A tweet can spread across the academia and connect libraries in Italy and Iraq within minutes. Sant’Anna School Library and the University of Mosul Central Library provide unlimited access to knowledge and academic research
A tweet allows knowledge to be shared despite the lock-down restrictions. The Sant’Anna University Library has made its service available for students and researchers of the Mosul University where the Islamic State (ISIS) burned books, manuscripts, and archives. To help students continue to benefit from books and materials on scientific research, the Sant’Anna library has offered access to electronic resources and online services.
Angela Boskovitch, an Italian journalist who participated in the Central Library project (started in 2017) which aimed at restoring the Mosul’s university library and the cultural heritage in the city, saw the hashtag #restiamoconnessi-let’s-stay-connected and decided to adopt a new level of solidarity initiative providing remote service for researchers giving access to digital resources.
To support this project, Silvia Alessi, a librarian from the Sant’Anna School, who has worked on implementing plans to offer remote eLending and eLearning services, was happy to join libraries electronically: “A few days after the launch of our #restiamoconnessi-let’s-stay-connected campaign, Boskovitch contacted our director Carla Papa to set up a partnership with the Central Library in Mosul directed by Sayf Al Ashqar. Directors accepted the proposal; raising awareness of digital offers is a priority as libraries in the whole world are facing very difficult situations.” Silvia Alessi explained that: “The Central Library in Mosul, which housed one of the most extensive collections of literature in the Middle East, faced the most devastating act of destruction in human history. 120 workers (93 women) found themselves without a library and without a job but they struggled to rise from the ashes and restore what remained of the library's collection.”
The Sant’Anna University Library has made an email account available for students and researchers in the Central Library. “We have launched service to support the sharing of resources across borders. Today, English is the international language of scientific publications and our scientists produced globally recognized work in the Science’s language.”
The role of libraries during the COVID-19 crisis is that of information literacy specialists. Librarians of Sant’Anna School can help bridge the gap and adopt initiatives for donations of books and research material from all disciplines.
