Libraries Serving Dialogue 9783110317022, 9783110316933

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IFLA Publications

Edited by Michael Heaney International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Fédération Internationale des Associations de Bibliothécaires et des Bibliothèques Internationaler Verband der bibliothekarischen Vereine und Institutionen Международная Федерация Библиотечных Ассоциаций и Учреждений Federación Internacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas

Volume 163

Libraries Serving Dialogue Les bibliothèques au service du dialogue

Edited on behalf of IFLA by Odile Dupont Sous la direction d’Odile Dupont au nom de l’IFLA

DE GRUYTER SAUR

ISBN 978-3-11-031693-3 e-ISBN 978-3-11-03170-2 ISSN 0344-6891 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2014 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Cover Image: Khalil El Ghrib. © Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc Typesetting: Dr Rainer Ostermann, München Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck ♾ Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com

Contents – Sommaire About IFLA 

 VII

Note de rédaction 

1.

 1

Silvano Danieli and Mauro Guerrini Relindial: The Birth of a New IFLA SIG 

 5

Noel Sheth 2. The Role of Libraries in Peace Building through Interreligious Dialogue   14 Marek A. Rostkowski 3. The Library of the Pontifical Urbaniana University 

 32

Driss Khrouz 4. Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc: dialogue et diversité culturelle   43

5.

Thomas Reddy with the collaboration of Noel Sheth The Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth Library at the Service of Interreligious Dialogue   61

Vivekanand Jain, G. C. Kendadamath and Sanjiv Saraf 6. Academic Libraries and their Religious Collections: A Case Study of Banaras Hindu University Library   74

7.

René-Vincent du Grandlaunay L’application AlKindi – FRBR-FRAD et RDA – au service de la rencontre interculturelle et interreligieuse   91

Stephen Brown 8. The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism 

 112

Paul O. Myhre 9. Interreligious Dialogue: Pedagogical Insights from Wabash Center Funded Projects   126

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 Contents – Sommaire

Liz Weir 10. Shortening the Road: Storytelling on the Path to Peace in Northern Ireland   141 Annie Everall and Carolynn Rankin 11. The IFLA International “Sister Libraries” Programme: Children and Young Adults Dialoguing beyond Borders   148 François Bousquet 12. Bibliothèques et bibliothécaires au défi du dialogue: un rôle irremplaçable   159

About IFLA www.ifla.org IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. IFLA provides information specialists throughout the world with a forum for exchanging ideas and promoting international cooperation, research, and development in all fields of library activity and information service. IFLA is one of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems. IFLA’s aims, objectives, and professional programme can only be fulfilled with the co-operation and active involvement of its members and affiliates. Currently, approximately 1,600 associations, institutions and individuals, from widely divergent cultural backgrounds, are working together to further the goals of the Federation and to promote librarianship on a global level. Through its formal membership, IFLA directly or indirectly represents some 500,000 library and information professionals worldwide. IFLA pursues its aims through a variety of channels, including the publication of a major journal, as well as guidelines, reports and monographs on a wide range of topics. IFLA organizes workshops and seminars around the world to enhance professional practice and increase awareness of the growing importance of libraries in the digital age. All this is done in collaboration with a number of other non-governmental organizations, funding bodies and international agencies such as UNESCO and WIPO. IFLANET, the Federation’s website, is a prime source of information about IFLA, its policies and activities: www.ifla.org. Library and information professionals gather annually at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, held in August each year in cities around the world. IFLA was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 at an international conference of national library directors. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971. The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library), the national library of the Netherlands, in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for our headquarters. Regional offices are located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Pretoria, South Africa; and Singapore.

Note de rédaction

Note de rédaction

Cet ouvrage est né de la rencontre de deux projets : d’un côté, l’association BETH des bibliothèques européennes de théologie voulait publier ses activités et son histoire, de l’autre, l’éditeur De Gruyter Saur, souhaitait montrer, au travers de sa collection « Library and Information Science Publishing », comment les bibliothèques travaillaient à changer le monde. Une rencontre a été rendue possible, grâce à l’IFLA, au 77e congrès international des bibliothèques et de l’information à Porto Rico. Alors que j’étais présidente de BETH, j’ai eu la chance d’une longue conversation avec Mme de la Rochefordière. Celle-ci m’a conseillé de présenter un projet autour des activités du groupe Relindial, nouveau venu à l’IFLA. C’est donc à Helsinki, l’année suivante, que j’ai pu présenter un projet d’ouvrage sur les bibliothèques au service du dialogue à Alice Keller, directrice éditoriale de la collection, le projet de synopsis a été accepté. Qu’elle en soit remerciée. Une nouvelle aventure a donc pu commencer, autour d’un projet éditorial qui souhaitait montrer l’apport spécifique que les bibliothèques peuvent offrir au dialogue entre les cultures, toujours intimement lié au dialogue entre les religions. On ne peut pas comprendre une religion, dans une région donnée du monde, si on ne connaît pas la culture locale et réciproquement, les cultures locales sont elles-mêmes influencées par les religions qui les habitent et aussi par les religions des personnes qui s’y installent. Cet ouvrage souhaite donc montrer l’apport des bibliothèques à la richesse de ce dialogue, voire à sa faisabilité. Contrairement aux apparences, cette volonté d’ouverture à la religion et à la culture de l’autre ne date pas d’aujourd’hui : les bibliothèques patrimoniales qui mettent en regard des collections venant d’horizons confessionnels divers en sont la preuve. Et le fonds d’une bibliothèque témoigne, assurément, d’une volonté de dialogue au moins intellectuel. Mais, devant l’urgence d’un dialogue planétaire qui laisse sa place à chacun, dans l’intégralité de sa personnalité, les bibliothèques peuvent-elles faire plus que fournir des rayonnages bien remplis donnant accès aux cultures du monde ? C’est bien l’avis de tous nos contributeurs et en particulier de deux des plus grands spécialistes mondiaux du dialogue interreligieux qui nous ont fait l’honneur d’introduire et de conclure cet ouvrage. Le père Noël Sheth, s.j., spécialiste, entre autres, des religions indiennes nous offre une fresque des grandes religions du monde et précise en quoi chacune d’elle s’enrichit de la connaissance de l’autre. Il propose en outre aux bibliothécaires tout un travail de collaborations diverses qui vont pouvoir inspi-

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 Note de rédaction

rer Relindial dans sa réflexion sur son avenir. Enfin une magnifique bibliographie commentée émaille son article. Mgr François Bousquet, membre du Comité de recherche pour la paix à l’UNESCO, qui conclut le livre, montre comment les bibliothèques font le lien entre l’universel et le particulier. Et ce souci d’une meilleure compréhension de l’autre passant par la compréhension de soi-même est sous-jacent à tous les articles de ce volume. En préface, Silvano Danieli et Mauro Guerrini, organisateurs de la première journée satellite « Bibbia, Babele et Corano » à Milan en 2009, les tout premiers initiateurs de Relindial, nous racontent la création de ce groupe de bibliothèques spécialisées au sein de l’IFLA. Cet ouvrage comporte trois parties essentielles qui montrent les divers chemins qu’empruntent les bibliothèques et membres de notre réseau pour servir les rencontres interculturelles et interreligieuses. Dans un premier chapitre, plusieurs bibliothèques patrimoniales et universitaires nous font part de leur expérience spécifique. Dès leur création, elles ont eu à cœur de documenter leurs cultures et religions locales, celles des pays voisins ou au-delà des mers. Ainsi le père Marek Rostokowski nous présente-t-il l’histoire de la Bibliothèque Pontificale Urbaniana dont les créateurs ont nourri une véritable passion pour les cultures du monde qui sont représentées dans son fonds. Ces érudits, grands prélats au sein de l’Eglise, ont permis le développement d’une bibliothèque qui, malgré les vicissitudes de l’histoire reste absolument unique par la préciosité des documents conservés, la variété des langues du monde qui y sont représentées, la variété des publics qui la consultent et le travail bibliographique accompli pour guider les lecteurs dans ces fonds si riches. Ainsi le directeur de la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc nous décrit-il l’immense travail de modernisation de sa bibliothèque et l’intelligence avec laquelle la politique d’acquisition, de conservation, de numérisation est menée, afin d’ouvrir les hommes de son pays à leur propre culture, à la fois unique et diverse. Tout est mis en œuvre pour ouvrir le débat d’idées, et la richesse des manifestations organisées, des collaborations internationales, notamment dans le cadre de la francophonie est impressionnante. Dans ce chapitre, une grande place est laissée à l’Inde, pays des religions s’il en est : le père Thomas Reddy, s.j. nous parle de la bibliothèque : Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth Library, au service d’une université chrétienne ouverte à tous les dialogues avec les religions, la philosophie et les sciences et Vivekanand Jain, G.C. Kendadamath et Sanjiv Saraf nous présentent celle de l’université hindoue de Bénarès. Ces deux institutions témoignent de la volonté d’ouverture de leurs

Note de rédaction 

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créateurs et développent, chacune à sa façon, des activités qui servent la connaissance des religions et l’ouverture aux cultures. Une deuxième partie est consacrée au rôle des technologies et de la pédagogie pour mieux servir le dialogue des cultures. Les normes FRBR-RDA : La bibliothèque de l’IDEO (Institut dominicain d’études orientales) est impliquée dans le projet AlKindi 4 de FRBRisation de son catalogue. Le directeur de la bibliothèque, le frère René-Vincent du Grandlaunay, o.p., guidé par la volonté farouche de mieux servir la culture arabo-musulmane classique que possède sa bibliothèque, a recherché un mode de catalogage adapté pour ce corpus dont les textes sont reliés les uns aux autres par 72 types de relations. Ce sont les nouvelles normes créées par l’IFLA, qui lui ont permis de réaliser son objectif. C’est toute cette aventure qu’il nous compte. Mais elle ne s’arrête pas à la réalisation du catalogue : tout un travail de collaboration va se mettre en route avec les étudiants des facultés de théologie musulmanes voisines pour créer ce catalogue exemplaire. Les liens entre les notices des œuvres seront réalisés, un travail qui permettra de comprendre l’articulation des textes dans l’histoire. Alkindi 4 est un bel exemple de projet dans lequel la technique favorise le dialogue interculturel et fournira aux bibliothèques du monde un outil exceptionnel de connaissance de la culture arabo-musulmane classique, dans les langues qui la servent. GlobeTheoLib, une plateforme de partage d’information : La deuxième réalisation présentée s’appelle GlobeTheoLib. Vaste plateforme de partage d’information dans le domaine de la théologie, GTL a souhaité apporter une réponse aux besoins de documentation théologique des pays dans lesquels le christianisme se développe sans que les étudiants puissent trouver les bibliothèques qui permettent de nourrir leurs études. Superbe plateforme multilingue, les objectifs de GlobeTheoLib sont essentiellement de donner accès aux connaissances dans le domaine de la théologie et de l’œcuménisme, de faciliter le travail en réseau et surtout de permettre des échanges entre les théologiens des diverses régions du monde dans les domaines de la théologie contextuelle, de l’œcuménisme et du dialogue interreligieux. Le Wabash Center, centre d’information sur les religions : Le troisième témoignage, celui de Paul O . Myhre, présente les résultats de projets de pédagogie interreligieuse mis en route par le Wabash Center. Cet organisme offre des bourses à des établissements qui s’engagent dans des projets interreligieux. Il organise toute sorte de formations pour les bibliothécaires, fort appréciées des bénéficiaires. Cet article fournit aussi une bibliographie commentée précieuse pour les bibliothécaires.

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Dans la troisième partie de cet ouvrage, il m’a semblé évident de valoriser le travail extraordinaire qui est fait par les professionnels des bibliothèques pour enfants. C’est ainsi que Liz Weir nous présente son expérience de conteuse pendant le conflit en Irlande, mais aussi son rôle de « facilitatrice », quand elle met en présence des groupes humains différents qu’elle amène à dialoguer ensemble. C’est la mise en route de cette alchimie qui nous est contée : comment ces personnes en arrivent, non seulement à se parler, mais à vivre le bonheur d’être ensemble. Enfin, Annie Everall et Carolynn Rankin nous décrivent le programme IFLA des «  Sister Libraries  » qui expérimentent depuis quelques années le dialogue entre des bibliothécaires pour enfants à travers les pays et la culture. Le partage, la découverte qui y sont à l’œuvre, la préparation des jeunes esprits à l’accueil l’autre sont un bel exemple de réalisations qui font progresser le monde vers plus d’ouverture et de partage. Cet ouvrage m’a donné la chance de travailler avec des êtres d’exceptions. Qu’ils soient théologiens du dialogue, bibliothécaires, directeur de bibliothèque nationale, conteur, formateurs, tous ont donné le meilleur d’eux-mêmes à travers cet ouvrage. La rédaction de ces articles s’est ajoutée à des emplois du temps déjà surchargés et je ne sais comment leur exprimer ma reconnaissance pour leur contribution. Enfin je tiens à souligner le professionnalisme et la gentillesse de Michael Heaney, directeur de la collection et de toutes les personnes rencontrées chez De Gruyter, qui ont permis à ce livre de voir le jour. J’espère que cet ouvrage pourra donner à ses lecteurs l’envie de la découverte de l’autre, ce qui les amènera, comme il a été si bien dit, à la découverte d’euxmêmes et au bonheur du partage. Odile Dupont, le 3 mars 2014

Silvano Danieli and Mauro Guerrini

1. Relindial: The Birth of a New IFLA SIG Abstract: The paper describes the birth and early development of the IFLA Special Interest Group on Religious Libraries in Dialogue from the initial ideas in Italy in 2007, through the first discussions at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Milan in 2009, to the official approval formally establishing the Group in 2012. Regional and international bodies around the world were contacted for their support. The Group recognizes the special role that faiths have played in the development of world cultures and seeks to promote dialogue among libraries which embody those faiths. Résumé: L’article décrit la naissance et les premiers développements du Groupe d’Intérêt Spécialisé IFLA des bibliothèques religieuses en dialogue, depuis l’idée initiale en 2007 en Italie, puis à travers les premières discussions à l’occasion du Congrès mondial des bibliothèques et de l’information à Milan en 2009, jusqu’à l’acceptation officielle qui a permis d’établir officiellement le groupe en 2012. Le soutien d’organisations régionales et internationales tout autour du monde a été sollicité. Le groupe Relindial fait état du rôle particulier que les religions ont joué dans le développement des cultures du monde. Il cherche à promouvoir le dialogue entre les bibliothèques qui incarnent ces religions.

1.1 Introduction Participants in the 75th Congress of IFLA – the International Federation of Library Associations – in Milan, 23–28 August 2009, felt it was time to launch a project whose scope and purpose could best be described by the acronym RELINDIAL (Religious Library Intercultural Dialogue). On that occasion at the suggestion and insistence of the President of the Associazione italiana biblioteche (AIB) and coordinator of IFLA’s Italian committee, one day was devoted to “religious libraries”. The theme of this day was “Babel, Bible and Koran: from text to context. From background cultures to sacred books: the modern functions of libraries in

Fr Silvano M. Danieli, OSM, Director of the Marianum Library, Rome, Italy. Prof. Mauro Guerrini, University of Florence, Italy.

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 Silvano Danieli and Mauro Guerrini

the religious traditions of Mediterranean civilizations”.¹ There was much interest and willingness to take part in this project.

1.2 Opening a New IFLA SIG (Special Interest 1.2 Group) Between December 2008 and July 2009, Mauro Guerrini and members of IFLA’s Governing Board – Anna Maria Tammaro (IFLA Professional Committee, Division IV) and Steve W. Witt (IFLA Professional Committee, Division I) – were in contact several times. They arranged the necessary discussions to be included in the IFLA congress official programme. The committee involved in making this project a reality included Mauro Guerrini (University of Florence, President of the AIB and President of the IFLA Italian Committee 2009), Pier Francesco Fumagalli (Vice-prefect of the Ambrosian Library), Fausto Ruggeri (Secretary of ABEI, the Association of Italian Ecclesiastical Librarians) and Silvano Danieli (Director of URBE, the Unione Romana Biblioteche Ecclesiastiche Board of Directors). As early as September 2007 a meeting took place between the President of AIB and Mgr Stefano Russo, who is in charge of the National Office for Ecclesiastical Property of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). The meeting discussed the possibility of including the CEI in an effort to promote involvement of ecclesiastical libraries on a national level. In a second meeting (19 June 2008), it was decided that ABEI would promote this project. Subsequently the Committee met on 14 January and 14 May 2009 to plan and organize the event, which was made possible through the sponsorship of the CEI and the ABEI. All the documentation produced for this event can be found in the URBE archives.²

1 Silvano Danieli and Mauro Guerrini, eds. Babele, Bibbia e Corano: dal testo al contesto. Dalle culture ai libri di culto: funzioni moderne delle biblioteche nelle tradizioni religiose delle civiltà del mediterraneo [Babel, Bible and Kor’an: From texts to contexts. From cultures to sacred books: Modern functions of libraries in the religious traditions of Mediterranean civilization]. (Roma: CEI, 2010). The papers included in the proceedings were published in their original language along with English. 2 URBE. Unione Romana Biblioteche Ecclesiastiche (Roma, “Casa Paolo VI”, Via della Scrofa, 70). Cf. Bolletino d’Informazione ABEI a. 17:3 (2008): 10, 14; a. 18:2 (2009): 3–5, 1; a. 18:3 (2009): 3–4; Biblioteche oggi 27:6 (2009): 67.

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1.3 From the Idea to the Opening An offsite session was held at the Ambrosian Library of Milan on 24 August 2009. After introductory words from Milan’s Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Steve Witt and Mauro Guerrini, the speakers were Professor Malachi Bei-Arié, lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library, and Gabriele Mandel Khan, Vicar General in Italy of the Sufi Jerrahi-Halveti Confraternity. During the afternoon representatives of six European associations of religious libraries joined the discussion. It would have been pointless not to take advantage of all the work and commitment involved in preparation for this event. Immediately after the Milan Congress the present authors gathered all the material necessary for publishing the proceedings and sought to interest others in a possibility of setting up a special section of IFLA devoted to religious libraries. During the informal moments of this first satellite session on 24 August, Odile Dupont was asked to open a Special Interest Group of libraries so that religious libraries serving interfaith dialogue could have their own group and collaborate through IFLA. She accepted this proposal for numerous reasons: as president of BETH (Bibliothèques Européennes de Théologie), facilitating networking was one way of fulfilling one of her most important duties within BETH. The Institut Catholique de Paris, in which she was librarian, is an important place of reflection on interfaith dialogue: this new task seemed to be consistent with her institution. The third reason was personal: three different cultures were already present in her family. But the main reason was how obvious it is that a good knowledge of the other cultures is a good way to promote peace all over the world, and libraries have a role to play in addressing this challenge. All these elements seemed work together. With determination, courage and persistence, Odile Dupont brought this first very important stage of the project to a successful conclusion.

1.4 First Exploratory Developments 1.4.1 Year 2009–2010 During the first year, a lot of contacts were made to introduce the project and receive advice from experienced people:

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Father François Bousquet, vice-rector for research at the Institut Catholique de Paris (the Catholic University of Paris), specialist in interreligious dialogue, and member of the International Commission for Peace Research within UNESCO, gave encouragement to create the SIG and obtained the institutional approval of his university; Steve W. Witt, president of the IFLA Division for Libraries Types, gave guidance on the main steps to be taken to succeed with IFLA; Bibliothèque nationale de France: Christiane Baryla, IFLA-PAC director, institutional member of UNESCO Memory of the World National Committee in France, and Christophe Langlois, head librarian of the Service philosophie, religion in the BnF, agreed to support the project.

Mails were sent to the presidents of continental theological library associations and to some librarians involved in international collaboration within these associations: – ATLA (American Theological Library Association): the Executive Director, Dennis Norlin, and the President of the International Coooperation Committee within ATLA, Paul Stuehrenberg; – ForATL (Forum of Asian Theological Libraries): the President Elizabeth Pulanco and the Secretary Christabel Wong; – ITLA (Indian Theological Library Association): the President Chacko Chacko and the Secretary Yesan Sellan; – ANZTLA (Australian and New Zealand Theological Library Association): the President Philip Harvey; – BETH (Bibliothèques européennes de théologie). Information was shared with other international and academic associations: – FIUC (International Federation of Catholic Universities); – COCTI Conference of Catholic Theological Institutions); – WCC (World Council of Churches). In Islamic countries, messages were sent to: – BOB (Bibliothèque Orientale de Beyrouth): the Director, May Semaan; – IDEO (Institut Dominicain d’Etudes Orientales) in Cairo: Father Régis Morelon; – BNRM (Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc): M. Driss Khrouz, Executive Director and his wife, Anne Balenghien, who are deeply involved in Muslim-Christian dialogue in Morocco, expressed their interest.

