Rabat – The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (BNRM) and the National Foundation of Museums (FNM) have signed a partnership agreement to accelerate the project of digitizing art collections created by Moroccan artists.
BNRM Director Mohamed El Ferrane and FNM Director Mehdi Qotbi signed the agreement during a ceremony chaired by Morocco’s Minister of Culture, Othman El Ferdaous, on Wednesday, July 1, in Rabat, said a statement from the national library.
According to the agreement, BNRM is set to accelerate the digitization of Moroccan artwork displayed in the different museums across the country.
Artwork made by Moroccan artists represents “an essential link in the chain of the national cultural scene,” the statement said.
During the COVID-19 period, after the national library closed its doors to visitors, the institution focused on modernizing and dematerializing its services through digitizing several Moroccan books, manuscripts, and magazines.
BNRM also updated its online database, allowing subscribers to access all the newly-digitized works.
The partnership agreement, initiated by the Ministry of Culture, builds on a previous agreement of the two cultural institutions to digitize Moroccan artwork.
The initiative aims to valorize the work of Moroccan artists, preserve national heritage, and modernize the art sector in the country.
BNRM is the largest library in Morocco. It was created in 1924 under the name “General Library” before it was renamed to its current title in 2003.
The library is the main destination for students and researchers interested in learning more about Morocco, its history, and its society, as it contains copies of every book or newspaper published in Morocco.
In recent years, BNRM launched a series of initiatives to make its services available remotely, notably through digitizing cultural works. The digitization process further accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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