The situation of Iraqi libraries

Extract from the report of the UNESCO second assessment mission to Iraq, 28 June-7 July 2003

The mission assessed the conditions of museums, historic buildings, archives, libraries and archaeological sites to the North (Mossul, Ninive, Erbil, Hatra and Ashur) and the South of the country (Babylon, Kish, Isin, Nippur, Ur, Uruk and Basra). [The only librarian representative on the experts' group, Jean-Marie Arnoult from the Bibliotheque National de France, was denied a visa by the US administration in Baghdad and did not participate in the mission. The team conducted its inspection of libraries and archives without him.]

Archives and libraries

The following institutions were assessed.

Baghdad: National Library, National Archives, Iraqi Centre for manuscripts, Awqaf Library and Mustansiriya University Library.

Basra: Central Public Library, Central University Library and Islamic Library
Mosul: Public Central Library, Central University Library and Library of the Museum.

Baghdad, Iraqi Centre for manuscripts

The Centre for manuscripts, which has gathered the main part of Iraqi patrimony, is safe: the building is in a good state and has not been looted. During recent years, the collection has been increased with a great number of small collections coming from different parts of the country; nowadays it has about 47 000 volumes. During the months before the conflict, the collection was transferred into a safe place in a secret shelter. The return and reinstallation of the collection in the previous premises is foreseen when the security is restored in Baghdad. The laboratory and restoration unit (situated in a small house close to the Centre) have been completely looted: there are only empty rooms left.

Baghdad, National Library

Building

The National Library has been severely damaged: the building (built in 1977) was burnt and looted twice, on 14 April and one week later. The ground floor with the main reading room has been sacked: catalogue cards pushed down on the floor and fires started in several places. The binding unit no longer exists. The first acknowledgement is that the fire was well-organised: books were gathered in some places and burnt with combustive agent so that they entirely burnt together with metallic shelves; it means that temperatures were high enough to destroy books and the structure of the building itself. The building is not guarded by the Coalition Forces.

Collections

Before the war, it was already difficult to know precisely the number of volumes, the total fluctuating in function of the method used to describe periodicals (number of titles or number of issues). Nevertheless, it seems that the figure of one million two hundred thousand volumes destroyed is a credible figure.

Between the first and the second fire (about one week), employees from the Library and volunteers moved a part of the collections to a Shiite Mosque in the former Saddam City and into a building of the Board of Tourism. At present, the collections are stored on three different sites.

Due to the embargo, only a small number of titles were recorded. No national bibliography was published. All the inventories are said to be destroyed by the fire or by vandalism. A part of the catalogue cards are still remaining in the drawers but an important part of the cards are lying on the floor. It is recommended that these cards be collected together with documents dispersed in the building, to clean them and put them in baskets waiting for best times.

Baghdad, National Archives

The National Archives are located in the second floor of the National Library building. The same kind of fire has been used to ravage the service, destroying the collections, furniture and equipment. A part of the collection seems to have been moved in the same locations as the books of the National Library. It is difficult to know precisely which part of the collection has been destroyed and which part is safe. Inventories and catalogues available in the reading room and in technical services are said to be destroyed by fire.

Baghdad, Awqaf Library

Awqaf Library was totally destroyed by fire and probably looted. Only the outer walls are still standing. According to information collected abroad, the situation of the collection is as follow: about 40 per cent of the manuscripts must have been destroyed by fire and looting, as well as 90 per cent of the printed books. According to a visual evaluation, the building cannot be reused.

Basra, Central Public Library

The Central Public Library has been totally destroyed by fire, and probably looted before. Outer walls are still standing but concrete is deeply damaged by high temperatures. The method used is probably the same as in Baghdad: use of a specific fuel to activate fire and completely burn books and shelves. It seems difficult to restore the building.

Basra, University Central Library

The building of the University Central Library has been looted and vandalised: doors and windows were broken and smashed, as well as the equipment in the reading rooms and the technical services. Shelves, as well as tables and chairs, have been looted. The collections were gathered in some places of the library and burnt; about 75 per cent of the collections was destroyed.

Basra, Islamic Library

This Library, depending on an association founded in 1950, is located in the old city of Basra. It was looted but not destroyed. The collection has been reconstituted by members of the association. It is now composed of about 400 printed books.

Mosul, Central Public Library

As the Library was closed at the time of the visit, only an outside assessment could be made. Apparently, the building presented some damage (broken glasses, forced doors). But the inside of the Library, seen through the windows, looked in good condition: books seemed intact on shelves, furniture was still in place. Eventual looting had not disturbed the Library.

Mosul, University Central Library

The Central University Library, well located on the campus, was vandalised and looted (furniture, equipment and books), but not burnt. The building did not suffer in its structures as in Baghdad and in Basra. The appeals of religious authorities to return the stolen books means that only 30 per cent of books were lost. This Library was restored and it is functioning thanks to help and funds of US forces.

Mosul, Library of the Museum

Located in the basement of the Museum, the Library has been looted by specialists, as only important reference books (about 10) have been stolen. A fire was started in the reading room but without consequences for the Library.

Recommendations

[The expert group made a series of recommendations relating to each institution visited, focusing on securing temporary accommodation for collections, reconstructing buildings, establishing cleaning and restoration programmes, encouraging staff to return to work and providing appropriate training to staff.]

The full text of the report can be found at: http://www.ifla.org/VI/4/admin/unesco070703.pdf [PDF]

[Editor's note: The UNESCO report gives an overall picture of the condition of libraries in Iraq. A more up to date report has just been released by the Library of Congress on its mission to the National Library of Iraq in November. It can be found at: http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/mela/LCIraqReport.html.

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