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Michaelle Biddle, head of Preservation Services at Olin Library, will
conduct a survey of Islamic materials during a five-week sabbatical in
Africa. |
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| Posted 02.27.08 |
Archivist to Survey Islamic Manuscripts in Nigeria
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Michaelle Biddle, head of Preservation Services at Olin Library, was invited
by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria to travel to the country in March to
conduct a survey of Islamic manuscripts and related materials. Wesleyan has
granted her a five-week sabbatical so she can travel to locations such as
Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri to assess materials and help with
preservation efforts.
The work of Biddle and more than 20 other archivists and librarians will
assist the Arewa House in Kaduna. The Arewa House has been awarded a State
Department Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation grant to conduct the
survey and develop a strategy for the preservation and eventual digitization
of particularly endangered items. The Arewa House has been working closely
with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, Abuja, to seek ways to
preserve and digitize Nigeria’s rich Islamic manuscript heritage that is in
danger of being lost due to the lack of conservation efforts, according to
Henry Mendelsohn, Information Resources Officer at the Embassy.
Biddle was invited to become involved in the project due to her extensive
training and experience in working with manuscripts. She has previously
worked as an Islamic Art bibliographer, with Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and
Co. (Antiquarian Oriental and African Booksellers), and has worked in the
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, England. She
has studied manuscript binding, preservation techniques, and is presently a
M.A. student in Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
(U.K.)
"I will be engaged in prioritizing preservation needs using specific
criteria: impact, feasibility and urgency; weighing appropriate
collections-related factors: use, storage, condition and value; then will
be making informed value judgments before reaching a decision on actions
that might be taken," Biddle says.
Biddle says she will bring back photos to Wesleyan to showcase her work and
plans to publish articles about her experience.
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By Corrina Balash Kerr, associate director of
media relations. Photo by Olivia Bartlett. |
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