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1.4.2 Exploratory Meeting IFLA 2010 Gothenburg An exploratory meeting was organized in Gothenburg on Tuesday 10 August 2010, attended by: – Odile Dupont, who supported the project for a SIG; – Steven Witt, chair of the IFLA Division for Library Types; – Prof. Mauro Guerrini, University of Florence; – Amélie Valloton, documentalist in Globethics.net, Geneva, Switzerland; – Margareth Tarpley member till 2009 of the International Cooperation Committee of ATLA; – D’Anna Schotts Baptist seminary, Nigeria, librarian member of ATLA; – Carisse Berryhill, Abilene Christian University, member of the Standing Committee of ATLA. Apologies were received from Christiane Baryla, Chair of IFLA-PAC. After having received the first advice on the creation of a Special Interest Group IFLA from Steve Witt, a reading of the foundation of the proposal was given: Convinced that an in-depth dialogue between cultures has to be done in truth and in freedom, we think that this dialogue must involve the religions that have built the roots of the cultures of the world; convinced that this dialogue is more and more necessary because of the growing number of international and intercultural exchanges and because of the great proportion of displaced populations, we want to create, within the IFLA, a special libraries group, to serve the dialogue between religion and cultures.

Then the attendees were given the names of people, associations of libraries and special libraries who had expressed their interest in the project during the last few months. Almost all continents were represented: Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australasia. The topics under consideration for study by the SIG and the way of organization were listed. After this reading, the different attendees showed how the proposal for a SIG could join their own activities and help develop them. Then Steve Witt explained the machinery of the IFLA for creating such a group, first of all finding a specific section host to support our activities. Looking over the possibilities, he thought that the Academic and Research Libraries or Social Science Libraries sections could be convenient. Steve Witt proposed to approach Lynne Rudasill, working in the same university as he, as the chair of the Social Science Libraries section. Odile Dupont and Lynne Rudasill could meet two days after the exploratory meeting, and the idea of hosting the new SIG RELINDIAL in the

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Social Sciences Library Section was accepted. We had still to obtain the vote of the Standing Committee the year after.

1.4.3 Years 2010–2012 Odile Dupont was then elected to the Standing Committee of the Social Science Library Section. A new meeting took place in Rome, 24 March 2011. The first Standing Committee of the Social Science Libraries during the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Puerto Rico in 2011 gave approval for hosting the new SIG RELINDIAL on 13 August 2011. An application was made to the IFLA Professional Committee on 18 August 2011. The request concluding the first meeting of the Professional Committee was to create an Advisory Committee. This committee was established, composed of experienced personalities of IFLA or religious libraries or interfaith dialogue: – Lynne Rudasill, IFLA Governing Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; – Hermann Roesch, IFLA-FAIFE (Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression), LIS Professor, Cologne University of Applied Sciences; – Christophe Langlois, Catholic University of Paris, director of the libraries; – Mgr François Bousquet, member of the International Commission of Peace Research of UNESCO; – Driss Khrouz, director of the Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc. On 3 April 2012, Odile Dupont wrote to Father Silvano Danieli: “Cher Père, j’ai la grande joie de vous annoncer que le projet RELINDIAL a été approuvé par l’IFLA hier matin”. Odile Dupont had guided this project with persistence and seriousness. RELINDIAL could commence.

1.5 Aim of RELINDIAL Religious libraries have finally found a voice in IFLA, the international association that promotes respect for the ideals of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in every nation of the world. Religious libraries have the far from easy task of creating a future that is open to dialogue, sharing and peace. Through books, religious libraries preserve and make available the “sacred wisdom” of the

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centuries. The existence of such libraries teaches us that books are not the property of any single individual – they belong to us all and can enrich everyone’s understanding.

1.6 A Prestigious Heritage of Interwoven Cultures 1.6 Serving Beauty and Wisdom As further evidence of the value and purpose of religious libraries in twenty-first century culture we would cite the words of Mgr Fumagalli (Vice-prefect of the Ambrosian Library of Milan) found in the Afterword of the published proceedings.³ Our vision draws inspiration from the past to preserve its treasure and to help every man understand what that treasure contains. At the root of the three Abrahamic monotheist traditions of Mediterranean culture – Jewish, Christian, Arabic-Islamic – there are three books: the Torah, the Gospel and the Koran, the work of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, founders of the three faith communities – Israel, the Church and the Umma. These three texts are rooted in the millennial traditions of Word and Wisdom, Davar and Khokmà, proclamation and writing, law and social praxis. Society and civilization, science and faith, art and literatures are all interconnected from the very beginning of these ancient religions. This phenomenon is not limited to the Near East and the Mediterranean; it can be found in places far removed, India and China, where the sacred stroke of the brush – the “religion of the written sign” – evokes shamanist insights and syntheses of cosmic and civilized concepts that could be expressed by the Chinese ideogram wén huà – a melting pot of Confucian humanism, Taoist mysticism, alchemic research and Buddhist compassion. There is a mysterious echo – possibly not by accident – that reflects ancient and profound links between “Biblia” and “Bab-ili” (God’s Gate) – the original Akkadian name of Babylon. According to Giovanni Pettinato this is symbolically the primordial city, the “Pearl of Kingdoms and the umbellicus mundi (centre of the earth)”.⁴ From Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzar it is where peoples and cultures meet. Here Etemenanki, the Tower of Babel, the headquarters and symbol of mathematics and astronomy consecrated by sacrifice to Marduk, the seat of political authority, the proud splendour of the Chaldeans

3 Danieli and Guerrini, Babele, Bibbia e Corano, 277–279. 4 Giovanni Pettinato, Babilonia: Centro dell’Universo (Milano: Rusconi, 1994).

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was overthrown. The civil and legal procedures found in Hammurabi’s Code are reflected in the Mosaic Holiness Code, the basis of God’s pact with Israel, where Torah and Law, norm and ethical imperative, spirit and letter are welded together. The first elements of the Hebrew alphabet (long believed of divine origin) were forged in this melting pot where the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt of the Pharaohs) met in dialogue, commerce, war and peace. This Hebrew alphabet was the mother of Phoenician, Greek, Arabic and through Aramaic of Sanskrit and Tibetan as well. The Sifrê Qodesh (Books of Holiness) – later called simply “books”, “Biblia” or in Arabic “Kitāb”, like those found at Qumran in 1948, bear witness to veneration for, and love of books which were the expression of transcendent values and the product of human culture. A similar passion can be found in the Greek and Roman classical world. In that world’s encounter with the proclamation of Christ’s Gospel we witness tension between the eternal values of Judaism and the values of contemporary civilization. Early Arabic-Islamic civilization puts a book at the origin of knowledge and faith. Throughout the whole Mediterranean and Near East the libraries of Pergamon, Athens, Rome, the Jerusalem Temple (Beit ha-Miqdash), Baghdad (Bayt al-Hikma), Alexandria and Constantinople became centres, emblems and models of love for the Beautiful and the True.

1.7 A Legacy to be Conserved and Passed Down In the global and dynamic context of inter-cultural relations the observation of Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer, the German sinologist and historian, is especially apropos: ‘Questions and insights on value and meaning are of the utmost importance in a world that has been undergoing dramatic change for so long – change that will continue well into the future. This is a world in which possibilities, interests, goals, judgments of risk or opportunity are a source of constant friction and yet cannot be separated from each other.’ It is today especially urgent and necessary that we create a society that serves all, a new society conceived in justice and truth. From an overview of the great cultures and religions of the world – India, China, Europe, Africa, America, Australia – we appear to be on the threshold of a new renaissance based on shared values.⁵

5 Danieli and Guerrini, Babele, Bibbia e Corano, 289.

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The purpose of RELINDIAL is to promote and share these universal values. May every library that keeps the treasures of every faith and creed become the final “refuge” for men who seek a reason and hope for their own existences.

Noel Sheth

2. The Role of Libraries in Peace Building 2. through Interreligious Dialogue Abstract: The paper examines, from an Indian perspective, the role that libraries and religious writings can play in promoting dialogue between religions. The library should act as a focal point for people of different faiths. It can provide the materials for academic study and offer everyday information about faiths. It can also provide a meeting place bringing faiths together, and offer practical guidance on the kinds of social action undertaken by faith groups and on sharing experiences. The paper offers several examples of how these aims can be achieved. Résumé: Dans la perspective indienne, l’article examine le rôle que les bibliothèques et les écrits religieux peuvent jouer pour promouvoir le dialogue entre les religions. La bibliothèque doit agir comme un foyer pour les personnes de croyances différentes. Elle peut fournir la matière nécessaire aux études universitaires et présente l’actualité des différentes religions. Elle peut aussi être un lieu de réunion pour rapprocher les différentes religions. Elle peut proposer des guides pratiques sur les types d’actions sociales entreprises par des groupes de croyants et sur le partage d’expériences. L’article présente plusieurs exemples concrets montrant comment atteindre ces objectifs.

2.1 Introduction

The Role of Libraries in Peace Building through Interreligious Dialogue

In this article I make an attempt to highlight some key elements, both on the theoretical as well as practical level, that might be helpful to spell out the role of libraries in promoting what is called “interreligious dialogue”. Personally, I prefer to use the expression “interreligious relations” which, to me, is a richer term because it includes interreligious dialogue, as well as building personal relationships with people of other religions in our daily lives, sharing of spiritual experiences, and engaging in joint social action with people of other religions to establish harmony, justice and social upliftment. All this is not “dialogue” in the strict sense of the word; hence “relations” would seem to be a better term. Besides, what is involved is not just the mind, but the heart, which

Fr Noel Sheth, SJ, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Pune, India.

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is more important in building peace and harmony. However, the reason why the title of my article has the term “interreligious dialogue” is because it is the current expression that is in vogue. In India, where there is such a wide cultural and religious pluralism in society, interreligious relations are absolutely imperative. Furthermore, other parts of Asia, Africa and Oceania are also marked with a great variety of religions and cultures. Cultural and religious pluralism, however, is increasingly being felt in the West too, especially due to migrations of peoples from non-Western countries and because of an increasing number of conversions of Westerners to Eastern religions. In the USA, for instance, my alma mater Harvard University has been working for many years on what it calls the “Pluralism Project”, which is a field study of religious pluralism in the USA.¹ So even in the West, interreligious dialogue or relations is something that is very important. As the world becomes a global village, we simply cannot live in our isolated ghettos. A library is a wonderful resource to understand our own religion (if we have one), through study of one’s own religion and through the study of other religions. Moreover, a library also helps all concerned to become mutually enriched through study and reflection over different religions. This will be spelt out and elaborated in this article.

2.2 Some Theoretical Considerations The purpose of interreligious relations is not merely to build peace and harmony, especially in a superficial way. True peace and harmony comes through self-transformation and the transformation of society and nature. Religion is meant to transform ourselves and is not just a subject to be studied. Interreligious relations promote mutual spiritual enrichment. It is also very important to point out that “internal” or “interior” or “inner” or “intra-” religious dialogue is a sine qua non of authentic and deep interreligious dialogue, which has to be accompanied by interior dialogue. Interior dialogue is dialogue within oneself, coming to grips with the depth of one’s own religiousness. Such an internal or intra-religious dialogue can take place before, during and after the external, inter-religious dialogue. Interior dialogue consists in coming to terms with one’s own religiousness and seeing, in an ongoing, progressive way, the other religion’s correlation, complementarity and even harmony with one’s own “faith” or religious experience,

1 http://pluralism.org/

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which transcends one’s “beliefs” or doctrines or conceptual formulations of that faith,² which is both personal as well as shared with one’s religious community. This interior dialogue is not confined to an individual, but can also be an experience of a religious community that is in dialogue with another religious community. I saw this happening, for instance, in a Buddhist-Christian (actually Catholic) Dialogue Meeting in Japan, in which I was invited to participate and present a research paper by the organizing Vatican Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. It should be noted that not every religion believes in a Supreme Being or God. There are also atheistic religions. So one can be an atheist and yet religious. These atheistic religions are meant to help a person attain liberation or salvation. But whether a religion believes in a God or a Supreme Being or not, every religion accepts some absolute value, something Sacred (spelt with a capital ‘S’). Now the mystics or gurus or those who have had deep religious experience all tell us that this Sacred or Absolute transcends not only all our words but also all our concepts. Each religion has a glimpse (only a hazy glimpse) of one or more aspects or facets of this Absolute or Sacred. And so we need interreligious experience to widen and deepen our experience of the Absolute or Sacred. Interreligious relations put us in touch with other aspects or facets of the Sacred, and thus promote mutual spiritual enhancement. Someone might say, “My religion has the full truth, so I do not need another religion to be enriched”. To this I would like to firstly respond by stating that, even if we suppose that one’s religion has the full truth, it is one thing to have the full truth, but it is quite another to completely understand that full truth. But let me go a step further. If I were to spend my whole life experiencing and studying my own religion, I would know it well; but if I were to spend some of my time experiencing and studying another religion, I would understand my own religion more deeply. So interreligious relations are necessary even to experience and understand one’s own religion in greater depth. It is precisely through comparison and contrast that a religion can come to comprehend itself more deeply. It is only through encounter with another that we understand our own identity. Let me give an example. In mainline Christianity one believes in only one actual incarnation of God, while in Hinduism or rather, more specifically, in Vaishnavism, one believes in many and repeated avataras or descents of God. When Christians encounter this different understanding and

2 See Raimundo Panikkar, The Intrareligious Dialogue (New York: Paulist, 1978; reprint Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 1984); James D. Redington, SJ, “The Hindu-Christian Dialogue and the Interior Dialogue.” Theological Studies 44, 4 (December, 1983): 587–603.

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reflect over the reason for this difference, they discover that the doctrine of one incarnation makes sense within the linear worldview, where everything moves in a linear fashion, in a line, towards a final goal. In such a worldview there is no repetition.³ In Hinduism there are cycles of evolution and dissolution, as well as birth and rebirth, i.e., in this cyclic worldview there is repetition. And it is again through an encounter with Christianity that Hindus, or rather, especially Vaishnavites, realize that their belief in repeated avataras or descents makes sense within the Hindu cyclic worldview. In this way, both religions understand themselves better through an encounter with the other. Hence we need interreligious dialogue in order to understand our own religion more deeply.⁴ I need another to understand myself. So, especially in today’s world, to truly be a religious person one has to be an interreligious person. We do not need to spend time inventing a matchbox when someone else has already done so. Similarly, such insights as the above have already been recorded by someone or the other in a publication. A library helps us to discover such deep insights through the wealth not just of information, but also of reflection and even inspiration that we find on the shelves of the library. It is quite common to hear in India that all religions teach the same thing. The intention behind this statement is good: it is to avoid disagreement and argumentation and to promote peace and harmony. However, such a statement is not true at all. Even within a religion, different schools have diverse doctrines. In Hinduism, for instance, there are many groups, such as Kevaladvaita Vedantins, Vaishnavites, Shaivites, etc. They all have different doctrines. Even within Vaishnavism we have the Shri Vaishnava School that asserts that we are a part of God, whereas the Dvaita School points out that not only we are not a part of God, but we are completely different (bheda) from God and from other beings. And there are other schools that hold different forms of simultaneous identity with God and difference from God, such as the schools of Svabhavika-bhedabheda and

3 This does not mean that other incarnations are impossible in Christianity. St Thomas Aquinas explicitly mentions the possibility of many incarnations, but holds that, on the level of actuality, there is only one incarnation because, according to Christianity, God wished it be so: see Noel Sheth, “The Incarnation in Hinduism and in St. Thomas: A Comparative Study”, in ACTA: Proceedings of the Quadricentennial International Philosophy Congress – Thomism and Asian Cultures. Celebrating 400 Years of Dialogue across Civilizations (University of Santo Tomas, Manila, May 2011), edited by Alfredo P. Co and Paolo A. Bolaños (Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2012, 103–118 (108–109)). 4 Noel Sheth, “Hindu Avatara and Christian Incarnation: A Comparison”, Philosophy East and West 52:1 (January 2002):98–125 (98, 106, 111–112, 114). This article has been reprinted and translated into various languages in different countries.

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Acintya-bhedabheda. Even within Shri Vaishnavism or Vishistadvaita, there are two sub-schools, viz., the Vatakalais and the Tenkalais, who have considerable differences between them. In fact, it is precisely because we understand things differently that we can learn from one another and enrich one another. Another similar statement we hear in India is that all religions lead to the same goal, like different rivers leading to the one ocean. If by “goal” we mean liberation or salvation, it is true. But we find that there is a great variety of understandings of what is the state of liberation or salvation in different religions, and which are the paths that lead to this state. As I said, it is precisely because we understand things differently that we can learn from one another and enrich one another. But if a religion understands or does things differently from our own, we have to be very careful in passing judgement on that other religion. Let us consider the following case. There are some Christian groups, including some Catholics, who think that Hindu image veneration (murti-puja) is a form of idolatry, for idolatry means considering a material thing to be divine. It is not necessary for me, at this point, to go into the various complexities of supreme beings and minor deities, of images that are consecrated and those that do not need to be consecrated, etc. in Hinduism. But let us consider the Catholic understanding of what is called the Eucharist or the Mass, in which Catholics believe that, at a particular point in the religious ceremony, the bread that is consecrated only appears to be bread, but is no more the substance of bread; instead, the substance has changed into Jesus Christ. This is called transubstantiation. Note, incidentally, that other Christian groups have other understandings of the presence of Jesus in the bread. Let us, however, return to the Catholic understanding where the bread is no more bread, but is Jesus Christ. Now, if we take the consecrated bread to the laboratory and test it, what do we find? Bread, bread, bread. Hence, for others, it is the Catholics who are practising idolatry because they consider the consecrated, material bread as the divine Jesus Christ! So we should not be too quick to point an accusing finger at the other. We need to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and see things with the eyes of faith that that other person has. When we point a finger against someone, there are three fingers pointing against us. Nor is it enough to have interreligious relations of different kinds. We also need to engage in inter-cultural relations and inter-human relations. I do not go into any details in this broader area, since the book pertains to interreligious relations. However, permit me to just mention the following. There are a number of people who do not believe in any organized religion, but believe in human values like honesty and selfless love. It is also important to have dialogue with people of different ideologies. All human beings are members of the same human family

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and we are all related to one another; hence inter-cultural, inter-ideological and inter-human relations are also very important for promoting peace and harmony.

2.3 Some Practical Suggestions Let me now come to some practical suggestions that libraries could initiate and foster. In October 1996, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, the institution in Pune, India, where I teach, conducted an extensive national, empirical study on religious intolerance among Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs in India. One of the findings was that those who were better informed about the doctrines, religious books, festivals etc. of another religion were far more tolerant and respectful than those who had little or no information about that religion. One clear conclusion of this field study was that we have to become familiar with the teachings and practices of other religions. What better place to familiarize ourselves with the orientations, doctrines, and cultic and other, such as meditative, practices of religions than in the hallowed halls of a library and that, too, without the need of troubling experts in the different religions to spend time explaining to us the basics and even deeper aspects of other religions? It is not enough to merely teach and study the basic tenets and practices of religions. One has to have a critical and reflective approach. One has to realize that even the canon of Scripture is not always the same for people of the same religion. The Bhagavad-gita is Scripture for some Hindus, but only a holy book and not Scripture for other Hindus. The Arya Samaj accepts only the four Vedas as Scripture. For the Kevaladvaita Vedanta School the (early) Upanishads are the most important Scripture and the later texts, like the Puranas, are not Scripture; but some other Hindu schools, for instance, categorically mention that the Bhagavata-purana is the most important Scripture. Catholics accept certain books as Scripture which the Protestants do not accept as such. Then, again, how does one interpret Scripture? Is it to be taken literally always or can parts of it be taken in a symbolic or metaphorical sense, still pointing to a deeper and significant reality? Are parts of Scripture culturally conditioned? Are there elements in Scripture and other religious texts which are prejudiced, biased or outmoded or oppressive, e.g., the presence of gender discrimination, the acceptance of slavery, racism, apartheid, the caste system, the practice of sati (the burning of a widow on the funeral pyre of her husband), the exploitation of nature, etc.? It is important for libraries to have the scriptures of different religious traditions, learned commentaries on these scriptures and reflective

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material on the meaning and interpretation or hermeneutics of scriptures. Then, again, there are contextual interpretations of Scriptures.⁵ It should be pointed out that there are religions that do not have written scriptures but oral stories and traditions that are handed down from one generation to another. Libraries must not confine themselves to religions of the book but also to sacred oral literature on which specialists, like anthropologists and others, have written reports, made studies and drawn conclusions. Reformers have arisen from time to time in different religions to purify or reinterpret certain elements, but are these reinterpretations acceptable to the followers of the religions? Moreover, how has each one of the religions changed over the centuries? Religion is not meant to be ossified and fossilized; it is something living, responding to changing times and circumstances and searching for answers to questions that were never asked before. For instance, what are the responses of religions to various developments in science, e.g., to genetic engineering, cloning, and so forth? It is important for libraries to ensure that their shelves are also enriched with books, articles and other media, such as digital media, that discuss these and similar vital questions too. What is required is enlightened teaching and studying of religions. And, in the context of libraries, it is essential that libraries that deal with religions do not merely stock literature that is considered traditional and orthodox and what is merely on the catechetical level; they should also be daring enough to order material that is critical of religion as well as religions. Even if one does not agree with the criticism, one can learn a lot from the criticism, e.g., how one’s religion can be misunderstood by another or to discover other perspectives and viewpoints or to realize the need for and engage in introspection and self-questioning, instead of taking things on blind faith and without sufficient reflection. The librarians themselves ought to be trained in helping their patrons to identify and select books and articles in the library, as well as in guiding them to material available through inter-library loans and scholarly material on the World Wide Web. In this way, libraries will promote an enlightened and reflective approach to the study of religions, and at the same time will inspire and urge people towards self-transformation as well as the transformation of society and a genuine care for nature and the cosmos through books and articles that emphasise not merely an academic study of religions but draw attention to different spiritualities that bring about personal, societal and cosmic transformation.

