iraq virtual science library (IVSL)
Nonproliferation Programs
I
raqi scientists, researchers and engineers faced decades of isolation from the international scientific community. Today, in an often-dangerous environment, they are willing to risk their lives to continue their work. But through a Web-based project called the Iraq Virtual Science Library (IVSL) they can access up-to-date scientific data and expand their research horizons, and contributions to their nation’s reconstruction. Initially launched in May 2006 through sponsorship by the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, and managed by the U.S. National Academies of Science, IVSL—which has been in the trust of CRDF since July 2006—was created to provide Iraqi scientists with access to research information from the world’s leading scientific, engineering and technical publishing houses and societies. Designed to supplement the resources already available to Iraq through other programs, IVSL’s content is focused on chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. Since its launch, IVSL has developed into a collection comparable to that of any university in the United States or Europe in order to promote a culture of research in the universities in the nation, and to ensure that the sectors plays a central role in the development of a new Iraq. To date, more than 7,000 Iraqis have registered to use the database, which serves all public universities in Iraq, (95 percent of the Iraqi university population) as well as nine government ministries. The impact of the IVSL project on Iraq’s science sector has been remarkable. Within its very first year of operation, the library had over 2,000 registered users, who downloaded a total of 124,945 articles— approximately 10,000 each month. In 2008, thanks to a grant from the Department of State’s Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, CRDF expanded in June 2008 to include all public universities and several additional Ministries in IVSL. By the end of 2009, users were downloading nearly 30,000 articles each month; more than 1,000,000 articles downloaded in total. Moreover, the access to current research granted by IVSL has prompted a three-fold increase in the number of publications made by Iraqi scientists in the world’s leading journals—from approximately 80 publications in 2005 (before IVSL began) to almost 240 in 2008. Indeed, the IVSL is playing a significant part in facilitating this rise in publication.
Thanks to the IVSL, scientists who had been isolated from the international community for nearly 30 years now can access up-to-date scientific data on everything from engineering to crop rotation. And through the IVSL, CRDF is building sustainability through education in a geographic region of need. Several Iraqi researchers-speaking anonymously in order to protect their safety-stress that they cannot imagine conducting research without the IVSL. They had previously undertaken tedious and inefficient publication searches without access to scientific databases. Now, they are able to increase their knowledge of their fields and learn about new research approaches very easily. Students also use the IVSL to interact with researchers around the world to learn the latest methods and technologies and prepare to contribute their own findings to international journals and conferences. “I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone working on the ISVL, and my gratitude is extended to all the world scientific organizations and presses to validate it, and we look for more scientific cooperation and exchange between Iraq and the world countries,” says one of the researchers. Strengthening the IVSL for the future will involve extending access to all remaining Iraqi universities, expanding the range of available databases and promoting indigenous academic journals and the global visibility of Iraqi research by creating a national online repository with an open-access online portal. CRDF is pleased to announce that the ultimate goal of transferring the project to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has been completed.
www.ivsl.org
1530 Wilson Blvd, 3rd Floor | Arlington, VA 22209 | info@crdf.org | www.crdf.org | Tel: 703-526-9720
June| 2010