When Bethlehem University opened in
1973 the library was located in a classroom on the
ground floor of the main building, now named De La Salle
Hall. The collection consisted of 525 books and there
were two persons on the staff. In those early years the
university depended on generous benefactors to provide
books. They came both from individuals and
organizations.
A new era originated in 1977 with
the construction and opening of the new library building
designed by architect Francesco Montana. The Catholic
hierarchy of Germany through the Agency of Misereor, the
Catholic Center Development Agency, the Knights of the
Holy Sepulcher, and the friends of Bethlehem University
funded the construction.
In the beginning years the second
floor was used for science teaching and storage. Soon
after the Audiovisual Center was established, followed
by the special collections for Palestiniana. By 1983
the total collection had grown to 27,000.
The modern era came in 1995 when
the card catalog was created on an electronic database.
The age of computers arrived with Internet service,
access to electronic periodical databases and the use of
CD-ROM resources. A major development was the
construction in 2000 of Turathuna: Center for
Palestinian Heritage funded by Development Cooperation
Ireland.
A
major transition occurred in 2005-2006 with the
conversion to a new library management system,
LibSys.net. The system contains six integrated modules:
acquisitions, cataloging, serials, circulation, OPAC
(online public access catalog), and administration.
Implementing the new system completely has removed the
need to maintain the traditional card catalog. It was
designed by Noursoft Software Development in Ramallah
and tailored to the Arabic language. The Bethlehem
University Foundation has provided the funds for the
purchase.
In the spirit of a globalized network of sharing digital information, the Library embarked on the project of digitization in 2009.
The unwavering and much-appreciated support of the Vice Chancellor, Brother Peter Bray, enabled the Library to receive two grant awards from the New Zealand Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, for the purchase of a streaming server and high-powered computers.
Our Library story continues, as we journey, “together and by association”, challenged by Brother Peter’s words: “Is there a better way?”
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