Digital Library of the Caribbean Helps Save Haitian Heritage

The Miami Herald published a report last Saturday about the Digital Library of the Caribbean's efforts to protect some of Haiti's libraries, archives and personal collections that were damaged during the horrific earthquake that hit that country last month.

The Digital Library, based at Florida International University, was founded in 2004 and has been working with Haitian librarians and curators to digitize their collections.

"Within weeks, the group launched a campaign to rally international contributors, raise money and provide technical support for the recovery and protection of Haiti's cultural resources -- the already brittle rare books and documents scattered and dusted by the quake (...) "

"The group's Protecting Haitian Patrimony initiative includes assisting four institutions in Port-au-Prince:
• Archives Nationales d'Haïti, which houses civil and state records as well as those of the Office of the President and most government ministries.
• Bibliothèque haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit, founded in 1873 by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit, holds documents chronicling the history of Haiti, French colonization, slavery and emancipation and 20th century records ..."

Earlier Library Boy posts on the topic include:

• News About Haiti from International Federation of Library Associations (January 23, 2010)
• American Library Association Establishes Haiti Relief Fund (January 28, 2010)
• Canadian Lawyers Launch 'Judicial Red Cross' for Haiti (January 31, 2010)
• Updates on Haiti from International Federation of Library Associations (February 21, 2010)

[Source: ResourceShelf]