The eBethArké Syriac digital library: a case study
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-07-2016-0017 |
| Pages | 40-47 |
| Date | 13 February 2017 |
| Published date | 13 February 2017 |
| Author | Isaiah Beard |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
The eBethArké Syriac digital
library: a case study
Isaiah Beard
Libraries, Rutgers, The State University of NJ, New Brunswick,
New Jersey, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to review and describe the teamwork, collaboration and learning
experiences involved in meeting the unique challenges of establishing a new digital library for Syriac
collections. The eBetharké Syriac Digital Library Portal is a collaborative effort between the libraries at
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and the Beth Mardutho Syriac Institute, a traditional library of
texts, to create a specialized digital library collection online. This digital library features content in and
relating to Syriac, an Aramaic dialect spoken in the rst century A.D. and for which a great deal of historically
signicant documents was written during the period.
Design/methodology/approach –Thistask required effort and research on multiple fronts, including software
development; collaboration on technical, interpersonal and policy-based levels; and in overcoming challenges related to
the predominant computing platforms installed and in use by potential users of this digital library.
Findings –This collaboration provided signicant new challenges and learning experiences among the staff who
worked on this project and provides a base upon which our digital library platforms can diversify and be more culturally
aware.
Social implications –There have been increasing calls within the academic community for better support in the
technological space for this and other contemporary languages of the region. Creation of such a platform and expanding
it signicantly would benet scholars of Middle Eastern texts in much the same way digital repositories have
revolutionized online text access for the Western world.
Originality/value –The project is unique in that it is believed to the rst production-level, digital preservation-
specic Syriac digital library of its kind. It supports the display of metadata and descriptive details for digital library
objects not just in English, but in Arabic and Syriac languages as well, where appropriate
Keywords Digital library, Institutional repository, Beth Mardutho, Preservation, Rutgers, Syriac
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Syriac is a language, a dialect of Middle Aramaic spoken in the rst-century A.D. over much
of the Fertile Crescent, and becoming a major literary language throughout much of this
same region from the fourth- through the eighth-century A.D. (“Syriac”, n.d.). Since then it
has been mostly replaced by Arabic, and Syriac was a subject of minor research in Middle
Eastern studies until the 1970s, but recently, literary scholars have taken a renewed interest
in the language, and in literary works written in Syriac.
The execution of this project would not have been possible, of course, without the primary partners in this
endeavor. George Kiraz, founder of Gorgias Press and the Beth Mardutho Syriac Research institute, has led
a long and tireless effort in ensuring that the language lives on in the academic, cultural and digital realms.
Grace Agnew, Associate University Librarian for Integrated Information Systems at Rutgers University
Libraries, is the driving force behind RUcore, and its master architect. There are also a stable of developers,
policy makers and structural decision makers. A non-inclusive list of these talented individuals, with
apologies for anyone I may have left off: Kalaivani Anathan, Jie Geng, Dave Hoover, Dr Ronald Jantz, Linda
Langschied, Rhonda Marker, Chad Mills, Dr Jeffery Triggs and Yang Yu.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5816.htm
DLP
33,1
40
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.33 No. 1, 2017
pp.40-47
©Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-07-2016-0017
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