Hawzah News Agency –The Library and House of Manuscripts of the al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine, affiliated with the Department of Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, reviewed its experience in how to employ modern technologies in overcoming many problems related to heritage and offering appropriate alternatives, during the dialogue symposium organized by the Center for the Revival of Arab Scientific Heritage at the University of Baghdad, which was entitled: (websites and their impact on caring for the written Arabic scientific heritage).
Participation in this symposium, which witnessed a qualitative and expanded presence by specialists and academics from inside and outside the university, was represented by a two-pronged research, the first was theoretical and was presented by the director of the Umm al-Baneen (peace be upon her) women library, Mrs. Asma' al-Abbadi, who stated: "The written Arabic heritage issues are many, and the bibliographical control and availability are among the most important issues, so it is necessary to employ technical means and information systems."
Explaining that: "The tools used to achieve the communications revolution and its applications in various fields, especially in the transmission of information, have contributed to the transformation of the concept of digital society, and that modern technological means in the field of information and electronic documentation have greatly facilitated the use of an electronic copy of manuscripts instead of original copies, especially since the nature of the manuscript itself requires dealing with it with a lot of caution for fear of damage, and this is what the al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine library has worked on, and it has made great and studied strides in this field."
As for the practical part, it was presented by Mr. Ahmad al-Aboudi, head of the Manuscript Cataloging Unit of the Manuscripts Imaging and Cataloging Center at the al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine, who explained the mechanism of work of the (Digital Reference for Manuscript Heritage) website of the Center for Manuscripts Photographing and Indexing, from which al-Aboudi took a practical model for achieving the principle of manuscript protection, and serving researchers in providing copies of manuscripts required for study and investigation. He also reviewed the steps he took to provide this website with the content it needs that fit its windows, and the modern and technical mechanisms to fulfill this purpose.
This experiment was the focus of attention and praise by the attendees and participants, as it was presented through a practical experience.
The seminar concluded with a number of recommendations that lead to how to take care of the manuscript intellectually, provide the manuscript for scientific research, and chart future steps for historical and scientific benefit from the Arabic manuscript, followed by the distribution of certificates of appreciation to the lecturers and letters of thanks to the participants.