The Syriac Digital Library
George A.
Kiraz
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
George A. Kiraz
James E. Walters
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Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2004
Vol. 7, No. 1
For this publication, a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
license has been granted by the author(s), who retain full
copyright.
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv7n1fcebetharkeappeal
THE SYRIAC DIGITAL LIBRARY
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol7/HV7N1FCeBethArkeAppeal.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute,
vol 7
issue 1
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study
of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth
Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the
best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
Syriac Studies
projects
Aramaic
library
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APPEAL ANNOUNCEMENT
[1] In 2002,
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute launched The Syriac Digital
Library Project—codenamed eBethArké—with the
objective of creating the largest digital collection of Syriac
manuscripts, books, journal articles, pictures and maps, and
making all this material available on the Internet. During the
past two centuries, the Syriac manuscript heritage was moved
from the Middle East to Western libraries and museums; hundreds
of books were published from these treasures. Now, for the
first time, Beth Mardutho will bring together all this material
from East and West, preserving Syriac manuscripts and printed
books, and making them accessible worldwide. Students, clergy
and seminarians, scholars, and the general public will be able
to access the entire collection anytime from anywhere in the
world. Our goal is to have 2,000-3,000 holdings in our library
within three years. Your support is crucial to meet this
objective.
[2] In
January 2004, The Catholic University of America (CUA) gave
Beth Mardutho full access to digitize its Syriac collection,
from March 1 until July 31. This small window of time—due
to construction work at the library—should not be missed.
CUA’s collection is indeed unique and one of its kind in
North America. Beth Mardutho plans to secure scanning equipment
and hire two students on full-time basis to have as many books
as possible digitized for inclusion in The Syriac Digital
Library. The budget for this task is around $35,000. We have
already raised $10,000. Working together, we can raise the
remaining $25,000 to funds this important project.
[3] During
2002 and 2003 we succeeded in building a coalition of library
partners who agreed, like CUA, to give us access to their
collections. This coalition includes the libraries of Brigham
Young University, Brown University, Duke University,
Harvard’s Dambarton Oaks, the Peshitta Institute of
Leiden University, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Our
partners have already contributed over 30,000 digitized images.
During 2003, Beth Mardutho built a prototype interface for the
eLibrary on the Internet.
[4] Now, it
is time to digitize CUA’s collection, by far the largest
collection in our coalition group, and include it in The Syriac
Digital Library for you and everyone else to use worldwide. We
ask you to be part of this exciting work... To give everyone
the opportunity to take part, we have devised various donation
plans. All donations are tax-deductible (in the U.S. at least),
and can be made online or by sending a chec:
Adopt a book or more. You can adopt one or more
books at a donation of $250/book. Your name will be
acknowledged in Mardu and permanently on our web site
as a book adoptee.
Adopt a collection. You can adopt a collection under
your name or the name of a loved one (e.g., The John Doe
Memorial Collection). The following tiers are available:
Silver Collection. Contains 50 books for a
donation of $2,000. Your name and/or the name of the
person you choose will appear on the collection in the
library, with a brief biography.
Gold Collection. Contains 200 books for
$5,000. Your name or the name of the person you choose
will appear on the collection, with a detailed biography,
and picture. Benefits also include life subscription to
our journal Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
(printed edition).
Larger collections are also possible. Please contact
Dr. George Kiraz for arrangements via email at
gak@bethmardutho.org.
We also welcome donations of any amounts from those who
cannot contribute at the above levels. Simply, donate any
amount of your choice towards the project. Your name will
appear in the donors list in our newsletter Mardu.
[5] How
to Send Donations?
Online. You can simply donate online at www.bethmardutho.org. Click
on “Support the Syriac Digital Library Project.”
You can use your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or
Discover card. Our web page runs on a secure server.
Via Fax. You may fax the credit card information
(number and expiration date) to +1 732-699-0342. Please
include your name, address, and the amount you wish to
donate.
Via Check. You can send your donation by check
drawn onto an American bank, and payable to “The Syriac
Institute.” Send checks to the following address: Beth
Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, Syriac Digital Library
Project, 46 Orris Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854. USA.
[6] A PDF
version of this appeal, with colored illustrations of material
we plan to digitize, is available at http://www.bethmardutho.org/files/appeal2004.pdf.