5 See, for instance, with regard to the Bible, Rekha M. Chennattu, “Reading the Bible in the Indian/Asian Context.” Landas: Journal of Loyola School of Theology 24:1(2010):49–66.

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In fact, spirituality is more unifying than religion, for spirituality is less encumbered by divisive religious doctrines. An in-depth encounter between religions leads to mutual spiritual enrichment. Let me give a few examples of how Christians can benefit from others. The various tribal or folk or indigenous or traditional religions of India and other parts of the world can help Christians to understand and appreciate more deeply the significance of community, and practise a more intimate relationship with earth and nature that will enable them to come into more direct contact with the Cosmic Christ. Christians are very impressed by the great emphasis on deep religious experience (anubhava) in the many religions that originated in India. Similarly, we are struck by the strong sense of the sacredness of time and place, and close communion with nature. The techniques of various forms of Yoga and other forms of meditation, such as Vipassana (Insight) and Zen, can greatly help Christians to improve their concentration and awareness, to become more interiorized, and to keep calm and tranquil in spite of the hustle and bustle of modern busy life. The strong emotional colouring that devotion has in Hinduism, which makes even the spontaneous and intense Christian charismatic outpourings of feelings look rather pale, can be a complement to our Christian spirituality, which tends to be relatively placid and staid. While many kinds of Hindu devotion find their echo in different Christian forms of devotion, Christians can broaden their experience of devotion by adopting certain Hindu types of devotion which are practically absent in Christianity, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, e.g., parental love for God, which can be practised, for instance, at Christmas time towards the Child Jesus. An extremely important virtue in the Indian tradition is that of non-violence (ahimsa). Probably there is no religion in the world that emphasises this quality so much as Jainism, which goes to enormous lengths to prevent even the accidental hurting of all kinds of life. The Jain syadvada (doctrine of ‘it may be’) teaches us that reality has many facets and that we cannot comprehend reality fully, and hence we should be careful not to be so cocksure and absolutist in our views. This is a very important attitude in the context of interreligious relations. Buddhism can help bring home to Christians certain important spiritual attitudes and approaches, such as rising above caste, race and other prejudices, the necessity to avoid a fundamentalist interpretation of Scriptures, a relative freedom from dogmatism and narrow sectarianism, the importance and benefits of inculturation, the ideal of altruistic love, profound forbearance, and forgiveness and reconciliation. The group of four Buddhist meditations, called Brahma-viharas (sublime states), helps one cultivate the virtues of universal friendship, compassion, joy and equanimity: these qualities are very important for

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interreligious relations and the promotion of peace and harmony among people of different religions. The high veneration that Sikhism accords to its Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, will remind Christians to find strength and nourishment in the Bible. The Sikh Scripture has integrated into itself the religious compositions of Hindus and Muslims. This can embolden Christians to also discover the diverse ways in which God has spoken to other peoples. One of the important things that Catholic priests can learn from Sikhism is its freedom from clericalism, since it has no separate priesthood. The fact that in Sikhism men and women are equal can also prompt priests to shed their male chauvinism. Among the different forms of bhakti (devotion), Sikhism gives the pride of place to remembering and reciting the name of God (nama-simran). While this Prayer of the Name has been very much in vogue in the Eastern Churches, it has not been popular in the Western (Latin) Church. Nevertheless, more and more Latin Christians are slowly discovering the charm and joy of the now well known Jesus Prayer. Similarly, the religions of Indian origin can also benefit from an encounter with Christianity. For instance, they have already become more active in social concern, and are gradually giving traditional virtues a social orientation. Although they have a more cosmic worldview than Christianity, they have begun to pay more attention to history. On the other hand, Christianity’s anthropocentrism has brought on problems of ecology, but Christianity, in turn, is learning from the Eastern traditions to become more bio-centric. These are just a few examples of the ongoing reciprocal enrichment that comes from the mutual encounter of religions. Needless to say, libraries can contribute greatly to this mutual amelioration by ensuring that they carry books and articles that not only study different religions from an aloof, academic standpoint, but also deal with comparative religion, and point out how we can benefit from one another, for religion must not be a merely academic discipline, but something that leads to holistic enhancement of oneself, society, and the cosmos. In this context of mutual complementarity, some have raised the controversial topic of actual participation in the rituals and ceremonies of other religions. The official stance of the Catholic Church is that one can be present as an observer, but should not actively participate in the religious ceremonies of others. Even so, some, including Christians, have articulated their experiences in this area and have reflected on this experience.⁶ Some have gone even further and speak of their experience of “multiple belonging”, i.e., belonging to more than

6 See, for example, Paul Puthanangady ed., Sharing Worship: Communicatio in Sacris (Bangalore: National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre, 1988).

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one religion. In recent times, there is new theological reflection and publication on this phenomenon.⁷ The library is the very hub and heart-throb of the university or college or school or town or village community and hence the library should create an atmosphere that is inviting, enriching and enlightening, by stocking academic and inspiring literature on the very concept of interreligious relations and on practical suggestions on how to engage fruitfully in interreligious relations,⁸ and by collecting and editing bibliographies.⁹ Libraries must make sure that their infrastructure is up to date, making browsing at the stacks possible, making sure that the computerized catalogue does not contain only the authors and titles of books, articles and digital media, but also has keywords and a user-friendly programme that makes it easy for patrons to find what they are looking for and what would be useful to them in their study and research on religion and interreligious relations. Moreover, facilities like free online access to the web, sockets for the use of laptops, photocopying machines, etc. should be available, and of course be in working condition. Furthermore, libraries could take the initiative to organize enlightening exhibitions, stimulating meetings and critical book-readings by eminent scholars and practitioners of different religions. It is customary to speak of four types of interreligious relations. One is academic discussion between experts. Since such conferences or exchanges are often published, libraries generally have a good amount of this literature, even though very few engage in such academic discourses, because it requires expertise. It is hoped that the fruit of this dialogue also percolates from the conference rooms to those not engaged in such academic dialogue. Secondly, there are relations on the level of daily life, where we rub shoulders with people of different religions and casually interact with them on the streets, etc. This sort of relationship takes place everywhere, but not much is published about it since, although it is quite universal, one does not normally deliberately think of it as interreligious relations in explicit terms. A third form of relationship is focused on sharing of spirituality or religious experience. In India this often takes place in the setting of an ashram, i.e., a place where seekers of religious experience live together, under the

7 See, for example, Catherine Cornille, ed., Many Mansions? Multiple Religious Belonging and Christian Identity (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2002). 8 A good book dealing with different trends in understanding interreligious relations in India, from the Christian perspective, is Jose Kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue: A Critical Study of the Indian Christian Attempts since Vatican II (Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 1998). 9 Some published bibliographies on interreligious relations are listed in the Bibliography.

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guidance of a spiritual leader or guru. Still others take part in interreligious liveins, i.e., living together for a short period of time, e.g., a week, and sharing their religious and spiritual experiences with one another. A fourth form is on the level of social action, where people of different religious traditions engage in action to bring about social upliftment, and engage in social relief works and other social and ecological concerns in order to establish justice, peace and harmony. Libraries should make it a point to get material not only on academic dialogue, but also on interreligious sharing of spiritual experiences and interreligious social action,¹⁰ since they promote deeper relationships that bring about self-transformation as well as transformation of society and nature. Libraries must also take the trouble to find practical manuals that not only spell out the theories of interreligious relations but also give practical guidelines and methods to engage in interreligious relations.¹¹ One may also find source books or readers or anthologies of interreligious relations.¹² It is also important to have collections that narrate first-hand experiences of people who have been involved in interreligious relations over many years. Their personal and vivid testimonies can be a real inspiration to readers to join the pilgrimage of fruitful and rewarding interreligious relations.¹³ It turns out that, for various reasons, Christianity has felt the need to engage in interreligious relations and has produced a large amount of literature on relations with other religions. But, in recent times, some other religious traditions have also begun taking initiatives in this direction. I know quite a few such organizations and centres, big and small. Their approaches and presuppositions are often quite different from the Christian perspectives and we do have some published specimens of such endeavours,¹⁴ which libraries will do well to acquire. One additionally needs, on the one hand, to take into account the growing consumerism and hedonism in the world, as well as fundamentalist trends at one end of the spectrum, and excessive secularization at the other end of the spectrum. The library should ensure that its collections have reflective material on these various trends so that students are not swept away by waves and currents that are detrimental to the enlightened practice of religion and religious values and that do not promote or even go against interreligious relations.

10 Some works on these topics are listed in the Bibliography. 11 Some works on this topic are listed in the Bibliography. 12 Vincent Sekhar, Quest for Harmony: An Anthology of Religions in Dialogue (Bangalore: Claretian Publications, 2002). 13 Some personal testimonies are listed in the Bibliography. 14 Some non-Christian literature is listed in the Bibliography.

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Teachers and students cannot and should not remain holed up in their ivory towers, in the narrow world of the academy. Academic institutions and their libraries must make an effort to actively promote interreligious relations within their institutions as well as through cooperation with other institutions and organizations. It is important to have interreligious prayer and meditation groups that come together to meditate in silence and/or share religious experiences that have touched and moved them. Gurus or those who are known to have deep religious experience could be invited to share their spiritual journey with the students. The librarians would do well to ensure that the libraries have spiritual classics of many religions and publications which deal with the sharing of spiritualties. Perhaps an annual live-in experience could be organized. Under the guidance of a teacher, students would live together for a few days under the same roof, coming together for mediation or prayer, sharing their thoughts and feelings, their meals and their games. Another variation of this is for the students to go to an ashram and spend time together over there. It will be good for colleges and schools to organize celebrations of some important festivals. One could pay special attention to the universal message of that festival. Readings and religious songs from different religions that highlight that universal message could be read and sung, and someone could present a short reflection on that message and its relevance for today’s world. Here, again, the library is an indispensable resource for the study and significance of festivals of different religious traditions. Once in a while, an evening can be dedicated to a particular religion. Students could do some research in the library, and present the basic beliefs, cults and practices of that religion in innovative ways, such as through PowerPoint presentations, charts, skits, mimes, music and dance, and so forth. Or the management or the person(s) in charge of promoting interreligious relations could, in dialogue with students, choose a theme on which presentations will be made from the perspective of different religions. The library has a vital role to play in this context too. Colleges could also think of instituting an annual endowment lecture on peace and peace building. In addition to intra-mural programmes, schools and colleges could not only permit, but could even positively encourage students to participate in meetings, seminars and conferences on interreligious relations organized by other institutions and organizations. They could even go further and collaborate with such organizations in promoting peace and harmony. Wherever possible, students could visit mandirs (Hindu temples), masjids (Muslim mosques), gurdwaras (Sikh temples), churches, etc., and observe live rituals and ceremonies of other religions. The library can supplement these visits by videos and stills explaining the art and architecture of various temples,

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mosques, etc. and bringing out the meaning and meaningfulness of various religious ceremonies in different religions. The students could also interview the followers of these religious traditions, and engage in some reflection over the data collected. Here, too, the library ought to have useful material on the preparation of a good questionnaire, statistics, and the methods of analysing data. The students could share their experiences with the class, doing this in creative ways, e.g., through role plays, skits, posters, etc. When there is tension and disharmony in their neighbourhood, colleges and schools should not complacently sit holed up in their ivory towers or in the secure confines of their libraries, but they must go out into the streets and help transform society by restoring peace and harmony when there is strife; opposing social injustice, and empowering the poor, the downtrodden, women and children; fostering ecological concern; and cooperating in relief services rendered to those stricken with natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes. When the terrible tsunami struck the coastal regions of South India, people of different religions were quick to work together to render relief services, without even thinking of their different religious backgrounds. In this context, I remember an incident when I, as President or Rector or Principal of Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, had sent our students to render relief work in the horrible earthquake that had struck Gujarat. A group of volunteers belonging to a radical group that wants India to be a Hindu nation also happened to come there to render service. The initial tension was quickly dispersed by one of our students going over and embracing the leader of the other group. From that moment on, the two groups shared their meals, and worked and joked together as the best of friends. This is real interreligious relationship. Similarly, if members of another religion take out a peaceful procession to legitimately protest against an injustice done to them, do people of another religion also join them in solidarity? Colleges and universities can show the way by encouraging their faculty and students in joining such processions for the sake of justice: peace and justice go hand in hand. Since religion is linked with social, economic and political spheres, at times of crisis, such as communal clashes, universities, colleges and schools can bring together religious leaders, social scientists, social activists and politicians on the same platform for conferences and seminars to resolve differences, diffuse tensions and promote peace. Such meetings could also be held at regular intervals, without waiting for a crisis to erupt. In these regular meetings the students, with the expert help of resource persons and library assistance, could exchange ideas on religious, social or ecological issues and explore possibilities of handling the thorny issues from the perspective of each one’s religion. They can also join hands in a common

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action programme to effectively deal with the troublesome issues, particularly in their own locality. Since this book will also contain testimonies of librarians who practise interreligious relations not only in higher education libraries but also in libraries for children and youth, I would like to say a word about children and youth in the context of interreligious relations. A child has no prejudices, and does not discriminate between rich and poor, between this or that caste or race, and this or that religion: a child mingles and mixes with all. It is we adults who poison the minds and hearts of children by asking them to keep away from certain types of people; we instil our prejudices into them. We forget that, in spite of all our differences, we still belong to the one human family: this is one of the fundamental attitudes that creates an atmosphere for and fosters interreligious relations. Secondly, a child has an amazing ability to forgive and, yes, even to forget. How often the child is scolded, even mercilessly beaten and ill-treated by angry parents, who lose their tempers! Time and again we scold them for doing the very things that we do ourselves. But, have we not witnessed ever so often that, just shortly after being scolded and beaten, the child is once again in the arms of its parent, as if nothing had happened? The world would be so much more beautiful, if we could forgive and forget as a child does. Children have these fundamental qualities to engage in interreligious relations. Indeed, they teach us to even forgive those who persecute us, to find common ground with them and establish cordial relations with them through non-violence and love. The youth are generally very sincere: they value honesty and authenticity, and are spontaneously put off by hypocrisy. Sincerity is a very important quality for interreligious relations. If youth are properly motivated, their proverbial generosity, energy and enthusiasm can be channelled to work eagerly and indefatigably for the promotion of peaceful and productive interreligious relations.¹⁵

2.4 Conclusion Religion has been the cause of rabid fanaticism and savage wars; but on the other hand, it has also inspired heroic sacrifice and selfless service. Our world has a

15 We may mention two very laudable books in French which introduce, in interesting and engaging ways, children and young adults to the fundamental beliefs of Jews, Christians and Muslims: Simone Bakchine Dumont et al., Que croient-ils? Juifs, Chrétiens, Musulmans: Livre jeune (Paris: Le Sénevé, 2011); Simone Bakchine Dumont, et al. Que croient-ils? Juifs, Chrétiens, Musulmans: Livre adulte (Paris: Le Sénevé, 2011).

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wide variety of religions. So is this a blessing or a curse? Whether it is a blessing or a curse will depend on each one of us, the citizens of the world. It is only through interreligious relations that religions will be a blessing for all of us in our broken world. There is a Sanskrit verse that occurs in several texts:¹⁶ “‘This one is ours’ or ‘This one is an outsider’, such is the calculation of the petty-minded; but for people of magnanimous character, the whole earth is but one little family (vasudhaiva kutumbakam).” But when we look at our world, what do we find? Animosity between linguistic groups, castes and religions in India; suspicions, accusations and skirmishes between India and Pakistan; the bitter conflict that raged between the Buddhist Singhalese and the Hindu Tamils in Sri Lanka; Protestants and Catholics who battled each other in the Troubles of Northern Ireland; the war between the USA and Iraq; the clashes between the Tibetans and the Chinese government; the antagonism between Israel and Palestine; the conflicts between Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor); the armed confrontations in Afghanistan; the terrible civil wars in Syria and several other countries; persecution in so many different parts of the world – a never-ending litany of prejudices, intolerance, fanaticism, communalism, violence, and even genocide. Should we throw up our hands in despair? How do we build peace, how do we become one human family? The only way is inter-cultural and interreligious relations, and I must add – in order to include also those who do not believe in organized religion – inter-human relationships. This task is so gigantic that no one can do it singlehandedly. We need one another. We need to harken to the call of non-violence, peace and reconciliation so that we can work together to build bridges of friendship and harmony, and heal our broken world. If we are able to join our hands and heads and hearts to build a better tomorrow, we will gradually but surely progress towards that distant goal of experiencing that indeed the whole earth is but one family: vasudhaiva kutumbakam.

16 For example, Narayana, comp., Hitopadesa, ch. 1, v. 71, in 6th ed., repr., edited by M. R. Kale (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1976), 15.

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2.5 Bibliography 2.5.1 Bibliographies of Interreligious Relations Bibliography on Interreligious Dialogue, Theology in Context Supplements, no. 7. Aachen: Institute of Missiology, 1992. Berthrong, John H., comp. Interfaith Dialogue: An Annotated Bibliography. Wofford Heights, California: Multifaith Resources, 1993. “Select Bibliography.” In Jose Kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue, 637–742. Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 1995. Shirieda, John. “Bibliography of the Theology of Religions in Relation to Dialogue with Non-Christians.” Bulletin Secretariatus pro non Christianis 12, 1–2 (1977): 65–79.

2.5.2 Interreligious Sharing of Spiritual Experiences Hirudayam, Ignatius. “Get-Together and Live-Together of Ashramites.” Word and Worship 11, 7 (August 1978): 272–273. Lesser, R. H. “Report of Inter-Faith Live-Together (Bombay, October 23rd to 26th, 1988).” Sangamam 1 (1989): 30–36. Mendonca, Edward. “Five Days with Muslims.” Salaam: Catholic Quarterly to Promote Understanding 10, 2 (April 1989): 69–70. Peter, John. “One-day Interreligious Live-in at the Divyodaya Interreligious Centre.” Bulletin Secreteriatus pro non Christianis 20, 3 (1985): 326–327. Rosanno, P. “Benares: Hindu-Christian Living Together.” Bulletin Secretariatus pro non Christianis 8, 1 (1973): 67–71. Tholens, Satyananda. “Inter-Religious ‘Live-Together’ at Shantivanam.” The Examiner 127, 12 (20 March 1976): 137. Valles, C. G. “Living with Hindus.” Vidyajyoti: Journal of Theological Reflection 44, 3 (March 1980): 114–122.

2.5.3 Interreligious Social Action Amaladoss, M. “A Spirituality for Action.” In Bread and Breath: Essays in Honour of Samuel Rayan, S.J., ed. by T. K. John, 205–221. Anand, Gujarat: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1991. David, P. “Dialogue in Action”, Religion and Society 26, 1 (March 1979): 91–105. “Inter-Religious Forum for Communal Harmony, Meeting of Religious Leaders and Scholars, 4–5 April 1987, New Delhi: An Appeal to All People.” National Christian Council Review 107, 6 (June–July 1987): 383–385. Irudayaraj, Xavier, ed. Liberation and Dialogue. Bangalore: Claretian Publications, 1989. May, John. “Christian-Buddhist-Marxist Dialogue in Sri Lanka: A Model for Social Change in Asia.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 19, 4 (Fall 1982): 719–743.

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Thomas, M. M. “A Plurality of Spiritualties for Common Liberating Social Action in India.” In Bread and Breath: Essays in Honour of Samuel Rayan, S.J., ed. by T. K. John, 222–236. Anand, Gujarat: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1991. For a Hindu perspective on social justice: Dwivedi, Kanak. “The Concept of Social Justice in Traditional Hindu Thought.” Religion and Society 27, 2 (June 1980): 5–12. For a Muslim view: Mushir-ul-Haq. “Liberation and Justice Motifs in Islam.” Religion and Society 27, 2 (June 1980): 24–31.

