Digitizing the Afghanistan Digital Collection
Digitizing initiatives reflect the Criss Library's overarching mission to collect, interpret and provide access to information resources in support of instruction, research, and creative activity. As such, the Library and its staff are committed to ensuring digitized collections receive the same level of attention, care and management as print collections.
Archivist seated at large scanner
Many titles in the Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection are culturally and historically significant. Unfortunately, some are in poor physical condition and can not be used without causing additional damage to the book. The primary focus of digitization in the Afghanistan Collection is on public access.
Titles selected to be digitized are classified as fragile or damaged, requiring careful handling during the process. The majority of the books selected are over 150 years old. While the list is not yet finalized, the titles chosen accurately portray the type of books that will be digitized.
Libraries and cultural institutions throughout Afghanistan were devastated by a quarter-century of conflict and many vital texts were lost. The Criss Library initiated this multi-year project to ensure the preservation and availability of these materials for the purposes of public access, supporting research, and scholarship. The materials in the digital collection are based on a wide variety of books, journals, maps, photograhps, and other documents. English, Dari, and Pashto are the primary languages of the collection. However, the collections does include materials in twenty-four different languages altogether.
Using equipment funded by a 2002 grant from the University of Nebraska Foundation of selected materials in this nationally recognized collection is intended primarily for public access. Digitized materials are made available to the public through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Digital Commons site.