Applications are currently CLOSED. We welcome you to join the wait list for future intakes at this link.
Fundamentals of Archival Management & Emergency Mitigation in Palestine, Lebanon & the Global South is a free online live training on archival and records management taught in English with Arabic interpretation/translation prioritizing professionals in Palestine, Lebanon and the Global South in conflict settings, and where there is little or no archival education capacity locally. It is an incubator for the development of digitization projects with a focus on emergency mitigation, disaster planning, and archival first aid.
The course is based on a critical anticolonial and decolonial framework grounded in The Adelaide-Tandanya Declaration, which is a tool to help us think through the Eurocentrism of the western-dominated archival field and engage alternative practices emerging from communities and movements. Our training course focuses on knowledge-sharing and building resilience in regions where cultural heritage preservation is under threat.
The course is made possible by the commitment and labour of a global network of volunteers and instructors who have dedicated their time and energies to the Fighting Erasure project. We are deeply grateful for their principled work and contributions.
The course deals with four major interrelated concerns of archivists and records managers:
the context of the creation and the characteristics of records
the management and preservation of historical and current records in all formats and media (digital, paper, multimedia, audio, etc.) with limited resources and infrastructures, with a focus on the Palestinian and Lebanese cases
emergency preparedness, disaster mitigation, and archival first aid in times of conflict and natural disasters from a Global South perspective, with a focus on the Palestinian and Lebanese cases, with a focus on the Palestinian and Lebanese cases
the digitization and digital curation of records in all media to enhance preservation and accessibility; and
the social, cultural, legal, and political dimensions of archives and records from a Global South perspective in relation to historical and contemporary dynamics of power, racism, and colonialism.
We will do our best to accommodate other languages upon request. Everyone is welcome to apply but spots are limited. Priority will be given to professionals in Palestine, Lebanon and the Global South in conflict settings and colonial contexts.
Organizers: This training programme is an initiative of the Fighting Erasure, Safeguarding Archives, Building Resilience in Palestine, Lebanon & the Global South initiative of the Fighting Erasure project. It is funded and supported by the International Council on Archives’ Section for Archival Education & Training (SAE) and Fund for the International Development of Archives; co-presented with the Middle East Librarians Association’s Archives & Records Advocacy & Training Group (ARMTAG) and the Archives & Digital Media Lab; in collaboration with the Archival Community - Palestine, the Lebanese Library Association and Litwin Books.
Round 2: July 5, 2025 to August 30, 2025 (currently underway)
Instructors:
Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar, Assistant Professor, Media Studies Department, University of Amsterdam; Founding Director, Archives & Digital Media Lab; and Co-Principal Investigator of Fighting Erasure: Digitizing Gaza’s Genocide & the War on Lebanon project;
Dr. Ana Roeschley, Assistant Professor and Director of Archival Studies in the Department of Information Science at the University of North Texas
Tam Rayan, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan
Teaching Assistants:
Rima Ghanem, Archival & Teaching Fellow, Archives & Digital Media Lab
Krystal Payne, Professional Archivist and PhD Student, University of Manitoba
Andrew Sandock, Archival & Library Fellow, Archives & Digital Media Lab
Amal Ahmed, Archival & Research Fellow, Archives & Digital Media Lab
Guest Lecturers:
Raymond Frogner, Head of Archives, National Center for Truth & Reconciliation
Dr. Manar Alsaid, Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science & Information Systems, College of Science & Engineering, East Texas A&M University; Assistant Editor, Journal of Information & Knowledge Management
Dr. James Lowry, Professor and Chair at Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY); Director of CUNY’s Archival Technologies Lab; and Chair of the Section on Education and Training at the International Council on Archives
Justin Lemons, Preservation & Acquisitions Librarian, Willis Library, University of North Texas
Omar Khatib, General Coordinator, Archival Community Palestine; Specialist in Archives and Archival Planning
Accessibility & Inclusion Coordinators:
Dr. Mariam Karim, Global Postdoctoral Scholar, Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South, Northwestern University in Qatar
Rima Ghanem, Archival & Teaching Fellow, Archives & Digital Media Lab
Round 1: January 25 to March 8, 2025
We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the first round of our training course, and to to share a special moment of recognition and appreciation for our participants from the first round of our training course and teaching team. In addition to the members of the teaching team listed about, Round 1 included guest lecturer Dr. Emilie Leumas; and accessibility and inclusion coordination by Ghada Dimashk, Mona Bashir, and Dr. Nisha Toomey.
We value the dedication of our graduating cohort of 34 students from Gaza, as well as elsewhere in Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan, representing professionals and emerging practitioners working in libraries, archives, and cultural and academic institutions during a time of genocide and war. This achievement reflects their commitment to advancing archival knowledge and skills, and their passion for contributing to the preservation of history and protection of cultural heritage when it is most needed, under increasingly difficult and tireless conditions.
We are proud to highlight a few members of the cohort, representing diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
Dr. Abdul Latif Abu Hashem, Director General, Eyes on Heritage Foundation
Ahmed Farah, Librarian, Omdurman Ahlia University
Dalal Qeshta, Master’s Student, Tunis University
Hasan Abu Ataya, Director, Cultural Centers Department Municipality of Gaza
Ibrahim Al Haj, Researcher, @ibrahimzalhaj1
Ibrahim Mashharawi, Content Creator, Fardisya
Israa Al Qadi, Cultural Program Coordinator, Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation
Lamyaa Mohammad, Technical Archivist, Faisal Islamic Bank
Lena Ali, Journalist
Omar Khatib, General Coordinator, Archival Community Palestine
Ramzi Mansouri, Archive Management & Documentation, Ferhat Abbas University
Rawand Badra, Cultural Department Coordinator, Fardisya, @inashalusraassociation
Saeed Shaat, Manuscript Restoration and Electronic Archiving Specialist, Eyes on Heritage Foundation
Shahd Qudaih, University Student, University College of Applied Sciences
Shireen Allan, President, ICOMOS Palestine, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireen-allan-ab3aa142/