2.5.4 Practical Guidance CBCI [Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Dialogue Commission]. Guidelines for a Dialogue Between Muslims and Christians, Indian ed. Cochin: K.C.M. Press, 1979. CBCI Commission for Dialogue and Ecumenism. Guidelines for Inter-Religious Dialogue, 2nd rev. ed. New Delhi: CBCI Centre, 1989. Chia, Edmund, ed. Dialogue: Resource Manual for Catholics in Asia. Bangkok, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference, 2001; reprint, Delhi: Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2002. Secretariatus Pro Non Christianis. Guidelines for a Dialogue Between Muslims and Christians. Roma: Edizoni Ancora, [1969].

2.5.5 Personal Testimonies Hirudayam, Ignatius. “My Spiritual Journey through the Highways and Byways of Interreligious Dialogue.” In Interreligious Dialogue: Voices from a New Frontier, ed. by M. Darrol Bryant and Frank Flinn, 53–64. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Nambiaparambil, Albert. “Interreligious Dialogue: My Pilgrimage of Hope.” In Interreligious Dialogue: Voices from a New Frontier, ed. by M. Darrol Bryant and Frank Flinn, 73–78. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Pushparajan, A. Pilgrims of Dialogue: A Collection of Essays Presented to Fr. Albert Nambiaparambil in Honour of His 60th Birthday. Munnar, Kerala: Sangam Dialogue Centre, 1991. ( This valuable book brings together testimonies of interreligious experiences as well as reflections on them by Christians as well as those belonging to other religions.) Two examples of more recent book-length narrations of interreligious spiritual odysseys are: Eck, Diana L. Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993; New Delhi: Penguin Books, 1995. Malkovsky, Bradley. God’s Other Children: Personal Encounters with Faith, Love, and Holiness in Sacred India. New York: HarperOne, 2013.

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2.5.6 Non-Christian Literature Aleaz, K. L. “Contemporary Hindu Participation in Dialogue.” Vidyajyoti: Journal of Theological Reflection 56, 4 (April 1992): 233–236. “Christianity among the World Religions.” Concilium 1986, 1. (Various articles on the relationship between Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese Religions, on the one hand, and Christianity on the other, ed. by Hans Küng and Jürgen Moltmann.) Dhavamony, Mariasusai. “Hindu Theology of Religions.” Theology Digest 30, 3 (Fall 1982): 237–240. Gangadharan, S. “A Hindu View of Dialogue from Saiva Siddhanta and Gandhian Perspectives.” Indian Missiological Review 13, 2 (July 1991): 7–18. Gispert-Sauch, G. “Soundings into the Hindu Tradition for a Theology of Religions.” In Religious Pluralism – An Indian Christian Perspective: The Papers and Statements of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Annual Meetings of the Indian Theological Association 1988, 1989, edited by Kuncheria Pathil, 111–131. Delhi: The Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1991. Jain, Gokul Chandra. “Jainism – Its Resources for Interreligious Dialogue.” In Interreligious Dialogue: Voices from a New Frontier, ed. by M. Darrol Bryant and Frank Flinn, 163–167. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Kasimow, Harold. “Jewish-Christian-Buddhist Dialogue: A Jewish View.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 23, 2 (Spring 1986): 285–292. Michel, Thomas. “Muslim Approaches to Dialogue with Christians.” Islam and the Modern Age 25, 1 (February 1984): 37–50. Rambachan, Anantanad. “A Hindu Model for Inter-Religious Dialogue.” Current Dialogue 12 (June 1987): 7–12. Sheshagiri Rao, K. L. “Gandhi’s Experiments in Interreligious Dialogue.” In Interreligious Dialogue: Voices from a New Frontier, ed. by M. Darrol Bryant and Frank Flinn, 127–138. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Sivaraman, K. “Towards World Community – Resources and Responsibilities for Living Together: A Hindu View.” The Ecumenical Review: The Quarterly of the World Council of Churches 26, 4 (October 1974): 590–603. Sundararajan, K. R. “The Hindu Models of Interreligious Dialogue.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 23, 2 (Spring 1986): 239–250. Yadav, Bibhuti S. “Vaisnavism on Hans Küng: A Hindu Theology of Religious Pluralism.” Religion and Society 27, 2 (June 1980): 32–64.

Marek A. Rostkowski

3. The Library of the Pontifical Urbaniana 3. University Abstract: The paper describes the history of the library of Pontifical Urbaniana University and the content of the libraries which constitute the current institution. These include the Pontifical Missionary Library and the Fondo Borgia, collected by a former Secretary and Prefect of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. Each of the earlier institutions was concerned with reaching out to people of other faiths and speaking many different languages, and their collections bring together works reflecting this international focus. Résumé: Cet article décrit l’histoire de la bibliothèque de l’Université Pontificale Urbaniana et des fonds que possède aujourd’hui cette institution. Celle-ci est constituée de la Bibliothèque Pontificale Missionnaire et du Fondo Borgia, rassemblé par un ancien Secrétaire et Préfet de la Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. Ces deux institutions étaient préoccupées d’entrer en contact avec les personnes qui ne partageaient pas la foi chrétienne, et pratiquaient différentes langues étrangères. Les collections rassemblent des oeuvres qui reflètent cette dimension internationale.

3.1 Introduction The Pontifical Urbaniana University in its current structure was actually formed from two libraries: the old Library of Urban College, since 1962 elevated to the status of Pontifical University, and the Pontifical Missionary Library transferred from the seat of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Piazza di Spagna. They were united in 1979 in new premises in via Urbano VIII, 16, with the solemn opening celebrated during the Bishops’ Synod on 1 October 1980. The Library of the Pontifical Urbaniana University

Fr Marek A. Rostkowski, OMI, Director of the Library Services of the Pontifical Urbaniana University.

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3.2 Urban College From a chronological point of view, the University Library was founded 300 years before the Missionary Library, namely five years after the founding of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide on 1 August 1627, together with Urban College. The need to have in Rome a centre for the training of missionaries which would be directly under the direction of the Supreme Pontiff, and not under the direction of any religious order or political authorities, spurred action towards the founding of the College which was named “Collegium Urbanum” after Pope Urban VIII. The new College was given the task of “the training of pious and learned secular clerics with the aim of spreading and defending the Catholic faith throughout the world among the unfaithful and heretics, even with the sacrifice of one’s life should that be necessary”.¹ The character of the College was oriented to supporting study as the indispensable means for future mission. The library was one of the absolutely necessary tools to such an end. According to the documents, the Library of the Propaganda College had, as an initial funding, a gift from the Gregorian College in 1643.² With time it became so important that Pope Clement IX issued on 5 December 1667 a papal brief Conservazioni et manutenzioni librorum bibliothecae Collegi de Propaganda Fide by which he prohibited, under penalty of excommunication, the removal of the books from the building.³ Without the express permission of the rector, not even the students were able to take the books to their own rooms for private study! The books gradually donated to the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide formed the original collection of the library of the college. Since then, over time, rare books and valuable atlases have been collected there. Many volumes are from the famed Tipografia Poliglotta (Polyglot Printing House) of the Sacred Congregation, founded before the birth of Urban College for the missionary apostolate. The apostolate of the press was in fact considered from the beginning as an important means for the communication of the faith. In the same year as the founding of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide itself there was talk of printing books in foreign languages. Some years later, the Emperor of Austria, Ferdinand II, donated Glagolitic typefaces to the Holy See, requesting the reissue of the Illyrian Missal. Seven years after its foundation, the print shop owned more than ten kinds of typeface for different languages. At the time of the first Secretary of the

1 Pope Urban VIII, “Immortalis Dei Filius”, 1 August 1627, in De Martinis, Raffaele, ed., Iuris Pontificii de Propaganda Fide : Pars Prima (Romae: Typographia Polyglotta, 1888), 87–92 (§4). 2 C. Menzel, Historia Congregationis Cardinalium de Propaganda Fide (Regensburg, 1721), 18. 3 Nicola Kowalsky, Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide (Roma, 1956), 29–30.

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Congregation, Mgr Francesco Ingoli, the Press de Propaganda Fide was one of the largest print shops in foreign languages.⁴ The publication of the Biblia Sacra Arabica S.C. de Propaganda Fide in 1671⁵ after about 50 years of work merits special attention. In fact, the work of translation was started in 1622 when the special commission requested particular attention for this edition as it was destined for use by Muslims. In the last years of the French Revolution, the library together with the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide underwent the most difficult events of its history. In 1798 the palace of the Propaganda in the Piazza di Spagna was sequestrated and guarded by the French. The new landlords considered publications in Oriental languages, the pride of the press de Propaganda Fide, to be useless, and consigned them to destruction. A part of the library together with the archive was transferred to France. Not a few incunabula, rare books and manuscripts disappeared. Immediately after the withdrawal of the French troops from Rome, the Congregation began to buy the properties put up for auction by the French, especially to reacquire the precious codices and manuscripts, books, furniture, etc.

3.3 Pontifical Missionary Library The second great collection of the Library relates to that of the Pontifical Missionary Library. On the occasion of the Holy Year of 1925, the Supreme Pontiff Pius XI promoted the idea of a missionary exhibition in the Vatican. The Holy Father wanted the exhibition to bring together the largest number possible of publications concerning the missionary ministry and Catholic missions, kindled by them or having inspired them in whatever way, whether in the past or in that historical moment and covering the entire field of book production. As the Holy Year 1925 was coming to an end, the Pope decided to establish a permanent library on the theme of the missions to serve learned research in the future. Subsequently the documents collected for that event (maps, grammars and dictionaries of indigenous languages, catechisms, sacred stories, theological commentaries, and books concerning the history of religion, topography, ethnography of the coun-

4 Willi Henkel, “The Polyglot Printing-office of the Congregation: The Press Apostolate as an Important Means for Communicating the Faith,” in Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide Memoria Rerum, Vol. II (Roma: Herder, 1971), 338–341. 5 Biblia sacra Arabica Sacræ Congregationis de Propaganda Fide iussu edita ad vsum Ecclesiarum orientalium: additis è regione Bibliis latinis vulgatis. Tomus primus [-tertius] ... (Romæ: typis eiusdem Sacræ Congregat. de Propaganda Fide, 1671). (Coll. CR-02b-001(01-03)).

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tries with missionary activity) were donated to the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide and formed the Pontifical Missionary Library. More works were added to enrich the published collection, and this collection now is unique in the world. Fr Robert Streit, OMI, was named the first Director, a post which he continued to occupy until his death in 1930. The year after its foundation, in 1926, the College with the Atheneum were relocated at new premises on the Janiculum. After the death of Robert Streit, Missionary Oblates continued the work he had begun: the ongoing series of the Bibliotheca Missionum, the direction of the Pontifical Missionary Library, and publishing the new periodical, Bibliografia Missionaria. First of all, it is worth noting the next volumes of the Bibliotheca Missionum, edited by Johannes Dindinger, OMI (1881–1958). Fr Streit had invited him to help when he was teaching at the Scholasticate in Hünfeld. Born in Lotharingia, this Oblate had already shown exceptional talent for learning other European languages during his studies in Rome. After the death of Fr Streit, he was named Director of the Pontifical Missionary Library, which he ran until his death in 1958. He was also the editor of the volumes 6–11 (Asia), 15–20 (Africa), and volume 21 (Australia and Oceania) of the Bibliotheca Missionum. Johannes Rommerskirchen, OMI, belongs to the history of Catholic missiology mainly in connection with Bibliografia Missionaria which he founded and edited for 40 years. After the death of Fr Streit, he was named assistant to Dindinger at the Pontifical Missionary Library and helped with the editing of the Bibliotheca Missionum. He helped to edit volumes 6 to 30, but the main editor of volumes 6–12 and 15–21 was Dindinger. After Dindinger’s death in 1958, Fr Rommerskirchen became the main editor. He had as his helpers Fr Nikolaus Kowalsky (volumes 13–14) and Fr Josef Metzler (volumes 22–30). In this way, an important era in the bibliographical documentation of the history of Catholic missions came to an end. It could no longer be claimed, as Streit had done 70 years earlier, that Catholic missiology did not have rich sources for research. Besides this monumental work, there arose another important work for the development of missiology, namely the Bibliografia Missionaria. In 1935, Fr Rommerskirchen published the first volume of this new series. The Bibliotheca Missionum had presented bibliographies in historical perspective. The new series, continuing the great work of Fr Streit, now provided a regular annual overview of all the new publications in the area of the missions. From the beginning, the Bibliografia was open to listing all Christian groups active in the work of evangelization in every corner of the world. In the introduction to the first volume, we read that the Bibliografia Missionaria was to provide an exact list of the publications on the theme of missions and that its aim was to give access to all the existing literature for everyone studying

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or researching in the area of Missiology.⁶ But a year later, in the second volume, Fr Rommerskirchen added that even though the plan of the editors was to provide the greatest number possible of new publications and the most important articles regarding missionary activity, it would be impossible to indicate all of them since that would make the volume too big. Therefore, there was to be a necessary selection, but still allowing for a rich collection of books, articles, and documents about the missions every year.⁷ There was both a historical dimension (missionary congregations and groups, missionaries, special mission territories) as well as a practical aspect (methods, the great world religions, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, social development, sects). It should be noted that this publication, one of its kind in the world, included and still includes publications from all the largest Christian churches. The books and articles shown in the Bibliografia Missionaria were and are cited in the original languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish and Norwegian, and lately also Chinese. During the 78 years’ history of the Bibliografia Missionaria, we can detect an evolution in the dividing categories of the different volumes. In fact, their number has almost doubled: from 19 in the first volume to 37 in the last one. Some categories were replaced by others, and some were simply eliminated (for example, “Missionary medicine”, or “Missions to the East”, and “to Moslems”). New ones were gradually introduced (for example “Interreligious dialogue”, “Missions and social development”) to answer the needs of a developing missiology. At present, the first part of every volume has the following categories, concerning doctrine and missionary practice: – Theology of mission; – Mission canon law; – Human rights; – History of missions; – Current situation of missions; – Pastoral practice; – Ecumenical dialogue and missions; – Missions and social development; – Inculturation; – Anthropology and sociology; – Missionaries and missionary congregations; – Missionary spirituality; – Missionary cooperation.

6 Bibliografia Missionaria 1 (1.I.1933–30.VI.1934), 141*. 7 Bibliografia Missionaria 2 (1.VII.1934–31.XII.1935), 5.

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To the second part belong: – Dialogue, especially dialogue with the Jews, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism; – Religions of China; – Traditional African religions; – New religious movements. The third part gives the criteria for the geographical divisions in the different continents and countries. The shift in emphasis in the current classification towards ecumenism, intercultural and interfaith dialogue is plain. A brief look at statistics shows that, in 75 volumes and in 20,024 pages, one can find 153,018 bibliographical citations and 3,783 abstracts and reviews of the books received in the Pontifical Missionary Library. From the first volume, this work has always been carried out by the directors of the Pontifical Missionary Library and later also by the Library of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, who belong to the order of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, OMI. The complete list of authors and participants who in the space of 78 years have made their contribution in this way towards the spreading of the missionary branches of learning is: – Johannes Battista Rommerkirchen, OMI (1899–1978), founder of the Bibliografia Missionaria, editor of the first thirty-six volumes and co-editor of the four subsequent ones; – Johannes Battista Dindinger, OMI (1881–1958), successor to the first librarian of the Pontifical Missionary Library, Father Robert Streit, aide in the publishing of the first twenty-one volumes of Bibliografia Missionaria; – Nikolaus Kowalsky, OMI (1911–1966), aide to Father Rommerskirchen in the preparation of the thirteen volumes XVII–XXIX; – Josef Metzler, OMI (1921–2012), aide to Fathers Rommerskirchen and Henkel in the preparation of the thirty-five volumes XXII–LIII; – Willi Henkel, OMI (1930– ), assistant in the seven volumes XXX–XXXVI and LXIV and editor of the twenty-eight volumes XXXVII–LXIII; – Olegario Dominguez, OMI (1920– ), aide to Father Henkel in the preparation of five volumes of Bibliografia Missionaria (XXXIX–XLIII); – Marek Rostkowski, OMI (1967– ), aide in the preparation of two volumes (LXII–LXIII) and editor of the twelve most recent volumes of the Bibliographia Missionaria.

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3.4 Fondo Borgia With time, the Library of Urban College was enriched by the very important private collection of the Secretary and Prefect of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, Stefano Cardinal Borgia (1731–1804).⁸ Born at Velletri on 3 December 1731 to Camillo and Maddalena Gagliardi, Stefano completed his first studies under the guidance of his father. In 1740 he was entrusted to the care of his uncle, Alessandro Borgia, Archbishop of Fermo, who strengthened in him the inclination for historical research. Having taken his degree in philosophy in 1750, he turned his interests initially towards antiquarianism, becoming a member of the Accademia Etrusca of Cortona and of the Accademia Colombaria of Florence. His uncle, who in 1719 was due to leave for China as nuncio, was marked as a future cardinal based on his interest for missions and religions. In 1751, only 20 years old, Stefano became a member of the Accademia of Fermo. In 1752 with an Apologia del pontificato di Benedetto X (Apology for the pontificate of Benedict X)⁹ he received a degree in theology. In 1756 he transferred to Rome where, having graduated from Sapienza (Rome University) in canon law (1757), he began his carrier as a prelate. After a brief sojourn in Benevento (1759–1764), he became secretary of the Congregation of Indulgences and on 25 March 1765 was ordained a priest. In 1770 Clement XIV nominated him secretary of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. He applied himself to the reorganization of the work of the Congregation, taking the trouble to promote, even at his own expense, the training of an indigenous clergy in the mission lands. The vast international relations of the congregation permitted him to acquire exotic pieces, above all oriental, for his collections which he brought together in a museum in Velletri. Of greatest interest was the illuminated Mexican manuscript, today designated as Codex Borgianus.¹⁰ On 30 March 1789, Pius VI elevated Borgia to cardinal priest of St Clement, entrusting to him in particular the caretaking of orphanages. When the relations between the pontifical state and revolutionary France became strained, Borgia became part of the Congregation of the State which shared with Pius VI and the secretary of state, in an advisory capacity, the responsibility for the most important decisions of foreign policy from 30 September 1792.

8 See H. Enzensberger, “Borgia, Stefano.” In Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Roma: Istituto dell’Enciclopedia italiana, 1925– . 9 Roma, 1752. 10 Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cod. Borg. Messicano 1.

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When Pius VI had to leave Rome on 20 February 1798, Borgia became part of the Congregation charged, under the guidance of Cardinal Antonelli, with the governing of the Church. Imprisoned on 8 March by the French, he was released on 28 March on condition that he quit the territory of the Roman Republic. He went first to Tuscany, then to Venice and Padua, where, as prefect of the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, he tried to no avail to reorganize it. In the conclave at Venice, Borgia was among those eligible to become pope but he did not succeed in obtaining the votes of the majority. The newly elected Pope Pius VII confirmed him in the office of prefect of the Index and in 1801 put him at the head of the economic Congregation. The year after he was nominated prefect of Propaganda Fide. Selected with other cardinals to accompany Pius VII to Paris for the imperial coronation of Napoleon, Borgia died at Lyon on 23 November 1804. As a great patron, he knew how to collect ancient objects, works of art, printed books and manuscripts from every part of the world, making use of them to study and deepen his knowledge of the culture, religion, history, habits and customs of various peoples. He was compared to the greats of the age of the Renaissance for his competence in almost all fields of knowledge. History and archaeology were among his prefered disciplines. Borgia was in charge in particular of the Archive and Library of the Congregation, enriching them with his donations and opening them to students of Urban College who were studying in Rome. He promoted the publication of catechisms in various languages for the use of missions, as well as other books which could be useful for evangelizing activity. At his death, Stefano Borgia wanted the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, to which he dedicated so great a part of his energies and his years, to inherit his collections. The private library of the cardinal merged into the book collections of Urban College, the institution at which the Congregation trained students from every part of the world so that they could return as missionaries in their lands of origin.¹¹ At present one part of his collection (the manuscripts) is located in the Vatican Apostolic Library (Fondo Borgia), the other part (printed books) in the library of the Pontifical Urbaniana University. The present collection contains about 1,000 volumes printed from 1500 to 1700 and includes great individual collections of patristics, sacred scripture, universal history, history of the Church, law, and canon law (both texts and commentaries).

