Dr Baharul IslamChairman & CEO, South Asia Development Gateway

Executive Director, PFI Foundation (India)

Library and Information Processing for Religious Education Institutions in Asia: An Avenue for Academic Exchange

through Digital Library and Education Reform

Conference on HR for Libraries, Archives & Info Centers Abu Dhabi, 19-21 Feb 2008

• Paradigm Shifts in contemporary Muslim Societies• Concept and Vision of an Islamic Virtual Library and

Information Network (IVLIN)• Potential Barriers to IVLIN • Opportunities• Complementarity and Partnerships • Proposed Long-term Implementation Plans• Way Forward

Outline

Paradigm Shifts in Contemporary Muslim Societies

• Information Society• Islamic Education and Institutional Development• Reform of the system of Islamic Religious

education• Civil Society Space in Islam

Concept and Vision of an Islamic Virtual Library and Information Network (IVLIN)

• Knowledge and information networking, sharing and exchange

• A network of internet-based information and knowledge resources and services;

• A web of virtual libraries and knowledge exchanges relevant to Muslim societies.

• Providing access to e-books, policy documents, bibliographic databases, general information and expert and institutional profiles;

• Building capacity at institutional, national and regional levels on development of integrated virtual library services;

• Promoting regional cooperation on standardization and virtual library system development; and facilitating research and developmental activities in both infrastructure and development of digital and virtual library services.

Objectives of IVLIN

Potential Barriers to ILIN• Shortage of appropriate

technical skills• Lack of funds• Inadequate Enabling Legal

Environment • Lack of adequate technical

infrastructure• Limited access to ICT facilities• Low public awareness

• Many existing initiatives relating to the provision of access to academic and research information via the Internet

• These Institutions have purchased computers, established Internet access, developed Web sites and are providing access to digital information on Islamic content.

• IVLIN many target these existing facilities to start a virtual knowledge hub.

• Converting the Network into an International Virtual University on Information Science

Opportunities

http://www.developmentgateway.org/

Complementarity and Partnership

• Complementarity with institutional knowledge based projects and initiatives.

• IVLIN will provide an enabling environment of existing knowledge bases which will eventually strengthen the indigenous and institutional capacity

• IVLIN will periodically survey existing intellectual and physical infrastructural capacities for the development of future knowledge resource hubs to be harnessed and supported.

• Support information technology acquisition, utilization and capacity building among Islamic schools

• Within the Asia region, it will work in tandem, with regional organizations.

• Co-operation with other international and multilateral knowledge-producing centers of excellence

http://www.developmentgateway.org/

Proposed Long-term Implementation Plans

Preparatory phase (2007): ConceptualisationPhase I (2008)• Pilot Implementation Phase begins• Inaugural meeting of TAC.Phase II (2009)• Evaluation of Pilot Phase• Dependent on levels of funds more such workshops will be organized

for ILIN participants. Phase III (2010)(Full implementation)• Actual implementation activities begin.• Full Project Review to be done by TAC and report submitted to

donors/partners

WAY FORWARD• Funding :

- SOUTH ASIA DEV GATEWAY COMMITTED 1.00 Million USD for the project• IVLIN needs another partner to put an endowment / corpus fund

of another 1.00 Million USD for a period of 10 years.• Leveraging Information Technology tools to leapfrog communication

barriers that exists between communities.• Networking of Inter-faith peace practitioners• Building Networks within the religious institutions of various faiths

including Islam.

THANK YOU

Dr Baharul IslamCEO, South Asia Development GatewayTel: +91 361 2235655 Fax : +91 361 2261952Cell: (+91) 94350 72356 or

Email islamb@un.org

Email: drbahar@gmail.com