The closing session of the conference was conducted by the Department of Intellectual and Cultural Affairs of the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, during which a series of academic recommendations were issued. These recommendations emphasized the necessity of expanding cooperation among institutions and exchanging expertise in the field of manuscripts and written heritage repositories. Key areas of focus included digitization, improving cataloguing methodologies, supporting scholarly research, and training specialized personnel—measures that contribute to the preservation and safeguarding of written heritage in accordance with contemporary academic standards.
Recommendations:
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Expanding academic cooperation among manuscript repositories in Najaf al-Ashraf and counterpart institutions inside and outside the country, in order to exchange expertise and strengthen scholarly ties.
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Digitizing Najaf’s manuscript collections in accordance with international standards and establishing modern information databases to preserve these works and facilitate researchers’ access to them.
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Updating manuscript cataloguing methods and harmonizing them with modern digital systems to ensure ease of access to information.
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Supporting academic research and university studies related to manuscripts and the heritage of Najaf, and endorsing credible scholarly projects in the fields of textual verification and publication.
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Organizing continuous training programs for staff of manuscript repositories to enhance their academic, technical, and administrative capacities.
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Strengthening cooperation and the exchange of expertise between Iraqi and international institutions in the field of libraries, particularly in manuscript digitization and cataloguing.
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Encouraging the study of manuscripts and the expansion of specialized research in this field.
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Reviewing and developing academic communication between domestic manuscript repositories and leading international centers.
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Developing and implementing dedicated administrative programs and plans for manuscript repositories, with ongoing updates and modernization.
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Continuing educational and developmental programs for specialized personnel involved in the management of manuscript repositories.