11 See Nicola Kowalsky, Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide.

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A part of the collection represents the missionary world, with a link easily traced back to the “institutional” role, as it were, of the cardinal in the direction of Propaganda Fide. On the other hand these books were collected out of that intellectual curiosity towards the peoples farthest away that spurred him to take advantage of his relations with the regions of missionary activity to collect objects capable of documenting customs, beliefs, culture and traditions.¹² One of the sections of particular historical value is made up of the display of grammars and dictionaries of the type of “Litterae humaniores”, or rather of a typology of works that, furnishing the basic tools to have a good command of the language of the peoples to be evangelized,¹³ have traditionally formed, in the missionary realm, a privileged field of studies and a specific centre of interests. For example, these few works encompass languages as diverse as Tibetan, Arabic, Syriac, Ge’ez, Amharic, Burmese, Persian and Malayalam: – A.A. Giorgi. Alphabetum Tibetanum missionum apostolicarum commodo editum. Præmissa est disquisitio qua de vario litterarum ac regionis nomine, gentis origine moribus, superstitione, ac manichaeismo fuse disseritur. Beausobrii calumniæ in sanctum Augustinum, aliosque ecclesiæ patres refutantu. Studio et labore fr. Augustini Antonii Georgii ... Romæ: typis Sacræ Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, 1762. (Coll. C-01b-005); – Alphabetum Arabicum una cum oratione dominicali salutatione angelica et symbolo fidei. Romae: typis Sac. Congregationis de Propag. Fide, 1797. (Coll. C-06e-004(07)); – Alphabetum syro-chaldaeum una cum oratione dominicali salutatione angelica et symbolo fidei. Romae: typis Sac. Congregationis de Propag. Fide, 1797. (Coll. C-06a-006(02)) ;

12 For example: B. Pianzola, Manualis bibliotheca historico-ethico-polemica adversus omnes infidelium sectas in duos tomos distributa in qua, præmissis vita Mahumeti, synopsi Alcorani, & epitome historiæ Mahumetanorum per dialogos christianum inter, & turcam Mahumetani ipsi, increduli, & omnes alii infideles refutantur. Quibus inseruntur omnes fere praxes morales, & politicæ Turcarum; ... Opera, et studio a r.p. magistri Bernardini Pianzola ... Tomus I [– II] (Venetiis: apud Antonium Zatta, 1779) (Coll. A-01d-031); A. Collina, Antiche relazioni dell’Indie, e della China di due maomettani che nel secolo nono v’andarono. Tradotte dall’araba nella lingua francese, ed illustrate con note, e dissertazioni dal signor Eusebio Renodozio ed insieme con queste aggiunte fatte italiane per un’anonimo (In Bologna: per Tommaso Colli, a s. Tommaso d’Acquino, 1749). (Coll. C-01e-016) 13 An exceptional example is: Domenico Germano da Silesia, Fabrica, overo, Dittionario della lingua volgare arabica, et italiana, copioso de voci; & locutioni, con osseruare la frase dell’vna & dell’altra lingua, Raccolto dal p. fra Domenico Germano da Silesia ... (In Roma: nella stampa della Sac. Congreg. de Propag. Fede, 1636). (Coll. H-02b-031).

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Alphabetum Aethiopicum sive Gheez et Amhharicum cum oratione dominicali salutatione angelica symbolo fidei praeceptis decalogi & initio Evangelii s. Iohannis. Romae: typis Sac. Congreg. de Prop. Fide, 1789. (Coll. C-06a006(14)) ; Alphabetum Barmanorum seu Regni Avensis. Romae: typis Sac. Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, 1787. (Coll. C-06a-006(10)); Alphabetum Persicum cum oratione dominicali et salutatione angelica. Romae: typis Sac. Congreg. de Propag. Fide, 1783. (Coll. C-06a-006(03)); Alphabetum Grandonico-Malabaricum sive Samscrudonicum. Romae: typis Sac. Congregationis de Propag. Fide, 1772. (Coll. C-06a-006(05)).

The same Polyglot Printing House of Propaganda Fide carried out an active role in the spreading of such tools and printed the greater part of the present works in this section of the Borgia collection.¹⁴ With respect to the rich collection dedicated to the history of Italy and to general ecclesiastical history, the works that interest non-European countries (not more than about eighty in this collection but with great historical value) are represented by relations and conditions of missions (about thirty volumes) and by geographical descriptions and accounts of voyages (about twenty-five) as much in the missionary realm as linked to the geographical explorations of companies and scientific expeditions. Typical of the latter are: – J. Selden, Joannis Seldeni J.C. De dis Syris syntagmata II. Adversaria nempe de numinibus commentitiis in veteri intrumento memoratis. Accedunt fere quæ sunt reliqua Syrorum. Prisca porrò Arabum, Ægyptiorum, Persarum, Afrorum, Europæorum ... Amstelodami: apud Henricum & Theodorum Boom, 1680. (Coll. PPB-07g-006); – J. Hager, Monument de Yu, ou La plus ancienne inscription de la Chine; suivi de trente-deux formes d’anciens caracteres chinois, avec quelques remarques sur cette inscription et sur ces caracteres par Joseph Hager. A Paris: chez Treuttel et Würtz, libraires de l’imprimerie de Pierre Didot l’ainé au Louvre, 1802. (Coll. D-12a-008); – G. Mattei di Bientina, Compendio della storia della persecuzione mossa contro la cattolica religione nell’impero della Cina l’anno del Signore MDCCLXXXIV. scritto dal p. Giuseppe Mattei di Bientina missionario apostolico. Firenze: per Gaetano Cambiagi stamp. granducale, 1789. (Coll. D-01f-017).

14 Nineteen were not printed by Propaganda in comparison to 25 that were.

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A small part of the books come from the collections of Lorenzo Cardinal Caleppi (1741–1817), nuncio in Lisbon, and of Giuseppe Cardinal Garampi (1725–1792), archivist and historian, author of the most extensive index for the consultation of the Secret Vatican Archive. The largest part of the books has a binding in leather or in parchment. The high historical value of this collection, the refined research of the books, the rarity of the editions of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries form a very important library patrimony to be made usable for the research of scholars coming from every part of the world.

3.5 The Library Today and Projects for Tomorrow The Library receives about 20,000 visitors every year. The students of the Pontifical Urban University, of its four faculties (Theology, Philosophy, Canon Law, and Missiology), and of two higher institutes (Missionary Spirituality and Missionary Catechesis) represent the larger part of this group. There are also many scholars and researchers coming from all around the world who carry out scientific research in the fields of the history of the missions, of missiology, of religions, of anthropology and ethnology, and of the history of the missionary orders. The Library has provided objects from its rich collection to various international exhibitions in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Italy, and Poland. From 14 May to 2 June 2012, the Library of the Pontifical Urban University organized an exhibition entitled “Ecclesia in Africa – Africa in Ecclesia: the faces of evangelization in Africa”. It was an opportunity to exhibit materials that had never been presented in any other previous exhibitions. There are projects for digitizing some works and making them available to all online.

Driss Khrouz

4. Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du 4. Maroc Dialogue et diversité culturelle Résumé: Cet article présente la politique de la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc au service du dialogue et de la diversité : les fonctions de base d’une bibliothèque nationale sont structurées par une charte documentaire et des orientations stratégiques : conservation, restauration, acquisitions, numérisation, travail en réseau sont menés au service de cette ouverture qui sert aussi bien la culture amazighe que la francophonie, la religion musulmane que la religion chrétienne. L’organisation de nombreuses manifestations culturelles permet d’ouvrir le débat au sein de la population du Maroc. Abstract: This article presents the policy of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco in the service of dialogue and diversity. The basic functions of a national library are structured around a mission statement and strategic directions: conservation, restoration, acquisitions, digitization, and research work are undertaken to this end, serving equally Berber and Francophone culture, Islam and Christianity. The organization of many events stimulates debate among the people of Morocco. Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc

4.1 Introduction La question de la connaissance et du savoir, qui dépasse celle de la simple information, est un des fondements des missions d’une bibliothèque nationale. Elle passe par la relation à autrui pour le connaitre et mieux le reconnaitre. Le projet de la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc (BNRM) s’appuie sur la collecte et la valorisation des savoirs du Maroc et du monde pour ouvrir de nouveaux domaines d’interrogation et de réflexion. L’approche du patrimoine est au centre de cette problématique. Le projet stratégique de la BNRM, articulé depuis son lancement sous sa forme juridique actuelle, continue à réunir, valoriser et diffuser toutes les composantes du patri-

Driss Khrouz, Directeur de la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc.

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moine écrit du Maroc. L’accent est mis aussi sur son interpellation à l’aune des questionnements culturels contemporains du Maroc dans son environnement régional et mondial. De ce fait, les relations entre savoirs et religions d’un côté et droit humain de l’autre, sont au centre de notre vision. La BNRM ne veut plus continuer à être une réserve de documents et périodiques sur les connaissances des Anciens correspondant à ce que l’on nomme traditions par conformisme narratif. Les textes de loi, créateurs de l’institution, lui assignent bien d’autres ambitions conformes aux mutations socio-politiques à l’œuvre depuis la fin du XXe siècle. Elle s’appelle Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc et non plus Bibliothèque Générale et Archives (BGA). Il faut savoir en effet qu’en langue arabe elle ne s’appelait pas bibliothèque maktaba mais khizana ce qui privilégiait sa dimension de conservation. Le responsable était un conservateur et non un directeur. Le changement de paradigme signifie un nouveau projet global décliné en politiques culturelles et documentaires et en mesures d’actions qui utilisent les savoirs patrimoniaux pour un ancrage moderne du Maroc dans les multiples articulations avec les savoirs contemporains universels et particuliers. Trois axes structurent ce projet : – une nouvelle lecture du patrimoine ; – du patrimoine aux savoirs modernes partagés ; – les supports et les politiques culturelles au service du respect de la diversité culturelle.

4.2 Les réponses aux questionnements sur le 4.2 patrimoine La tendance dominante dans les milieux académiques, universitaires et religieux au Maroc, et probablement dans d’autres sociétés non sécularisées, est d’aborder tout document écrit hérité des aïeux comme un héritage sacré. Sans sous-estimer, en aucun cas, la valeur spirituelle, historique et parfois artistique de ces supports, notre démarche est de les valoriser en les rendant accessibles à tous les lecteurs. La démocratisation de ces savoirs ne va pas de soi. La conservation, la restauration et la mise en valeur des multiples écrits religieux, parlant de l’islam, des traditions, des narrateurs, des savants traditionnels, des grandes familles de pouvoirs antérieurs et des dynasties, sont réalisées par la BNRM dans son nouveau projet stratégique.

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Les mutations que connaît le Maroc en interaction avec les changements dans le monde ont porté notre projet vers des ambitions nouvelles et des perspectives en rupture avec le passé de l’institution. Dans le respect des règles en vigueur dans toute institution moderne comparable, nous avons mis l’accent sur deux vecteurs porteurs de cette dynamique : – une information et une visibilité professionnelles ; – un usage performant des technologies des systèmes d’information.

4.2.1 Le catalogue Le catalogage des collections, notamment patrimoniales, permet d’assurer leur visibilité pour une meilleure lisibilité. Toute action qui vise à améliorer l’information sur les documents anciens et à valeur historique et religieuse ne peut que contribuer à assurer leur meilleure diffusion. Cet objectif de transparence permet de toucher des milieux et des lecteurs pour lesquels les pratiques traditionnelles ne donnaient pas accès à ce type de savoir, réservé auparavant à une élite religieuse et/ou familiale. La circulation quasi-occulte de ces savoirs en faisait des objets fétiches. Leur valeur ne dépendait pas de leur contenu culturel, historique ou spirituel et du contexte qui les avait portés, mais uniquement de l’interprétation qui en était faite par ces initiés auto-proclamés. En les cataloguant dans des systèmes bibliothécaires informatisés, leur visibilité technique, c’est-à-dire leur informatisation, contribue dorénavant à leur assurer plus de transparence. Cette démocratisation de la simple information et sa transparence réduisent considérablement le pouvoir de ces pseudo-savants dont la seule science est d’être des relais déformants et des agents de l’idéologisation des savoirs, au nom de la récitation-transmission et de l’instrumentalisation des usages des traditions. Pour mieux développer ce vecteur de diffusion des sources authentifiées et sérieuses des savoirs et de la recherche scientifique, la BNRM s’est engagée dans deux programmes structurant la bibliothéconomie au Maroc, il s’agit du Catalogue du Maroc (CM) et du Catalogue Collectif Marocain (CCM) : – le Catalogue du Maroc : il constitue une base de données communes pour les publications écrites ou éditées au Maroc, écrites sur le Maroc ou écrites par des Marocains, quel que soit le pays d’origine de la publication ; – le Catalogue Collectif Marocain  : catalogue commun à plusieurs bibliothèques et centres documentaires marocains, il rassemble l’ensemble des notices et des éléments de localisation des documents qui constituent les collections des bibliothèques membres.

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L’objectif de ces deux sources d’information est d’offrir au public un catalogue moderne, professionnel, de qualité et évolutif qui assure une plus grande visibilité des collections. Quelle forme de catalogage? Partagé en réseau, de production mutualisée, il permet l’allègement des charges de catalogage et la réduction de la part de création de notices par les membres du réseau, dans un respect des normes et des formats. Les nouvelles technologies de la communication et de l’information fournissent de plus en plus de moyens au service d’une connaissance plus sereine, plus ouverte et plus interrogative. La numérisation en est un exemple.

4.2.2 La numérisation Elle constitue une technologie performante au service de la diffusion des savoirs et de la valorisation du patrimoine et ce dans le même esprit d’ouverture et de diversité culturelle et religieuse. Les programmes de numérisation de la BNRM donnent la priorité aux contenus rares et fragiles comme les manuscrits, qui en constituent une composante essentielle. Plus de deux millions de pages numérisées représentent aujourd’hui un apport important dans la diffusion de ce savoir autrefois sacralisé. Quand toute calligraphie en belles lettres en arabe était considérée comme intouchable, indépendamment de son contenu religieux, spirituel, sociétal ou culturel, le contenu culturel se trouvait relégué au second plan. L’une des vertus, et non des moindres, de la numérisation est de créer ce lien essentiel entre le chercheur et le savoir. Une accessibilité pour tous, et souvent à distance, permet une lecture immédiate et multiple. Il y a bien entendu différents niveaux de lecture, de compréhension et d’interprétation. Les documents patrimoniaux de la BNRM abordent en grande partie des questions sur le Coran, les hadiths, les écoles d’interprétation, les soufismes, ainsi que l’histoire du Maroc, de l’islam et de ses relations avec le christianisme, l’Andalousie, le judaïsme et le protectorat. La politique documentaire dans l’univers numérique se traduit dans le choix de s’investir dans cet immense chantier plein de promesses mais aussi porteur de préoccupations. La Bibliothèque numérique du Maroc (BNM) est un projet de grande envergure entamé il y a plus de quatre ans.

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Le soutien de deux grandes entreprises marocaines, l’Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) et Maroc-Telecom, nous permet de lancer plusieurs opérations convergentes. Les manuscrits et lithographies constituent des sources documentaires fondamentales. La BNRM dispose d’une collection prestigieuse et appréciable. Le programme de numérisation de deux millions de pages par an que réalise la bibliothèque depuis 2012 donne la priorité à des manuscrits rares, fragiles et uniques par leur contenu religieux, spirituel, historique, politique et culturel. Le choix s’est porté aussi sur les documents les plus consultés et demandés. Tout travail de numérisation est précédé d’un passage inéluctable au laboratoire de restauration, afin d’assurer au support les meilleures conditions de conservation. Les textes les plus anciens et les plus précieux en termes de calligraphie, d’enluminures et de contenus dont nous disposons, sur le Coran, la Bible, la Thora et l’Evangile, sont numérisés et pour la plupart consultables via le site http://www.bnrm.ma. Les manuscrits sur les courants fondateurs du soufisme sont une composante prestigieuse de la collection. Une place privilégiée est consacrée aux manuscrits andalous, particulièrement des pièces illustres sur la médecine, la chirurgie, les mathématiques, l’astrologie et l’hippologie. Ce choix exprime bien notre option pour la valorisation des témoignages culturels de cette période où les religions, les croyances, les races et peuples ont su dialoguer, s’apprécier, se respecter et vivre en harmonie, parfois en conflit mais ensemble, au-delà des divergences et des guerres de religion, de territoires et de domination. Pour enrichir la BNRM, le programme offre ses services aux bibliothèques, confréries religieuses et détenteurs privés de manuscrits, à condition que leurs fonds correspondent aux critères de la charte documentaire et stratégique de la BNRM. Les documents en ligne sont une illustration du travail de numérisation entrepris par la BNRM dans une dimension pluriculturelle et pluridisciplinaire. Elle répond en effet au principe de la diversité religieuse, culturelle et linguistique sur lequel est fondé le travail de la bibliothèque dans tous ses domaines d’activités, y compris la numérisation. Nous visons, à travers la numérisation et le catalogage de ces documents précieux, à les rendre visibles pour la démocratisation de leur lecture gratuite, mais aussi pour gêner, faute de mieux, les circuits de commerce illicite voire clandestin de ce patrimoine. Le patrimoine écrit et artistique marocain continue de subir les méfaits d’un marché noir qui prive le pays d’une partie de ses richesses. Des manuscrits, archives, bijoux et autres objets d’art précieux sont sortis illégalement du territoire, du fait de l’ignorance, de la corruption et à travers la valise diplomatique... L’essentiel du patrimoine juif marocain est sorti ainsi du pays !

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4.2.3 La BNRM membre du Réseau francophone numérique 4.2.3 (RFN) Autre signe de diversité et d’ouverture, la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc est attachée aux valeurs de la francophonie, à travers les collections patrimoniales francophones qu’elle abrite mais aussi de par son engagement auprès de partenaires francophones avec lesquels elle entretient des relations privilégiées dans le domaine de la formation, de l’expertise, de la numérisation et de l’échange de documents. Depuis son adhésion au Réseau francophone des bibliothèques nationales numériques (RFBNN) en 2006 et son élection au Comité de pilotage du RFN en 2010, la BNRM n’a cessé de développer sa politique de numérisation patrimoniale, en concentrant ses efforts sur ses fonds historiques libres de droits. Cette dynamique s’appuie sur un laboratoire de numérisation disposant des dernières innovations en la matière ainsi que d’un personnel qualifié. La BNRM envisage l’achèvement de la numérisation de l’ensemble de ses collections patrimoniales francophones à l’horizon 2015, contribuant ainsi à enrichir les collections du RFN. Depuis sa création en 2010, la Bibliothèque Numérique du Maroc n’a cessé d’alimenter sa base de données en documents riches et variés. Elle constitue ainsi l’une des réalisations que la BNRM est fière de mettre à la disposition des lecteurs et chercheurs. Consciente des défis de l’ère numérique et afin d’accélérer le rythme de son programme de numérisation, la BNRM a procédé à l’externalisation d’une partie de ses fonds patrimoniaux et des fonds qui renforcent l’adhésion aux savoirs universels à caractère historique, philosophique, encyclopédique et humaniste. A travers son engagement dans ce réseau, la BNRM vise à contribuer au rayonnement de la culture francophone, aussi bien au Maroc qu’en dehors de ses frontières. La francophonie est une richesse et une culture en partage, une vision du monde vers laquelle convergent des acteurs issus d’environnements socio-culturels différents. Elle crée une dynamique commune qui tire vers un horizon commun. Son développement et son rayonnement sont une priorité, un engagement envers les générations futures, dépositaires des richesses patrimoniales et des valeurs qu’elle véhicule et défend. Ce projet n’est pas un investissement dans le savoir pour le savoir que nous partageons à travers les valeurs que porte la francophonie : ce sont des valeurs et des cultures des droits humains, de dialogue, de connaissance, de reconnaissance et de respect de la différence. Pour nous, le savoir n’est pas neutre, il est et doit être au service de l’humanisme universel. C’est cela la francophonie que nous avons en partage.

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4.3 Des passerelles entre patrimoines écrits et 4.3 savoirs modernes Les choix structurant les politiques culturelles de la BNRM s’inscrivent depuis une décennie dans les dynamiques des transformations institutionnelles et politiques au Maroc. Il s’agit de traduire en projets et en actions les transitions enclenchées aux niveaux politique et social. C’est cet écho culturel qui inspire les programmes engagés dans les différents départements de la bibliothèque pour faire le lien entre les connaissances consacrées aux siècles derniers, aux religions, à l’histoire, aux tribus, aux villes, au Maghreb, à l’Andalousie et au protectorat, dans ses versions française et espagnole et, de plus en plus, aux savoirs modernes et contemporains dans le monde.

4.3.1 Les collections Dans ce contexte, la cohérence des collections est en jeu et devrait, dans toute politique documentaire moderne, constituer un vecteur de performance et d’ouverture sur le monde. Dans les collections dont a hérité la BNRM, et mis à part les documents issus du dépôt légal et dont l’indigence est frappante, seules les collections héritées du protectorat et les manuscrits accueillis après l’indépendance présentent une cohérence et un intérêt avéré pour une bibliothèque digne de ce nom. Le nombre des publications au Maroc dépassant à peine le millier par an et souvent de qualité scientifique, littéraire et artistique de faible niveau, il est évident que le développement des collections constitue une composante essentielle dans les politiques documentaires de la BNRM. Au-delà des contraintes linguistiques, la diversité thématique et surtout culturelle et religieuse est impérative. Cette orientation est prise dans la Charte documentaire et stratégique,¹⁵ document-cadre des programmes et de leurs articulations nécessaires. La mondialisation des économies et les mutations géostratégiques survenues dans le monde, particulièrement depuis la fin des années soixante-dix, impliquent des choix documentaires nouveaux dans leur méthodologie et surtout dans leur diversité. Le système bipolaire hérité de la conférence de Yalta a transformé le monde. L’implosion du monde soviétique marque l’émergence de nou-

15 Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Charte documentaire et documentation stratégique (Rabat: BNRM, 2014).

