Episode 191: Digitizing Ibadi Libraries in Jerba and the Jebel Nafusa

In this podcast, Paul Love talks about his work digitizing Ibadi libraries and collections in Djerba and the Jebel Nafusa (northwest Libya). Through these projects, Love evokes broad debates within critical cultural heritage studies. He discusses challenges in terms of preservation and conservation, such as preventing human misuse and regulating human activity in relation to historical manuscripts and other documentation, while sharing anecdotes of successful projects that illuminate the relationships that can be built through these efforts. Throughout the podcast, he raises questions about who gains from digitizing resources, the strengths and challenges of "democratizing" information, and larger directions in digital humanities.

Paul Love is Associate Professor of North African, Middle Eastern, and Islamic History at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (Morocco). He is also currently director of the Mohammed VI Library at the same institution. His research interests revolve around the history of Ibadi Muslim communities in Northern Africa, especially the social history of manuscripts and libraries. For the past several years, he has also worked in collaboration with colleagues in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and France to document and to protect manuscript collections across the region.

 This podcast was recorded via Zoom on the 5th of September 2023, at the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT).

We thank Hisham Errish, a music composer and an Oud soloist, for his interpretation of “When the Desert Sings” in the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

Production and editing: Lena Krause, AIMS Resident Fellow at the Centre d’Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT).