Vice President Announces Upcoming Launch of "Minnesota Digital Library"

Doctor Omar Ahmed Al-Maqrami, Vice President of the University and Head of the Main Center, announced the upcoming launch of a new knowledge initiative titled the "Minnesota Digital Library." He affirmed that the project represents one of the university’s largest electronic scholarly initiatives, aiming to strengthen its global academic presence by leveraging the latest digital technologies and competing with leading international libraries.

Al-Maqrami explained that the platform will provide an integrated digital environment enabling faculty members to upload and share their intellectual output, including research papers, books, and academic studies, making them accessible to researchers and readers worldwide, thereby expanding the reach of the university’s scholarly production.

The announcement coincided with a formal call issued by the Digital Library and Scientific Journals Administration at the university, inviting all faculty members to actively contribute to building this comprehensive scientific archive by submitting their academic publications. This initiative has been described as a qualitative leap in enhancing the university’s digital infrastructure and documenting its research output according to advanced academic standards.

In the same context, Dr. Zainab Basyouni, Deputy Vice President of the University, stated that the initiative aligns with a strategic vision aimed at highlighting the university’s academic standing and building a digital archive that reflects the richness of its scholarly production. She noted that work is currently underway to design professional digital profiles for faculty members, including their academic data and research CVs, and urged active engagement with the project as it forms a foundational pillar for a sustainable academic database serving future generations.

Mr. Mohammed Mekki Al-Taher, Director of the Digital Library and Scientific Journals, clarified the participation mechanism, noting that materials are to be submitted in PDF format accompanied by the required academic metadata, while ensuring full protection of intellectual property rights. He emphasized that the library functions as an indexing and archiving platform rather than a traditional publishing house, ensuring proper documentation and safeguarding authors’ rights.

As part of institutional support for the project, Dr. Shaimaa Khattab, Director of the Research and Studies Center, affirmed that the center will play a key role in supplying the library with high-quality scholarly content. She also presented a regulatory framework for archiving, proposing classification systems for each college and department to avoid conflicts with publishing rights, particularly for books and monographs. She further highlighted the flexibility of publishing peer-reviewed research while allowing the inclusion of credible articles and reports to enrich the digital library’s content.

This academic initiative reflects the Islamic University of Minnesota’s broader vision to advance its digital transformation and expand its global reach by making its scholarly resources available in a modern format that supports academic research and strengthens its international presence.