Category Archives: All AKDC News

2017 Growth in Archnet Resources

Approximately 12,357 records were published in Archnet between January 1 and December 31, 2017, increasing the total number of records by approximately 10%. While much of the new material expands existing collections, new collections added in 2017 include sketchbooks and other items form from the archive of architect and designer Ali Tayar, the Isfahan Urban History Project undertaken by Lisa Golombek, Renata Holod and Claus Breede between 1974 and 1976, and photographs from the scholarly archives of Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, Curator Emerita, Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Yasser Tabbaa, a prominent scholar in Islamic art and […]

The Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive comes to AKDC@MIT

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) is pleased to announce that it is now the home of the Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive. Kamil Chadirji (1897-1968), born to an influential Baghdad family, played a central role in the political life of lraq as founder and President of the National Democratic Party. His position allowed him unique opportunities to take photographs throughout Iraq. Kamil’s son, Rifat Chadirji (b. 1926), perhaps better known as one of the most influential Iraqi architects of the 20th century[1], was also an accomplished photographer, author, teacher, and critic. Together, their vast collection spans […]

LayerCake now with IIIF compatibility

The LayerCake development team at AKDC@MIT (James Yamada, designer/developer, and Sharon C. Smith, PI) is delighted to announce that our soon-to-be-released open access version of the LayerCake has been successful in implementing IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) compatibility using the Mirador viewer. While work on the tool continues, this is an important step in ensuring LayerCake’s usability for building maps layering narrative, time, and space simultaneously. The 3-axis mapping tool is intended for scholars, researchers, and students to tell stories, display collections, and reveal complex temporal and geographic relationships in ways that purely spatial maps cannot. The proof-of-concept can be […]

Middle East Librarians Association seeking nominations for two vacancies

The Nominating Committee of the Middle East Librarians Association is soliciting nominations (and self-nominations) for two vacancies: 1. Vice President/Program Chair 2. Member-at-Large Both the Vice President and the Member-at-Large serve on MELA’s Executive Board. For a full description of the responsibilities of these office holders, please take a look at the bylaws. Nominees shall be selected from among members with good standing. Joining is easy and is open to anyone who is employed by an institution to service Middle East library materials in a professional capacity (selection, acquisition, cataloging, indexing, reference work, administration, and/or preparation of research tools), as […]

Aga Khan Documentation Center Program Head selected as mentor for two professional organizations

Sharon C. Smith, Ph.D., program head of the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT, has been selected to serve as a mentor for early career and emerging scholars and librarians as well as those considering alt-ac, (alternative-academic) for Ph.D.s exploring career trajectories outside of tradition tenure-track professorships. Smith is serving as a mentor for both the Middle East Librarians Association and the Renaissance Society of America, and has been assigned a mentee from each organization at this time.

New opening date: 25 August 2017. Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov: Turkmen Village Life, 1960 – 80s

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT is proud to support the upcoming exhibition, Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov Turkmen Village Life, 1960 – 80s. Durdy Bayramov (1938-2014) grew up in an orphanage in Turkmenistan and overcame the significant challenges of his youth to become an acclaimed Eurasian artist and photographer. Through a prolific career as a painter that spanned more than 55 years, Bayramov was best known for his compelling portraits. His tender approach evokes the special character and qualities within each of his subjects, with whom he shared a deep rapport. Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov: […]

Archnet Online Office Hours: August 22, 2017

Join us on August 22, 2017 at 9:30 am EDT for the first in what we hope will be a continuing series of Archnet Online Office Hours. This 1 hour pilot session with Archnet Co-Director Sharon C. Smith and Archnet Content Manger Michael A. Toler. The session will begin with a brief demonstration of the most recent Archnet enhancements, followed by an extended Question and Answer session. The session will be in English, and headsets are required. Registration for this pilot session is limited to 30 the first 30 registered participants. Registration closes on August 14th at 11:59 pm EDT. […]

Aga Khan Documentation Center at BRISMES 2017

For the second year in a row, AKDC@MIT was well represented at the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRIMSES) annual meeting. This year’s conference, Movement and Migration in the Middle East: People and Ideas in Flux, was held at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, July 5-7, 2017. Under the larger conference theme, AKDC Program Head Sharon C. Smith and Archnet Content Manager Michael Toler co-organized “Chronicles and Curation: Documenting Cultural Transitions in the Wider Middle East (in 2 parts)” spanning two sessions; both panels chaired by Smith. Panel 1A contained papers examining challenges in archiving personal collections in Yemen, an oral history project […]

New Archnet Features

This morning’s Archnet update, the first of the 2017 development cycle, includes a number of enhancements intended to improve the user experience. Users will no longer have to drag, zoom, and click the map in order to apply country filters to a search. It is now possible to find and select countries simply by opening the Geo filter, typing a country name, and hitting the return key. Also in the realm of geolocation, users will find the site maps contain considerably more detail, often including place names written in local alphabets. Frequent users of social media will be happy to […]

New on Archnet: Islamic Heritage of Bangladesh

A new Archnet collection, The Islamic Heritage of Bangladesh, documents the architecture of 33 historic sites with detailed descriptions, photographs and, in some cases, drawings. The collection was developed by Dr. Mohammad Habib Reza, Assistant Professor, in the Department of Architecture at BRAC University in Bangladesh. The project was a collaboration between BRAC University, Archnet, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Thousands of new records have been published on Archnet since May 1. See examples on this page.