A Survey of Endangered Manuscript Libraries in the Jebel Nafusa, Libya   

This project lays the groundwork for a regional initiative in documenting and digitizing private manuscript library collections in Jebel Nafusa, Libya. For centuries, this region of Libya has been home to a minority ethno-religious community of Ibadi Muslims, who are also primarily speakers of the region's Amazigh language. After decades of marginalization under the government of Mu'ammar al-Qaddafi (in office, 1969-2011), the region's communities are engaged in initiatives toward the valorizing of material heritage, especially architecture. This project focuses specifically on manuscripts in private collections, which carry tremendous value both for local communities as well as the international research community. Libraries in the Jebel contain a range of materials for local and regional histories, including local modern historical texts authored on families, tribes, and cities in the region as well as 20th century copies of older texts unique to the Ibadi community and which cannot be found outside the region. Documentation and, we hope, future digitization of these collections carries the potential to: (1) preserve these items for the benefit of both their owns and local communities, whose members are invested in their conservation but may lack the resources to do so; (2) bring to light sources for both Libyan and international researchers for understanding the history of this minority community, who otherwise remains unknown outside specialist circles.