An Ulster University Research Project, funded by the UNESCO Iraq Office has been instrumental supporting the rebuilding of University of Mosul’s library. Through a bespoke programme, the project delivered both online and in-person capacity building training for the staff of University of Mosul library after an in-depth audit of their needs.
Established in 1967, the University of Mosul library became one of the largest libraries in Iraq housing over 1 million books and other resources. However, during recent conflicts, the library suffered devastating destruction. Over the past five years, efforts have been underway to restore the library’s collections and serve its 40,000 students.
While the physical rebuilding of the library has been completed, focus has shifted to strengthening its service provision and ensuring staff are equipped with the skills to fulfil their roles. Ulster University’s team led a training needs audit and developed a programme tailored to address specific gaps. This included six online training modules delivered over three months (August–October 2024) to 20 library staff members.
Humam Ghanim, Associate Project Officer for UNESCO Iraq said:
“The UNESCO - Ulster partnership is essential in supporting a vital educational institution like the University of Mosul’s Library. Through this collaboration, we are able to pool our expertise, maximize resources, and share experiences to strengthen the library management and operations in a sustainable way. This capacity-building program forms the foundation of our ongoing efforts to enhance the library’s functionality and broaden access to the valuable learning resources for staff, students, and the wider community."
In October, a delegation from Iraq delegation from Iraq, including senior staff from the University of Mosul, UNESCO Iraq staff, and the Ministry of Higher Education visited Ulster University. Half of the delegation participated in an intensive in-person training programme, while others engaged in formal visits and meetings.
The itinerary included a meeting with Ulster University Provost Professor Cathy Gormley Heenan and a visit to Northern Ireland Parliament Buildings which included observing a meeting of the Economy Committee, along with a tour of the Parliament Buildings and Library.
During this visit, Professor Dr. Kossay Kamaladdin Alahmady, President of the University of Mosul, presented Ulster University Librarian, Janet Peden with a unique display box containing a page salvaged from the destroyed Library. The inscription reads:
“A sample from the Ruins of the Library. Here was our Library. We never wanted it to be gone. It never left us. We will rebuild it. About one million books and rare manuscripts were burnt in the Central Library of the University of Mosul by ISIS during its control of the city (June 2014-Jan 2017).”
The visit comprised of library tours across all Ulster University campuses, observations, and five intensive training workshops, which added to the preceding online training. A comprehensive training manual and resources have been provided in both English and Arabic to help cascade the knowledge gained throughout the library staff.
Sayf Al Ashqar, Secretary General of Libraries and Director of the Central Library, University of Mosul, Iraq said:
“From this journey we got more than just a skills training, we got positive energy, motivation and confidence from people who believe in our ability to give the knowledge to others who will contribute to make the world better.”
Ulster University Project Lead, Dr Jessica Bates said:
“The team at Ulster University has been fully committed to working with the staff of the University of Mosul Library, helping them to empower others in a post-conflict society. We understand the challenges of the need for capacity and confidence building post-conflict and our programme of research and Library training within this project is supporting this and fostering a new partnership between our two institutions.”
A Memorandum of Understanding between the two Universities is now being prepared and the project team continue to write up their findings from the project.