Evaluating the methods proposed by the ICBS to prevent library and archival destruction during times of conflict : an historical case study with regards to the looting and destruction of Iraq's National Library and Archive in April 2003

Abstract

Recent conflicts have highlighted the increased vulnerability of items of cultural significance in modern warfare. The ICBS was established in the 1990's as a response to the threat of war to nation's cultural heritage. However there is a lack of research available that assesses the success of the proposed methods of the organisation and the level of its effectiveness in a real life situation. The purpose of this research was to measure the organisation's effectiveness in protecting libraries and archives from the threat of damage in a war zone. The research was conducted by providing a critical evaluation of the goals and strategies the organisation formulated, through an examination of how these were applied to an emergency situation by conducting a case study of the events that occurred at the National Library and Archive in Baghdad 2003. The findings of the research uncovered a limited response from both the ICBS and UNESCO in regards to the NLA in 2003. It was found that the ICBS failed largely to meet its proposed strategies and what it did achieve was in a limited capacity. The factors responsible were found to be a combination of organisational weakness and external factors that make working in a war zone a continued challenge. Since 2003, the ICBS have continued to develop and grow their organisation, partly as a response to these lessons and have become a more effective and prominent organisation world wide.