Not Forgotten: Over 20 Years of Afghan History Rescued, Restored and Now Globally Accessible
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Since 2007, in partnership with Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University, the University Libraries have worked to preserve, digitize, and make globally accessible the literature of Afghanistan. Through multi-year, collaborative effort unique Afghan records are now searchable online through a website housing the complete digital records: www.afghandata.org.
Covering a time of war and social upheaval in Afghanistan, the one-of-a-kind materials document 21 years of history, culture, and development during the Jihad period – documents that might otherwise have been lost in the rubble of war.
Through this initiative, the University of Arizona Libraries have made this extensive collection available to citizens, scholars, and researchers. Librarian Atifa Rawan, who was born and raised in Afghanistan and has spearheaded efforts to help the country’s academic librarians since 2001, shares stories of the challenges, successes and global impact of this collaborative project.