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velles données stratégiques fortes et « la fin de l’Histoire » ne s’est pas réalisée. La revendication du respect des droits humains s’est mondialisée et les frontières souveraines n’ont pas résisté aux exploits des technologies d’information et de communication, avec leurs vertus et leurs vices. L’islam, pluriel depuis la mort du prophète, a connu une accélération énorme de sa dimension politique qui fait bien partie de sa matrice. Le chiisme version Khomeyni d’un côté et les pétrodollars du wahhabisme de l’autre, ont donné à l’islam en général et à l’islam politique en particulier de nouvelles expressions et des dimensions bien portées par les forces et les faiblesses de la mondialisation. Les différentes guerres du Golfe et l’invasion désastreuse de l’Irak, ainsi que la guerre en Afghanistan, ont eu des échos terrifiants à travers les attentats terroristes depuis le 11 septembre 2001. Toutes ces mutations profondes et sûrement durables du monde, doivent s’exprimer dans nos politiques documentaires et nos activités culturelles et artistiques. Il en est de même, bien évidemment, des bouleversements que connaissent les sociétés et les paradigmes dominants en Chine, dans les pays émergents, en Amérique Latine, en Russie et aux Etats-Unis d’Amérique. La grave crise israélo-palestinienne ainsi que les réussites et les difficiles cheminements du partenariat euro-méditerranéen, sont au centre des préoccupations de notre espace culturel. La Charte documentaire et stratégique élaborée par l’institution et approuvée par son conseil d’administration adopte cette ouverture des collections vers des problématiques culturelles et scientifiques modernes, en les centrant sur le respect de la diversité culturelle, le respect des différences et des droits humains et la nécessaire connaissance et reconnaissance des autres cultures, religions, croyances et savoirs.

4.3.2 Un ancrage de la diversité Une plus grande ouverture des centres d’intérêt de la BNRM à travers ses sources documentaires s’est accompagnée de la mise en exergue de quelques collections dont la diversité des origines des donateurs, des champs épistémologiques et culturels et des thématiques abordées, signifie bien la primauté du respect des différences dans les savoirs et les idées véhiculées par les bibliothèques. Dans ce sens la BNRM est liée par des accords à plusieurs institutions pour une alimentation régulière de ses fonds par leurs publications.

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4.3.2.1 Les publications de l’IRCAM L’Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe (IRCAM), le Conseil Consultatif des Marocains à l’Etranger (CCME), la représentation des institutions internationales et la délégation de la Communauté européenne en sont des exemples. Aux termes d’un accord entre ces institutions, la bibliothèque reçoit toutes les publications, dont des exemplaires des acquisitions du CCME, qui sont consacrées aux écrits des Marocains de l’étranger et aux questions des migrations. La mobilité des populations d’origine marocaine et leur installation et intégration dans d’autres pays expriment bien cette question de la diversité culturelle et religieuse. Il en est de même des populations qui arrivent au Maroc dans l’espoir d’émigrer en Europe et qui sont contraintes de s’installer au Maroc. Ce dernier devient, par la force des événements, de plus en plus, un pays, non de transit mais de résidence. Les jeunes, issus des pays différents de l’Afrique sub-saharienne, sont porteurs d’autres valeurs, d’autres comportements. La BNRM ne peut pas occulter cette réalité qui est en fait une richesse, certes difficile mais réelle. Les publications de l’IRCAM sont accueillies, cataloguées et lues dans les espaces de lecture. Elles sont significatives de la reconnaissance de la langue amazighe comme langue officielle au Maroc (constitution de juillet 2011) et du travail fait sur le plan linguistique et académique depuis 2001–2002, avec la réconciliation du Maroc avec les fondements multiples de sa culture dont la civilisation amazighe est la base et le prolongement. La transcription de la langue en graphies tifinaghes brise un tabou important et introduit bien la réalité de la diversité des langues et des civilisations dans le pays. Le Maroc, qui est une seule nation et un pays uni, est multiple dans ses cultures et civilisations. L’islam, qui est la religion de l’Etat, cohabite depuis des siècles avec le judaïsme, qui l’a bien précédé dans le pays et avant de devenir musulmans, les Marocains avaient d’autres croyances, dont le judaïsme et accessoirement le christianisme. La liberté de culte est consacrée par la constitution marocaine. Des citoyens marocains sont de confession juive. L’Église du Maroc est une association de droit marocain. Dans la même logique de cohabitation des cultures et des religions qui règne au Maroc, la BNRM ne fait aucune distinction religieuse ou ethnique par rapport au développement de ses collections ou des fonds qu’elle abrite.

4.3.2.2 La Bibliothèque de La Source La BNRM a ainsi reçu le fonds de la Bibliothèque de La Source, en dépôt à long terme, qui pourrait devenir perpétuel selon les termes de la convention signée

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entre l’Archevêque de Rabat et la BNRM. Ce fonds riche de plus de 73 000 documents a une histoire prodigieuse. En 1981 le père Jacques Levrat, vicaire général du diocèse de Rabat a fondé le « Centre de documentation La Source » dans un local cédé à l’Eglise du Maroc par la Fondation Suzanne Rollin. Appartenant à l’Eglise du Maroc, il a été collecté et développé par différentes communautés chrétiennes de différentes villes du Maroc, mais aussi par des familles marocaines qui ont contribué à sa constitution par dons de livres. Les franciscains d’abord mais aussi les jésuites et les dominicains sont les principaux ordres qui l’ont constitué depuis le début du XXe siècle. Ils l’ont fait dans le respect total du Maroc et de l’islam. Cette histoire a été déterminante dans la richesse et la diversité de cette collection, nettement illustrée par son contenu, puisque qu’elle englobe : – un fonds sur l’islam sous ses différentes formes : rite de l’imam Malek, soufismes, philosophie… les documents sont choisis selon des critères impliquant le dialogue, la diversité et la tolérance de l’islam au Maroc; sa volumétrie est de 8386 unités documentaires ; – un fonds dit bibliothèque chrétienne du Maroc d’une volumétrie de 2823 unités documentaires, axé sur le dialogue islamo-chrétien, les relations humaines entre chrétiens vivants au Maroc et les Marocains. Ce fonds met également en exergue le rôle de l’Eglise du Maroc dans la diffusion de la diversité culturelle, le respect de la différence et la liberté de culte ; – un fonds qui contient aussi la majeure partie des travaux des écrivains marocains de confession ou culture juives, comme Haim Zafarani ou Simon Levy ; – un fonds général sur les tribus : anthropologie, économie, politique du Maroc et son environnement régional, à savoir le grand Maghreb, la Méditerranée, l’Afrique et le monde arabo-islamique ; – un fonds sur la question amazighe sous ses aspects nationaux et régionaux. Riche de plus de 1345 documents, ce fonds était destiné aux Européens pour comprendre la langue, connaître les traditions et explorer le Maroc.

4.3.2.3 La Bibliothèque d’Edmond Amran el-Maleh Autre fonds que la bibliothèque a reçu en donation et qui incarne cette culture de la diversité et la valeur du vivre ensemble que la bibliothèque défend est celui d’Edmond Amran el-Maleh. Edmond Amran el-Maleh, Marocain de culture juive, ancien résistant, au passé communiste, connu pour son opposition au protectorat au Maroc et grand défenseur de la cause du peuple palestinien, a su réunir un fonds riche et varié qu’il a offert à la Bibliothèque nationale. Ce fonds, constitué de sa bibliothèque

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privée, de tableaux de peintres et d’objets d’art transférés dans nos locaux après sa mort en novembre 2011, est une personnalisation du dialogue et du respect de la diversité culturelle comme fondement de la modernité. Les deux fonds prestigieux – La Source et Amran – sont conservés chacun dans son unité et ils reçoivent un traitement privilégié dans l’annexe de la BNRM où ils sont catalogués, consultés et en voie de numérisation. Les autres objets et supports du fonds Edmond Amran el-Maleh seront exposés et valorisés dans le Centre de la Mémoire Contemporaine du Maroc (CMCM), interne à la bibliothèque nationale. La vocation de ce centre est de réunir les manuscrits et archives littéraires des écrivains du Maroc et sur le Maroc, qui ne sont conservés nulle part et dont la quasi-totalité risquerait d’être définitivement dilapidée et ignorée.

4.4 Savoirs et débats L’animation culturelle fait partie des missions les plus importantes de la BNRM. Derrière cette volonté affichée de s’imposer en tant qu’espace privilégié de savoir et de débat, il existe un concept majeur que la bibliothèque adopte et défend, celui de Vivre la culture de notre pays dans le monde. Il s’agit d’exprimer ce que le mot culture peut signifier, véhiculer ou inculquer à travers les multiples activités que la Bibliothèque organise. Le mot “culture”, tel qu’il est conçu et voulu à la BNRM, n’a de sens que si on le perçoit sous l’angle de l’ouverture, de la diversité et du dialogue. C’est alors que tous les choix dans la programmation culturelle de la BNRM deviennent avant tout des choix stratégiques, qui tendent vers un seul et même objectif, celui d’offrir aux citoyens un espace convivial d’échange d’idées et de cohabitation des valeurs et des croyances, fussent-elles opposées. En effet le bilan des activités culturelles de la BNRM témoigne de la richesse des thèmes abordés avec le maximum d’objectivité et dans le respect de la différence, ce qui a pu permettre aux citoyens d’assister continuellement à des manifestations allant au-delà des frontières religieuses, ethniques ou linguistiques. La question de la diversité est donc placée au cœur de l’activité culturelle de la BNRM, que ce soit au niveau des conférences ou au niveau des activités artistiques. Cette ouverture se traduit également au niveau du choix des partenaires : la BNRM n’hésite pas à organiser, en partenariat, ses activités à l’échelle nationale et internationale notamment avec les ambassades, les instituts et les différents acteurs de la culture dans le monde entier.

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C’est ainsi et à titre d’exemple que de la BNRM est partenaire du Centre Jacques Berque¹⁶ pour accueillir des conférenciers français de haut niveau. De même qu’elle est partenaire de l’Institut Français du Maroc pour l’organisation du prix grand ATLAS.¹⁷

4.4.1 Les conférences de la BNRM, entre la culture du dialogue 4.4.1 et le dialogue des cultures Le choix de l’organisation de toutes les rencontres, manifestations et débats à la Bibliothèque nationale, émane de la conviction profonde que le savoir n’est pas identitaire, qu’il est bien au contraire d’essence universelle et il trouve des manifestations différentes d’une société à une autre. Dans ce cadre, tous les sujets peuvent faire l’objet de débats, loin du conformisme conventionnel et des conventions de style. C’est alors que le débat s’enrichit en mettant en évidence les différences, pas uniquement dans ce qui sépare et éloigne les individus mais aussi et surtout dans ce qui les rapproche. De multiples rencontres ont permis dans ce sens de soulever de profonds questionnements sur la diversité, et ce, dans toutes ses dimensions : religieuse, culturelle et linguistique. Pour amener la réflexion sur la relation à soi qui ne peut être mieux assimilée qu’à travers une meilleure appréhension de sa relation avec autrui. Envisager une connaissance de soi qui commence d’abord par une connaissance et une ouverture sur l’autre. Quelques exemples illustrent bien cette approche :

4.4.1.1 Le partenariat avec l’association Marocains Pluriels Une conférence-débat a été organisée en partenariat avec l’association Marocains Pluriels. Elle a connu une grande participation de jeunes. Tous venus réfléchir et débattre des questions de la diversité.

16 Le Centre Jaques Berque est un centre spécialisé dans les recherches en sciences sociales sur le Maroc. Il dépend de l’Ambassade de France. 17 Le Prix Grand ATLAS est attribué chaque année par un jury international pour les romans, essais en français et pour les traductions vers le français. C’est un moment de prestige organisé par l’Ambassade de France à Rabat.

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L’idée centrale de ce débat était de mesurer les enjeux de la diversité culturelle qui devient de plus en plus évidente dans un pays où l’identité est une, mais qui ne cesse de connaître des mutations culturelles, mutations intérieures par l’émergence de nouvelles formes de culture, mais aussi extérieures issues de la diaspora marocaine.

4.4.1.2 Le partenariat avec l’Ambassade de France Une rencontre en partenariat avec l’Ambassade de France animée par Joseph Maïla, spécialiste de la religion : Questions culturelles et religieuses dans les relations internationales. Cette conférence-débat a une fois de plus donné l’occasion au public de la BNRM d’assister à une rencontre qui a mis en exergue la question de l’interculturel et l’interaction entre les religions. L’idée était de considérer le rôle déterminant de la religion et de la culture, tout comme la politique et l’économie, dans les rapports entre les nations. Ces diversités religieuses et culturelles qui sont à l’origine de la majorité des conflits, n’excluent néanmoins pas une possibilité de dialogue entre les convictions et les valeurs. L’organisation de cette rencontre traduit l’ambition de la BNRM de faire progresser le dialogue, la culture de la paix et du respect mutuel.

4.4.1.3 Les cycles de conférences de la BNRM Ils donnent la parole à des penseurs et des thématiques sous le signe de la diversité. Avec une première édition qui a donné lieu à quatre conférences autour de la pensée d’un grand homme : – le Cycle Edmond Amran el-Maleh avec l’intervention du Pr. Ali Benmakhlouf sur le thème : Civilisations et humanisme ; – le Cycle Mohammed Arkoun avec l’intervention du Pr. Abdou Filali-Ansary sur La conscience historique en contextes musulmans et du Pr. Jean-Noël Ferri : Pour une approche déflationniste du phénomène religieux ; – le Cycle Laroui avec l’intervention du Pr. Mohammed Janjar sur La problématique de la culture de la pensée de A. Laroui et du Pr. Baudouin Dupret sur L’invention du droit musulman, ou comment la charia s’est transformée politiquement et juridiquement ?

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le Cycle Chafik avec l’intervention du Pr. Abdellah Bounfour sur Discours sur l’amazighité.

Le choix des penseurs précités comme celui des thématiques n’est pas anodin. Il est l’incarnation de cet esprit de liberté et d’ouverture à toutes les religions et à toutes les cultures. Edmond Amran el-Maleh ou Laroui, Arkoun ou Chafik sont tous des penseurs au-delà de leur appartenance, marocains au-delà de leurs convictions spirituelles. Les thématiques abordées sont aussi significatives et s’inscrivent également dans cette logique de débat ouvert autour de questions religieuses, autour de l’islam, du droit religieux, des civilisations et des différentes sociétés, et aussi de la diversité linguistique au Maroc, notamment la question de l’amazighité. Dans cette même optique, une deuxième édition animée par Zakia Daoud et axée sur l’histoire immediate, restitue aux jeunes générations dans un objectif d’humanisme, de mémoire et d’universalisme, une partie de l’histoire peu connue où s’entremêlent deux cultures  : française et marocaine. Une façon de revisiter l’histoire sous l’angle de la cohabitation de deux cultures au temps du protectorat et depuis l’indépendance : – une première rencontre est donc organisée autour de la personne et l’œuvre de Paul Pascon sous le titre : Pascon, père de la sociologie marocaine post-indépendance ; – la deuxième rencontre sous le titre : Les Français libéraux et l’indépendance du Maroc ; – une rencontre sur M’Barek Bekkai qui, en ressuscitant la figure de ce personnage, remet en mémoire les premières années de l’indépendance du Maroc et les luttes entre des courants politiques et culturels. – enfin une rencontre sur la pensée de Fkih Belarbi Alaoui, grand réformateur et sa vision moderne de l’islam. Le but de toutes ces conférences n’est pas narratif, il s’agit d’interroger une partie de l’histoire et de l’aborder différemment sous le signe de la pluralité et de l’ouverture, de reconsidérer la présence des Français au Maroc, de réfléchir à leur apport et leur contribution au Maroc d’aujourd’hui. De penser à nos différences mais aussi aux liens historiques qui nous lient et qui peuvent constituer des points d’ancrage pour des relations privilégiées dans l’espace méditerranéen.

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4.4.1.4 Les rencontres d’Averroès En s’associant à ce rendez-vous annuel qui incarne, par la figure d’Averroès, la philosophie de la raison et le symbole d’ouverture sur le monde, la Bibliothèque nationale affirme une fois de plus sa volonté ferme de donner vie et visibilité à la philosophie. Les Rencontres d’Averroès sont un moment de débat, de discussion, largement ouvert au-delà des cercles restreints aux jeunes, aux citoyens avides de savoir, aux militants et curieux, engagés, en quête de lieux et de moments d’une parole et d’une pensée libre. Ce cycle s’inscrit dans le réseau international Marseille, Rabat et Cordoue.

4.4.1.5 Le colloque sur Louis Massignon Le colloque sur Louis Massignon, organisé par la BNRM en partenariat avec l’Association des Amis de Louis Massignon, l’Ambassade de France au Maroc et l’Institut Français de Rabat : Massignon – Mohamed V une parole donnée. Tel est le titre de ce colloque qui, en l’espace de deux journées, a permis de mettre en évidence l’humanisme de l’un des plus célèbres orientalistes et islamologues français, en évoquant son engagement de vie en faveur du dialogue des cultures et des religions. C’est aussi le courage d’un catholique engagé qui a pris fait et cause pour la lutte contre le colonialisme au nom du respect des droits et libertés de l’Homme. Hautement symbolique, cette rencontre a été l’une des premières activités à installer les bases d’une action culturelle profonde, qui place la BNRM sous le signe du carrefour des savoirs, du débat serein et de la réflexion engagée. Il s’agit là d’un autre message tout aussi fort, à tous les citoyens à partir d’un espace qui est la bibliothèque, un message d’ouverture à l’autre, du chemin vers lui et vers un Maroc moderne, démocratique et ouvert. A travers ces exemples de rencontres apparaît la mission de la bibliothèque, dans la diffusion et la consolidation de la culture du dialogue chez les citoyens. Ces moments de débats organisés par l’institution se veulent un ancrage d’une culture non-conformiste qui permet le rapprochement des croyances et des valeurs au-delà des différences. Pour accomplir cette mission et véhiculer cette culture, la BNRM n’exclut pas la création artistique très présente dans la programmation culturelle et qui demeure un moyen de communication privilégié entre les civilisations.

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4.4.2 La programmation artistique : l’art au service de la 4.4.2 diversité Le projet de la BNRM est conçu pour installer une culture de dialogue et d’ouverture. De ce fait, des expositions et des concerts sont régulièrement organisés pour faire de la bibliothèque un lieu convivial de rencontre et d’interaction entre les cultures et les civilisations en développant davantage cette notion de vivre ensemble.

4.4.2.1 Exposition : Le Maroc et l’Europe six siècles dans le regard de l’autre L’exposition Le Maroc et l’Europe six siècles dans le regard de l’autre organisée par la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, en partenariat avec le Conseil de la communauté marocaine à l’étranger et le Centre de la culture judéo-marocaine, est une réussite dans le genre. Cette exposition a su alimenter les champs de réflexion sur les procédés d’échange et de dialogue interculturel entre le Maroc et l’Europe tout au long de six siècles de leur histoire entre le XVe et le XXe siècle. Un retour sur le déploiement dans le temps et l’espace des échanges et des influences entre ces deux contrées a permis de mieux comprendre une histoire singulière qui fait du Maroc le pays du Maghreb le plus proche de l’Europe à ce jour. L’histoire des relations entre le Maroc et l’Europe permet de mieux faire connaître les sources d’une influence et d’une fascination qui sont aujourd’hui réciproques, tout en améliorant la connaissance des réalités de l’émigration et en changeant la perception sous l’effet des regards croisés des uns et des autres.

4.4.2.2 Exposition: Théophile-Jean Delay au Maroc Dans le même esprit, la Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, l’Ambassade de France au Maroc et l’Association des Amis de Théophile-Jean Delay, ont organisé l’exposition Théophile-Jean Delay au Maroc. Quel lieu plus approprié que la Bibliothèque nationale pour rendre hommage à ce personnage aux multiples facettes, mais encore méconnu du grand public. Ce militaire de carrière, officier proche du Maréchal Lyautey ayant parcouru les différentes régions du Maroc pour en établir la cartographie, ce Français ayant aimé le Maroc avec passion et frénésie et qui n’a cessé d’y revenir régulièrement jusqu’à sa mort. Quel meilleur lieu que la Bibliothèque aurait permis la célébration d’une complicité franco-marocaine, à travers cette exposition qui montre le grand

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artiste peintre respectueux des Marocains en profondeur, longtemps caché par l’officier du protectorat.

4.4.2.3 Exposition: QALAM: L’art du livre Encore une exposition, cette fois-ci de manuscrits uniques de la BNRM, traitant d’astronomie, de médecine, de poésie et de mystique, accompagnés d’un parcours pédagogique sous forme de textes et de photographies, qui rendent compte d’une histoire partagée, celle d’al-Andalus et du Maghreb.

