Jerusalem: History, Civilization and Libraries

Abstract

This editorial introduction presents Jerusalem as a major theme in the world of libraries and information during the year 2000 in connection with the eleventh conference of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information, held at the Arab League in Cairo from 12 to 16 August 2000. The note explains that the conference adopted Jerusalem as a central topic because of its position as a center of Arab and Islamic history, civilization, knowledge, and libraries. It also indicates that this orientation was linked to the institutional and cultural context surrounding the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) conference held during the same period in occupied Jerusalem, and to the Arab and Islamic response to that event.

The note further records the material and moral support offered to the conference by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi and states that the resulting Jerusalem Declaration represented a step toward building a unified Arab strategy for libraries in the age of information technology. The page concludes by announcing that Sharjah would host the next conference of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information in 2001, giving the text documentary value beyond its introductory function and making it a concise record of an Arab professional and cultural position on Jerusalem within the field of libraries and information.