centers in 1999. Based on the collaborative teamwork of the aggregate center libraries located in Europe, the Near and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the New World, DLIR is designed to be a cost-effective, efficient, centralized Internet-based mechanism for the standardization and electronic delivery of important bibliographic and full-text primary and secondary source foreign information. The DLIR design includes in one consolidated web-based digital library a wide array of digitized materials including bibliographic records, selected full-text materials, article-level indices, archival descriptions, databases and digitized versions of maps, dissertations, musical recordings, photographs, archaeological data, local language archives, and other important and unique research resources representing the distributed holdings of all the CAORC member center libraries.

The MERJ project is aimed at providing preservation microfilming, article-level indexing, and digital document delivery of over 2,000 selected Middle Eastern journal titles in various languages (including four non-Roman script languages: Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, and Ottoman Turkish) which are housed in the following seven overseas research centers and their nine libraries:

• American Research Institute in Turkey (libraries in Ankara and Istanbul)
• American Institute for Maghrib Studies (libraries in Morocco and Tunisia)
• American Institute for Yemeni Studies
• American Research Center in Egypt
• American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan
• W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem
• Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute

These institutions hold many journals that are rare, important, and currently seriously underused because of their bibliographic and physical inaccessibility. Yet, because these journals are interregional and interdisciplinary in subject matter, they could serve scholars focused on many academic endeavors and bring vital yet inaccessible material to a public audience in the United States that is increasingly aware of the tremendous gaps in its knowledge and understanding of the Middle East and Islamic world. Thus, scholars, researchers, and library users worldwide will reap numerous benefits from the completion of the MERJ project, including:

• public accessibility outside the Middle East through the DLIR union catalog and OCLC's WorldCat,
• existence and coverage of microfilm reproductions
• extent of existing article indexing in other publicly available indexes

Preservation microfilming of high-priority journal titles (selected from among the endangered titles based upon their scholarly importance and current lack of widespread availability) with master negatives stored centrally and multiple use copies stored at various institutions and made available via interlibrary loan.

Titles for preservation and web access:

• Archaeologia Cypria (Kypriaki Archaiologia), Nicosia, v. 1 (1985) - v. 4 (2001)
• Arkeoloji Dergisi, Izmir, 1991-1998
• Arkeoloji-sanat Tarihi Dergisi, Izmir, 1984-1996
• Bogazici University Journal-Beseri Bilimler, Istanbul, 1973-1981
• CEDAC Carthage Bulletin (Centre d'Études et de Documentation Archéologique de la Conservation de Carthage), Tunis, 1978-1997
• Revue archéologique syrienne, Aleppo, 1931-1938
• Bulletin of the Israel Exploration Society, 1933-1967 (under consideration)
  

A web-based distributed journal indexing database containing detailed information (such as full bibliographic citation, thesaurus-based subject headings, and additional subject keywords) about the articles within selected journals along with digitized full-text versions of those articles determined to be high-use, high-impact materials that are otherwise inaccessible to the broad academic community of potential users. Based on recommendations from the centers and other scholars, the following titles have been selected for indexing:

• Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society, Jerusalem, 1920-1948
• Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine, London, 1931-1950
• Sumer, Baghdad, 1945-1959, 1960-1965, update to 1966-2000
  

Accomplishments through April 2006:

Cataloging

Survey of journals in nine libraries at seven research centers
Copy cataloging for 1900 titles made available through the DLIR catalog; holdings updated in WoldCat
Vendors chosen for original cataloging
Original cataloging data prepared by centers
Vendors complete original cataloging

Preservation and access

Partnership with the Center for Research Libraries
Prioritization of journals for preservation and full access
Journals selected for preservation and full access
Search for overseas microfilm vendors
Digital preservation investigated
Hybrid method of microfilming from digital scans chosen
Centers organized to digitize journals

Indexing

Journals prioritized and selected for indexing
Indexer hired
Web presentation software evaluated

Web presentation

Potential vendors selected for digital post-processing/preservation microfilm
Request for quote sent
Web presentation software evaluated
Sample scans reviewed.