4.4.2.4 Exposition: L’enseignement au Maroc sous le Protectorat français Organisée par la BNRM, cette exposition propose une sélection d’instantanés faisant partie du fonds iconographique de la bibliothèque, instantanés qui couvrent une période correspondant au Protectorat français et qui donnent un aperçu de la coexistence de plusieurs systèmes éducatifs dans le pays. Ces clichés anciens représentent la diversité des enseignements de cette époque. Les écoles coraniques et les collèges musulmans, les écoles de fils de notables, les collèges franco-musulmans représentés notamment par le Lycée Moulay Youssef de Rabat et le Lycée Moulay Idriss de Fès, les écoles urbaines, les écoles rurales, les écoles à formation professionnelle avec, par exemple, les écoles de reliures et de bois, les écoles pour filles (prodiguant une formation à la broderie et au tapis), et enfin le Collège berbère d’Azrou. Riche en significations, l’exposition donne à voir et à réfléchir sur l’histoire des appartenances au Maroc et la diversité de ses composantes à travers la thématique précise de l’enseignement.

4.5 En conclusion: la BNRM au confluent des 4.5 musiques et des cultures Au-delà des expositions artistiques, la musique a su aussi mettre à l’honneur cet art du vivre ensemble, puisque la bibliothèque a pu réunir, à plus d’une occasion, et sur une seule et même scène, des spectacles où la dimension interculturelle était très présente.

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C’est le cas de ce concert, combinaison inédite de polyphonies corses et de chants amazighs, ou encore d’un concert dialogue entre flamenco et chant andalous. La BNRM est devenue cette scène sur laquelle se produisent une chorale, un orchestre philharmonique, une lmayet Amazigh (mélodie chantée à voix haute) ou encore un groupe de chant soufi. N’est-ce pas ici le message ultime d’une bibliothèque qui se veut un lieu de rayonnement de toutes les cultures, un espace qui ne connaît de territoire que le savoir, un savoir sans frontières religieuses, géographiques ou ethniques.

Thomas Reddy, with the collaboration of Noel Sheth

5. The Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth Library at 5. the Service of Interreligious Dialogue Abstract: This article will highlight the idea of how Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV) places itself at the service of dialogue among religions. The article discusses JDV as an Institution open to others, its aims and goals it pursues, and the number of students using the library facilities. The JDV Library is a promoter of dialogue among religions as seen from the numerous collections in Sanskrit, Pali, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Dutch. The article describes the religions of India represented in the JDV Library, and how the JDV Library strives for Interreligious dialogue. Résumé: Cet article illustre la façon dont l’université Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV) se situe au service du dialogue entre les religions. L’article présente cette institution comme ouverte aux autres, donne les objectifs et les buts qu’elle poursuit ainsi que le nombre d’étudiants qui utilisent les services de la bibliothèque. La bibliothèque de JDV promeut le dialogue interreligieux, comme en témoignent ses nombreuses collections en sanskrit, pali, latin, italien, espagnol, français, portugais, allemand et néerlandais. L’article décrit les religions de l’Inde qui sont bien représentées dans le fonds cette bibliothèque. Il montre l’énergie qu’elle déploie au service du dialogue interreligieux.

5.1 Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth as an Institution Open to Others The Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth Library at the Service of Interreligious Dialogue

In the context of the theme of this article and of the book, we would like to briefly introduce our institution before speaking, more specifically, of its library. Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV) is the name given to the Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune in its Revised Statutes of 1972. The Pontifical Athenaeum has a history going back to 1893 when Pope Leo XIII founded the Papal Seminary of St Francis

Dr Fr Thomas Reddy, SJ, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Pune, India. Prof. Dr Fr Noel Sheth, SJ, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Pune, India.

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Xavier (known by its shortened title of Papal Seminary) in Kandy, then British India but now Sri Lanka, and entrusted it to the Society of Jesus. From the very beginning, the institution was open to inculturation as well as the study of different religions of India and dialogue with them. The charter of 27 July 1926, issued by the Holy See, elevated the Papal Seminary to the status of a Pontifical College with the right and privilege of conferring baccalaureates, licentiates and doctorates in both Philosophy and Theology. In 1955 the Papal Seminary – and, with it, the Pontifical Athenaeum – was transferred from Sri Lanka to Pune, in close proximity to De Nobili College, the Jesuit “formation house”, which was already in existence in Pune. Although, almost from the very beginning in Kandy, there were a few religious students in addition to the majority of diocesan students, once the Pontifical Athenaeum was transferred to Pune, it became more broadly open to the students of the Society of Jesus as well as of other religious congregations. This institution, which was originally meant only for those who were already Catholic priests or studying for the priesthood, opened its portals in 1968 to women students as well as to all students irrespective of creed or gender. We also have both women and men professors teaching in JDV. In 1972 the Pontifical Athenaeum adopted the Indian name of “Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth” (The Light of Wisdom University). It also designed an Indian emblem or logo that included its motto, taken from India’s (and the world’s) largest epic, the Mahabharata, and integrated evocative symbols from the Hindu tradition into its emblem. In its curriculum of studies that is relevant to our times and includes the arts as well as sciences, emphasis is placed on Indian philosophical and religious traditions. It not only has close relations to some other Christian faculties and academic institutions, in India and abroad, but also collaborates in every possible way with secular universities and scientific organizations in India and abroad. In keeping with the theme of this book, this brief history shows how, right from the beginning, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth did not live in its own ghetto, and went on to become progressively more open to other religious congregations, to women and to all other students of different traditions and backgrounds. It also demonstrates, how, while being rooted in the Indian tradition, it is open to the world at large.

5.2 The JDV Library The JDV Library is one of the significant philosophy-theology libraries in India. It contains about 150,000 books and about 100,000 volumes of bound periodicals.

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It subscribes to about 375 journals, weeklies and newspapers. Though most of the material is in English, there are also materials in the Indian languages, and in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Dutch. The library also has about 44 multi-volume encyclopedias and important collections of sources and source-materials (e.g., palm-leaf manuscripts, and 16th- and 17th-century books). Recently we have also added a DVD collection of classical and art movies. All users have access to the stacks. Students are aware of the rich collection of materials which the JDV Library has to offer them. When they browse through the books, they can compare the different collections. Besides exhibiting new arrivals, we also have a display case where manuscripts and old books are displayed. From time to time the display is changed, so students and visitors get an idea of the wealth and variety of the ancient collections in our library. The much older palm-leaf manuscripts are our most precious treasure and we preserve them well. Soon after the beginning of the academic year, the new students are introduced to the library as well as to methods and tools of research available in the library. It is a collaborative effort between the library staff and the professors. In addition, when the students are writing papers, the professors guide them in finding bibliographies, taking notes, planning the outline of the paper, different methods for footnotes, etc. Some even bring them to the library and give them hands-on experience in browsing and selecting material for their paper, etc. Professors as well as students are given Smart ID cards with barcodes, and all the books have also been barcoded. For very many years the library had a user-friendly cataloguing system that was devised by a librarian, who spent most of his life in the library until the age of 95; he had devised this unique system, after visiting many libraries in India and abroad. When the library was renovated, we wanted to name it after him, but he humbly resisted it. However, after he passed away, we named the library after him: the Aloysius Schlegel, S.J. Library. Very recently, we thought of making our library data available on the net to the world at large. We had practical difficulties with the people who had supplied the original library computer programme, and so we changed the computer programme suppliers. The new people proposed that we use the Dewey system. This mammoth task was undertaken and has been going on now for about three years. Understandably, we have been encountering teething problems, which we have been resolving one by one. Once everything is in order, we plan to upload our library data on the worldwide web, so that others will have access to the data: in this way the library will be serving a larger public. We have our old typed catalogues with cards, arranged according to author and title, as well as subject. However, the modern catalogue is computerized and

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students can search material through various computers in different parts of the library. However, we still have to undertake the gigantic task of entering the keywords for our books and articles. This involves both time and money. We move forward step by step: the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. We give in Table 5.1 a rough estimate of the users of the library, according to different categories. Table 2.1: Users per year (listed according to categories) Categories 1 2 3 4 5

Bachelor’s-level Philosophy students Bachelor’s-level Theology students Postgraduate students in Philosophy and Theology Professors Guest Scholars and Students

Number of users 2000 5000 1000 300 1700

5.3 The JDV Library as a Promoter of Dialogue 5.3 among Religions The JDV Library has received, through some of our professors, a number of books donated by people and institutions belonging to different religions. For example, we have received through Fr Noel Sheth, a scholar in different religions of India, the magnum opus of the sixteen volumes of the Sanskrit Bhagavata-purana, along with some 25 Sanskrit commentaries and sub-commentaries. This voluminous work, in folio size and each volume rather bulky, runs into thousands of pages. It was gifted to us by a Hindu Institution in Gujarat. This is a precious work since the Bhagavata-purana is the most important scriptural text for an extremely large group (many millions) of Hindus called Vaishnavites. Consisting of twelve books, it is a mystical and poetic work that emphasises loving and emotional devotion to God and his various manifestations. The tenth book is the most famous and is devoted to Krishna, one of the most important deities in Hinduism. Similarly, we have received the 140 volumes of the Theravada Buddhist Pali Scripture, called Tipitaka, its commentaries and related literature, all in the Pali language, and printed on excellent paper. The Tipitaka (‘Three Baskets’), has three parts, dealing with the discipline or regulations for monks and nuns, the sermons and dialogues of Gautama Buddha and, thirdly, religious psychology and metaphysics. A guru of the Hindu Vallabhacarya tradition, called Pushti-marga or

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Shuddhadvaita and founded by Vallabha, has been reprinting a number of texts and commentaries of this School. This guru has been presenting these volumes also to our library. The publication project of these rare texts is still going on. This school worships Krishna as the Supreme Being and, while being monistic, it makes room for the reality of the souls and world too. It lays great emphasis on grace. Similarly, a whole series of volumes, in Bengali script, was presented to the library long ago. The volumes contain the theological literature of the Hindu devotional School of Bengal Vaishnavism, which believes in incomprehensible, simultaneous and essential identity and difference between the three aspects of God as well as between souls and the world on the one hand, and God on the other hand. We, on our part, have also taken the initiative of presenting books to others. In this way, we not only enrich one another’s libraries, but such activities are both a manifestation and a promotion of interreligious relations. Our library has a rich collection of extremely ancient palm-leaf manuscripts mostly in Pali, but also in Sinhalese; however, all the manuscripts are written in the Sinhalese script, and some of the texts are quite large. The leaves, which are inscribed on both sides, are generally numbered not in numerals but with the Pali alphabet (thus attesting to their antiquity).¹ They pertain to the Theravada Buddhist religion and culture. Their contents are varied: many of them are texts of the Pali Tipitaka (the Theravada Scripture); some others deal with the Theravada religion, including sermons by monks, various types of “hells” (in the Christian sense, they are purgatories), etc.; and some others deal with different other topics like herbal medicines for illnesses, proverbs, poems, etc. A brief descriptive catalogue of these manuscripts was recently prepared and it is available to visitors to the library. We have managed to preserve these precious manuscripts in excellent condition, using various herbal techniques. We hope one day to digitize the texts. Since our institution was started in 1893 in Kandy, in a country where Buddhism is the majority religion, we had acquired these Buddhist manuscripts very long ago. Most likely they were gifted to us by Buddhists (which shows good interreligious relations), but no one knows for sure how we got them. One thing, though, is sure, whether they were gifted or bought: the institution was very much interested in Buddhist culture and religion. A corroborating fact is that we have a good number of translations by the Pali Text Society of London, which had been pur-

1 Unlike the Roman or European Alphabet, many Indian languages have a great number of alphabets, and the vowels and consonants can be combined to form a series of syllables; hence they lend themselves to even “number”, or rather “alphabetize” a very large number of leaves forming one huge manuscript.

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chased very long ago, long before the Institution was transferred from that part of British India (which is now called Sri Lanka) to Pune, which is in India. Many of the manuscripts are scriptural, and their study increases our knowledge of the religion. But we could also do that by reading the printed texts of the Theravada Scripture. We, however, may mention three interesting examples which give us insights into the ancient Buddhist culture and religion in South Asia, which we cannot acquire through printed texts: – Vata Roga: This is a Sinhalese text, written in the Sinhalese script. The leaves are not numbered with numerals but with alphabetic characters. Some leaves are missing; the manuscript, as we have it now, begins with the syllable kru. In this manuscript the author gives herbal prescriptions for various diseases (roga) caused by the bodily humour of wind (vata). It gives the reader valuable information on very ancient South Asian medicine; – Diksanghiya Pali: Written in the Sinhalese script, the first part is in Pali, while the second part, starting on leaf 11 and written in Sinhalese, speaks of nuns. This text is numbered using numerals. Nuns had disappeared from Theravada Buddhism many centuries ago. So this ancient text is an important source about the Theravada Buddhist nuns in days of yore; – Ata Visi Munidunge Anusas: Written in Sinhalese, the first part contains 28 sermons of holy monks; this first part has no numeration of the leaves. The second part contains poems with a message; the second part is numbered not with numerals, but with alphabetic characters, beginning with the syllable ka. Here, again, the historian will find interesting nuggets of information on the topics, values, explanations and style of preaching by monks in ancient times. We also have a rather large collection of old and rare printed books in different languages, both Western and Eastern. The oldest printed book we have was printed in 1545. While some books deal with the spirituality of Jesuits (since the institution is run by Jesuits), Catholic theology, and so forth, other books are more relevant to our current topic since they study the religions and cultures of different mission countries or are collections of letters written by early missionaries about society, culture, religions and customs in the mission territories they were working in. Here are a couple of examples: – A Latin book narrates the life and work of the Society of Jesus in the East: Iohannes Petrus Maffeius, Rerum a Societate Iesu in Oriente Gestarum (Events and Deeds of the Society of Jesus in the East) (Coloniae, 1574). – Another book narrates the cultural and religious history of Sri Lanka (earlier called Ceylon) and gives an account of the author’s captivity and escape from there: Robert Knox, An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East-In-

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–

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dies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author’s Miraculous Escape (London, 1681). A Dutch book describes Malabar, Japan, the Cape of Good Hope and Mauritius: Beschryving van ’t Nederlandsch Comptoir op de Kust van Malabar, En van onzen Handel in Japan, Mitsgaders een Beschryving van Kaap der Goede Hoope En ’t Eyland Mauritius, Met de zaaken tot de voornoemde Ryken en Landen behoorende. Met veele Printverbeldingen en Landkaarten opgehelderd door François Velentyn (Description of the Dutch comptroller on the bay of Malabar and of our trade in Japan, and also a description of the Cape of Good Hope and the island of Mauritius, with the affairs related to the above named kingdoms and countries included. With many prints and land maps arranged by François Velentyn), Volume 5, Part 2 (Te Dordrecht Amsterdam: Joannes van Braam, Gerard Onder de Linden, Boekverkoopers 1726). A book in French deals in detail about the mission of Madurai in South India: P. J. Bertrand, SJ, La mission du Maduré d’après des documents inédits (The Mission of Madurai, According to Unpublished Documents), 3 volumes (Paris : Librairie de Poussielgue-Rusand, 1847–1854). A Chinese book has drawings, with a brief text, pertaining to the Hebrew and Greek Bibles and the early Church. The loose binding has no date on it, and the drawings are Western in style.

5.4 Religions of India in the JDV Library Even though our library is mainly for Christian philosophical and theological purposes, we have a good collection of books on various religions of India. Quite often people of different religious traditions come to consult our library even from far-off towns and cities, and of course very often from our own city of Pune. Some of the books on Indian religions that we have are not to be found in other academic libraries in Pune, including the University of Pune. Moreover, we have a fairly good collection of journals, several of them from different countries, both in the East as well as the West. This too attracts a number of readers, both from various Christian denominations as well as from different religions, who come to discover valuable nuggets in our treasury of books and journals. As a result there is a good rapport and relationship built up with other denominations and religious traditions. Since about 80% of the population of India is Hindu, JDV has an impressive collection of resources on Hinduism in various areas: different scriptural and

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holy texts of various Hindu religious traditions in their original languages; commentaries and studies on these texts in different languages; books on Sanskrit traditional and modern grammar; books on specific traditions, e.g., Kevaladvaita Vedanta, various schools of Vaishnavism, different schools of Shaivism, Shaktism, etc.; books on the various schools of Hindu Philosophy; books on Hindu ethics; Hindu rituals and ceremonies; Hindu feasts and festivals, Hindu art and architecture, and so on. Since our Institution was earlier in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority nation, and since a couple of our professors have specialized in Sanskrit and Pali, the next rather large collection is on Buddhism. We have the Scriptural texts of Theravada and Mahayana in Pali and Sanskrit respectively. We also have a few texts and books on the extinct traditions of Hinayana. There are translations of these original texts, mainly in English, but also in other languages such as French and German. Since Buddhism spread to several other parts of Asia, we have made it a point to acquire books on Buddhism in different Asian countries. Here we see how Buddhism has boldly inculturated itself in the various Asian countries. We have a fair amount of books on other Indian religions, such as some of the tribal religions of India, Jainism and Sikhism: original texts, and oral stories but now in published form, studies on these texts and oral literature, expositions of different aspects of these religions, etc. We have a few scholarly studies that speculate on the nature, characteristics, rituals etc. of the Indus Valley religion and civilization. However, this ancient religion and culture still remains obscure and mysterious because the Indus Valley script has not yet been deciphered: there are many publications on the script, but the fact that there are so many radically different interpretations and explanations is a clear indication that the script still remains to be deciphered. Some aspects of ancient Vedic Hindu traditions came from outside India. But quite early these traditions consciously or unconsciously acculturated themselves and took on various indigenous traditions of India. Since Hinduism has grown and flourished in India for so many centuries, it is regarded by all as an Indian religion. There are some other religions in India which have come to India in relatively more recent times, such as Zoroastrianism, Islam and the Baha’i faith. Christianity came to India long before these other foreign religions. Obviously, since ours is a Christian institution, a very high percentage of our books is on Christian philosophies and theologies. However, we wish to make a special mention of Islam, which is the largest minority religion in India. In fact, India has the second largest number of Muslims in the world, next to Indonesia. Hence we have a rather large collection of texts such as the Qur’an, and various studies on different aspects of Indian Islam, including the mystical Sufi tradition. Two examples of introductory books on Islam that we have in our library are

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Fazlur Rahman, Islam (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1968), and Ira G. Zepp Jr., A Muslim Primer: Beginner’s Guide to Islam, with an Introduction by Sayyid Muhammad Syeed (Westminster, Maryland: Wakefield Editions, 1992). Probably no other Christian institution in India puts so much emphasis on the study of various Indian religions and philosophies. Our library is one of the best in India, not only for Christian religious and philosophical literature, but also on the religions and philosophies of India. Several of the excellent books are now out of print. No wonder that so many visitors come from various parts of India, and indeed from different countries of the world, to do research in our library on Indian religions and philosophies. All this shows the eagerness and concern of the librarians and the staff to promote dialogue among religions. Some of our professors teaching Indian religions and philosophies use audio-visual programmes in the classrooms. For instance, Noel Sheth, SJ and Gnanavaram, SVD, Hinduism at a Glance (Pune: Ishvani Kendra, 1992). An accompanying printed booklet containing the introduction, script, questions for discussion and select bibliography, has been prepared by Noel Sheth, and both Sheth and Gnanavaram have collaborated in the photography and recording. A shorter, and somewhat different, German version, Hinduismus: Mystik und Volksfrömmigkeit has also been jointly published by Audiovisuele Missie- en Ontwikkelingswerking (AVIMO), Leuven, Belgium, and by Missio, Aachen, Germany, 1997. The JDV Library plans to acquire audio-visual programmes on different Indian religions. It may be appropriate to end this section by mentioning a few titles that (a) deal with dialogue and comparison with some of the religions in India and (b) give a couple of examples of attempts at integrating Indian spiritualities into Christian Spirituality. Firstly, here are a few books dealing with dialogue and/or comparison with religions in India: − John Brockington, Hinduism and Christianity (London: Macmillan, 1992); – Whalen Lai and Michael von Brück, Christianity and Buddhism: A Multi-cultural History of Their Dialogue, tr. Phyllis Jestice, Faith Meets Faith Series (New York: Orbis Books, 2001); – W. Owen Cole and P. S. Sambhi, Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study, Themes in Comparative Religion Series (London: The Macmillan Press, Ltd., 1963); – Andreas Bsteh, ed., Christian Faith in Dialogue with Islam: Lectures – Questions – Interventions, tr. Ingeborg Bogensberger (from the original German ed. published in Mödling, 1996), Christian Faith in the Encounter with Islam, vol. 2 (Mödling: St. Gabriel Publications, 2007).

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Secondly, we mention two attempts at integrating Indian spiritualites into Christian spirituality: – D. S. Amalorpavadass, ed., Indian Christian Spirituality (Bangalore: National Catechetical and Liturgical Centre, 1982); – Dominic Veliath, ed., Towards an Indian Christian Spirituality in a Pluralistic Context: Papers and Statement of the Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Indian Theological Association (Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 1993). Another distinguishing characteristic of our library is that we have an excellent collection of encyclopedias and dictionaries pertaining to various subjects. In connection with interreligious dialogue, the following are consulted the most often: – James Hastings, ed., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, 12 volumes, plus Index.(Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908– 1926); – Mircea Eliade, ed. in chief, The Encyclopedia of Religion, 16 volumes, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987; – K. L. Seshagiri Rao, chief ed., Encyclopedia of Hinduism, 11 volumes (New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 2010–2011); – G. P. Malalasekera, founder ed. in chief and other eds. in chief, Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 8 volumes (Colombo, Sri Lanka: Government of Ceylon/Sri Lanka, 1961–2007); – H. A. R. Gibb et al., The Encyclopedia of Islam, new ed., 12 volumes. (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1960–2004). All these treasures acquired by the library make it a real catalyst in promoting dialogue among religions and changing minds for a better future.

5.5 The JDV Library Striving for Interreligious 5.5 Dialogue A major contribution to world theology from India, has been in the field of interreligious dialogue. Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, being a Pontifical Athenaeum and the only Catholic national (as different from regional and local) seminary for the whole of India, has therefore given due importance to interreligious dialogue. The library of JDV reflects this as well. There are more than three hundred books classified by the JDV Library in the field of interreligious dialogue. Most of the books are in English, and a few in

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other languages. The writers of these works vary from not so well known to very well known authors in their field. These authors belong to various religions and Christian denominations. This helps any researcher, or student of this field, to know a wide variety of opinions and positions regarding this matter. The topics for the subject cover a wide range, which include the history of the subject, the official position of the Catholic Church, various forms of interreligious dialogue, different theological and interdisciplinary opinions on various aspects of this topic, and several allied matters as well. The JDV Library has six journals with the word “Dialogue” in their titles. There are some periodicals without the word “Dialogue” in the title, and yet are specifically about interreligious dialogue: The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is one such example of a periodical on this topic. Many journals, both from within India and from outside India, provide basic scholarly information on interreligious dialogue. As is to be expected, books range from quite old to recent ones, while journals provide information on the very latest thinking in this field. Like the books, the journals too are mostly in English, with a few in other languages as well. Interreligious dialogue is spreading from the interest of just a few, mainly scholars, to an ever-widening clientele which includes persons of not so much of a scholarly disposition towards this topic. The JDV Library provides sufficient material to this very wide group of persons. Those interested in in-depth knowledge of different religions will find the JDV Library quite helpful. Some kind of knowledge of different world religions, and most definitely of the religion of the person one intends to dialogue with, is a must for a person seriously considering interreligious dialogue. The JDV Library caters to all these needs. Being in India, the JDV Library provides quite a lot of material regarding interreligious dialogue in India. Our library also acquires materials that would eventually help the students make comparative studies between the scriptures of the different religious traditions of the country. Even allied topics, like the comparative study of different religions, atheism and religions, communism and religions, are also covered by the JDV Library. There is also material available on opinions that point to going beyond interreligious dialogue. Those seeking guidelines provided by officials or authorities within Christianity with regard to interreligious dialogue will also find the requisite material in the JDV Library.

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5.6 Conclusion A library is a pre-requisite for interreligious living in India because it provides teaching resources, information and referral services. Our library is stocked with materials on many religions. The library enables the individual to obtain spiritual, inspirational, and recreational activity through reading, and therefore the opportunity of interacting with society’s wealth and accumulated knowledge on religions. India is a land of many religions. Indian society and its cultures do not identify themselves with any one religion. But a few Indians who are especially influenced by the ideology of making India an exclusively Hindu nation will not agree with the above position. Such people could be helped if they have an opportunity to be acquainted with correct information on religions. Here the role of good libraries is self-evident. The task of transforming Indian society and its cultures cannot belong to one religion. On the contrary all the religions are called to fulfil their task of prophecy in dialogue with each other. Of course it is not religions that dialogue, but people. This needs constant and sustained education of people. Our library with its rich resources can inform and form people for interreligious harmonious living. Our approach to other religions, whether cosmic or meta-cosmic, is bound to be different according to our appreciation of their truth and validly. If we consider them as evil and devilish we will try to reject and suppress them. On the other hand, we may discover some good and true elements in them and seek to integrate those. The JDV Library has a good collection of books of international standard on religions that can help people to develop an objective and balanced view of religions. This in turn can promote mutual respect among people of different religions. Though we are convinced of the universal relevance of the gospel, in our mission we encounter not simply other cultures and religions, but other people. These persons have their own dignity, conscience and freedom. The Spirit of God is also present and active in them and has the freedom to blow where it wills (John 3:8). The only way of proclaiming the good news to people with freedom and dignity is in dialogue. Mission then is not the imposition of the truth or of salvation. In human terms it means “presence”. It is witness of life: one preaches above all by example. As a librarian I make it a point, with the help of our teaching staff, to buy books that broaden our thoughts and our attitudes towards all religions. Finally, as a librarian I wish to share that in these times of growth in multimedia, the reading habit has suffered. Hence to cater to a web-savvy audience,

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we have digital resources to promote online readership, to aid the young reader of today.

Thanks Fr Reddy is indebted to the services rendered by Fr Noel Sheth, SJ, Fr Henry D’Almeida, SJ, Fr Prasad Lankappalli, SJ, and Fr Thomas Kuriacose, SJ, for their valuable contributions.

Vivekanand Jain, G. C. Kendadamath and Sanjiv Saraf

6. Academic Libraries and their Religious 6. Collections A Case Study of Banaras Hindu University Library Abstract: Banaras Hindu University Library reflects the values enshrined in the Indian constitution and its guarantee of freedom of religion. The University itself is a Hindu institution but the Library collects works about many faiths. It participates in the new possibilities provided by the internet and has digitized its manuscripts. The paper concludes with a bibliography reflecting the diversity of faiths represented in the Library. Résumé: La bibliothèque universitaire hindoue de Bénarès présente les valeurs inscrites dans la constitution indienne et la garantie qu’elle apporte à la liberté religieuse. L’université elle-même est une institution hindoue mais la bibliothèque collecte des œuvres concernant de nombreuses religions. Elle utilise les nouvelles possibilités offertes par Internet et a numérisé ses manuscrits. L’article se termine par une bibliographie qui reflète les différentes religions représentées dans la bibliothèque. Academic Libraries and their Religious Collections

6.1 Introduction Libraries are real democratic institutions which serve all type of people of society without discrimination. Libraries are treated as temples of learning for procuring and preserving information and knowledge. As per the Indian constitution, India is a secular country which upholds multi-culture and provides shelter to all religions. Libraries and online religious resources are helping towards a better understanding among religions and providing information to all.

Dr Vivekanand Jain, Deputy librarian, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Dr G.C. Kendadamath, Deputy librarian, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Dr Sanjiv Saraf, Deputy librarian, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

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6.2 Indian View in World’s Parliament of Religions The first “World’s Parliament of Religions” was held at Chicago in 1893. About 4,000 religious leaders participated from ten great world religions: Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is pertinent here to discuss Swami Vivekananda and his address at that first Parliament in 1893. Swami Vivekananda, whose original name was Narendranath Datta (born 12 January 1863 at Calcutta and died 4 July 1902 at Calcutta), was a great Hindu spiritual leader and reformer who attempted to combine Indian spirituality with Western material progress, maintaining that the two supplemented and complemented one another. He was a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and yoga to the world and was credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion of nationalism in colonial India. He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission.¹ He is best known for his inspiring opening speech beginning “Sisters and Brothers of America” and for the paper delivered at the Parliament through which he introduced Hinduism. ² Relevant portions of his address is given below: The Hindus have received their religion through revelation, the Vedas. They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may sound ludicrous to this audience, how a book can be without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery, and would exist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical, and spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the Father of all spirits, were there before their discovery, and would remain even if we forgot them. The Hindu religion does not consist in struggles and attempts to believe a certain doctrine or dogma, but in realizing — not in believing, but in being and becoming. So the whole struggle in their system is a constant struggle to become perfect, to become divine, to reach God and see God, and in this reaching God, seeing God, becoming perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect, constitutes the religion of the Hindus.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramakrisna_Mission. Accessed on 16 October 2013. 2 Swami Vivekananda, “Hinduism as a religion,” in The World’s Congress of Religions: The Addresses and Papers Delivered before the Parliament, edited by J.W. Hanson, 366–376 (Chicago: International Publishing Co., 1894). http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/_includes/FCKcontent/ file/Vivekananda.pdf. Accessed on 11 March 2014.

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 Vivekanand Jain, G. C. Kendadamath and Sanjiv Saraf And what becomes of a man when he becomes perfect? He lives a life of bliss infinite. He enjoys infinite and perfect bliss, having obtained the only thing in which man ought to have pleasure – God – and enjoys the bliss with God. So far all the Hindus are agreed. This is the common religion of all the sects of India; but, then the question comes – perfection is absolute, and the absolute cannot be two or three. It cannot have any qualities. It cannot be an individual. And so when a soul becomes perfect and absolute, it must become one with Brahman, and he would only realize the Lord as the perfection, the reality, of its own nature and existence – existence absolute; knowledge absolute, and life absolute. We have often and often read about this being called the losing of individuality as in becoming a stock or a stone.

Swami Vivekananda is representing the Indian view on Religion. Swami ji stressed again and again the idea of validity of all religions and their harmony. Swami ji said “Superstition is a great enemy of man, but bigotry is worse”.³ He appealed to every person to preserve his or her individuality and at the same time to learn and assimilate the good points, the spirit of others religion. Every religion has produced men and women of the most exalted character endowed with holiness, purity and charity. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance: “Help and not Fight”, “Assimilation and not Destruction”, “Harmony and Peace and not Dissension”.

6.3 The Indian Constitution and Religious Rights India is a secular country, but houses all religions. Persons from all religions dwell here with harmony. As mentioned in the Preamble to the Indian constitution,⁴ India is a “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”, meaning that officially the government will neither support any religion nor oppose. The citizens of India can choose any religion and way of worship. The following articles of the Indian constitution deal with religions and equality of all citizens before law: – Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth:

3  Swami Vivekananda, “Hinduism as a religion”, 374. 4  Constitution of India. http://india.gov.in/sites/upload_files/npi/files/coi_part_full.pdf. Accessed on 15 April 2013.

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(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to — (a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or (b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public.

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Article 16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment: (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office under the State.

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Article 25: Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion: (1) All persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.

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Article 26: Right of religions to manage their affairs: Subject to public order, morality and health..., every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right: (a) to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes; (b) to manage its own affairs in matters of religion; (c) to own and acquire movable and immovable property; (d) to administer such property in accordance with law.

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Article 28: Rights regarding education: (1) No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds. (2) Nothing in clause (1) shall apply to an educational institution which is administered by the State but has been established under any endowment or trust which requires that religious instruction shall be imparted in such institution. (3) No person attending any educational institution recognised by the State or receiving aid out of State funds shall be required to take part in any religious instruction that may be imparted in such institution or to attend any religious worship that may be conducted in such institution or in any premises attached thereto unless such person or, if such person is a minor, his guardian has given his consent thereto.

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Article 29: Cultural and educational rights: (1) Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same. (2) No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

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Article 30: Minority rights: (1) All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. (1A) In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of an educational institution established and administered by a minority, referred to in clause (1), the State shall ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for the acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed under that clause. (2) The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.

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Article 51A: Individual resonsibilities: It shall be the duty of every citizen of India... (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.

On the basis of these articles, we can say that the Indian constitution provides rights to its citizens to follow and worship of any religion with full liberty.

6.4 Religion in the Cyber Age Religions are represented on the internet in many ways and the internet is used for religious information and spiritual guidance. There are sites which attempt to cover all religions, traditions, and faiths. Online resources on the internet and digital libraries are helping people to know religious activities, way of worship, teachings, literature, etc. of all religions. So, these modern facilities create better understanding among religious followers.

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6.4.1 Jain E-Library Jain E-Library⁵ (Figure 6.1) provides various e-books, manuscripts, speeches, songs, free of cost to all. This Jain library website is an online collection of Jain books, Jain scriptures, Jain manuscripts, Jain dictionary, Jain encyclopedia, Jain articles, and Jain magazines in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages. It comprises a vast collection of literature on Jainism and its principles, such as ahimsa, compassion, and anekantavada. It also provides Jain educational material for Jain Pathashala or Sunday school. Catalogues of Jain manuscripts of various Jain libraries add to the diversity of this collection. This is a non-commercial website for free access to all for non commercial and personal use only.

Figure 6.1: Website for Jainism: Jain E-Library (www.jainlibrary.org)

6.4.2 Wabash Center’s Internet Guide to Religion Wabash Center provides an online “Religion on the Web” resource⁶ which is a selected, annotated guide to a wide variety of electronic resources of interest to those who are involved in the study and practice of religion: syllabi, electronic

5 http://www.jainlibrary.org. Accessed on 15 April 2013. 6 Wabash Center, http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/result-browse.aspx?topic= 575&pid=361. Accessed on 8 June 2013.

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texts, electronic journals, websites, bibliographies, liturgies, reference resources, software, etc. The purpose of the Guide is to encourage and facilitate the incorporation of electronic resources into teaching of religions.

6.5 Banaras Hindu University 6.5.1 History of the University The Banaras Hindu University was established by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. A prominent lawyer and an Indian independence activist, Malaviya considered education as the primary means for achieving a national awakening. At the 21st Conference of the Indian National Congress in Benares in December 1905, Malaviya publicly announced his intent to establish a university in Varanasi. Malaviya continued to develop his vision for the university with inputs from other Indian nationalists and educationists. He published his plan in 1911.⁷ The focus of his arguments was on the prevailing poverty in India and the decline in income of Indians compared to Europeans. The plan called for focus on technology and science, besides the study of India’s religion and culture. Malaviya’s plan evaluated whether to seek government recognition for the university or operate without its control. He decided in favour of the former for various reasons. Malaviya also considered the question of medium of instruction, and decided to start with English given the prevalent environment, and gradually add Hindi and other Indian languages. A distinguishing characteristic of Malaviya’s vision was the preference for a residential university. All other Indian universities of the period, such as the universities in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, etc., were affiliating universities which only conducted examinations and awarded degrees to students of their affiliated colleges. Around the same time, Annie Besant was also trying to expand her Central Hindu School and establish a university. Established in 1898 in the Kamachha area of Varanasi, the vision behind the school was that there should be learning institutions based on Hindu philosophy. Malaviya had supported Besant’s cause and in 1903, he had raised 250,000 rupees in donations to finance the construction of the school’s hostel. In 1907 Besant had applied for a royal charter to establish a university. However, there was no response from the British government.

7 S.L. Dar and S. Somaskandan, History of the Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University Press, 1966), 102.

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Following the publication of Malaviya’s plan, Besant met Malaviya and in April 1911 they agreed to unite their forces to build the university in Varanasi. Malaviya soon left his legal practice to focus exclusively on developing the university and his independence activities. On 22 November 1911, he registered the “Hindu University Society” to gather support and raise funds for building the university. He spent the next four years gathering support and raising funds for the university. Malaviya sought and received early support from the Kashi Naresh Prabhu Narayan Singh and Maharaja Sir Rameshwar Singh Bahadur of Raj Darbhanga. In October 1915, with support from Malaviya’s allies in the Indian National Congress, the Banaras Hindu University Bill was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council. In November 1915, Besant, Bhagwan Das and other trustees of the Central Hindu School agreed to the government’s condition that the school become a part of the new university. BHU was finally established in 1916, the first university in India that was the result of a private individual’s efforts. The foundation for the main campus of the university was laid by Lord Hardinge, the then Viceroy of India, on Vasant Panchami 4 February 1916. To promote the university’s expansion, Malaviya invited eminent guest speakers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prof. C. V. Raman, Dr Prafulla Chandra Roy, Prof. Sam Higginbottom, Sir Patrick Geddes, and Besant to deliver a series of what are now called “The University Extension Lectures” between 5 and 8 February 1916. Gandhi’s lecture on the occasion was his first public address in India.

6.5.2 Objectives of the Banaras Hindu University 1.

To promote the study of the Hindu shastras and of Sanskrit literature generally as a means of preserving and popularizing for the benefit of the Hindus in particular and of the world at large in general, the best thought and culture of the Hindus and all that was good and great in the ancient civilization of India; 2. to promote learning and research generally in arts and sciences in all branches; 3. to advance and diffuse such scientific, technical and professional knowledge, combined with the necessary practical training as is best calculated to help in promoting indigenous industries and in developing the material resources of the country; and 4. to promote the building up of character in youth by religion and ethics as an integral part of education.

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So, in this way Banaras Hindu University is making perfect citizens through religious and ethical education.

6.5.3 Faculty of Sanskrit Learning and Theology Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan Sankaya was established in 1918 by the great founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya ji in order to materialize the chief goal of this University, i.e. to preserve and promote the studies of Ancient Indian shastras, Sanskrit language and literature with the intention to bring about a fruitful dialogue between the East and the West. One of the cardinal objectives of this faculty is to remove the pervading misconceptions about religion, spirituality, astrology and tantras in society and reinstate the paramount values of ethics and religion for the upliftment of society and nation in general and individuals in particular. This Faculty is unique in its nature. It teaches shastric texts strictly in keeping with our traditional methods of hermeneutics as well as oral-cum-written tradition. It also interprets and emphasises each and every word of the texts, so that their essential implication may be understood. This Faculty has a unique opportunity of interaction with the modern thought, science and technology, which is readily available in our campus. This opportunity is not available to any institution in India or abroad in such an unparalleled ambience.

6.5.4 Analysis of BHU Library Religious Collection We have already discussed about the history of establishment of our university. Now we would like to say something about the vast collection of religious books and other reading material. Ours is a Hindu university, so it is quite natural to have a substantial number of books on Hinduism. Hinduism is a religion which respects all other religions of the world. Hence, the policy of acquiring books on all religions. The Hindus believe that religious teaching makes a person to follow the tenets of truth and non-violence and live in peace. Our founder of the university Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya has correctly put his statement in the following words:⁸

8 “Banaras Hindu University,” http://www.bhu.ac.in/, accessed on 11 March 2014.

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India is not a country of the Hindus only. It is a country of the Muslims, the Christians and the Parsees too. The country can gain strength and develop itself only when the people of the different communities in India live in mutual goodwill and harmony. It is my earnest hope and prayer that this centre of life and light which is coming into existence, will produce students who will not only be intellectually equal to the best of their fellow students in other parts of the world, but will also live a noble life, love their country and be loyal to the Supreme ruler.

Banaras Hindu University is the biggest university in India serving all subject areas including Religion, Culture, Science & Technology, Medicine, Agriculture, Languages and Literature, etc. BHU has two separate faculty libraries for Philosophy & Religion; and Sanskrit Learning and Theology, having approximately 50,000 books each. The total collection of BHU Library exceeds 1.5 million volumes. Various departments of Banaras Hindu University deals with teaching and research in religion and philosophy are as follows: Department of Philosophy and Religion, Dharmagam, Dharma Shastra, Mimansa, Jainism, Buddhism, Jyotish, Vaidic Darshan, Veda, Vyakaran, etc.

Figure 6.2: Religious collection in Banaras Hindu University Library (number of volumes)

BHU Library has rich collection on Indian philosophy, religion, mythology, theology and culture. It includes Hinduism, Vaisnavism, Saktaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam/ Mohammadanism, Indian philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, Indian culture, yoga, occultism, astrology, Sanskrit literature, religious practices, etc. (Figure 6.2).

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6.5.4.1 Theses collection Research activities are undertaken in Banaras Hindu University. Between 1920 and 2012 over 15,000 doctoral degrees have been awarded from BHU, and in the field of various religious subjects 900+ degrees have been awarded. So, in this way, we can say Banaras Hindu University is involved in teaching, research and publications in all fields of philosophy and religion. BHU Library has digitized selected theses, but these are at present not available online. BHU is associated with the Shodhganga project of UGC-INFLIBNET for digitization and online full-text accessibility of theses submitted in Indian universities.⁹

6.5.4.2 Manuscripts collection BHU Library has received thousands of rare books and manuscripts from personal family collections in India. It is believed that a good number of scholars have gifted their personal collections of manuscripts to the BHU library, keeping in mind that the library is the right place to preserve them for the use of future generations.

Figure 6.3: Manuscripts collection of the Banaras University Library

9 http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/. Accessed on 16 October 2013.

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Banaras Hindu University has a collection of above 12,500 manuscripts. These manuscripts belong to various subjects like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Mohammedanism and are scribed in various languages like Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, Marathi and Tibetan, etc. which are available in different libraries of the university as shown in Figure 6.3 and Table 6.1. Table 6.1: Subjetcs of the manuscripts Subject Hinduism (includes Vaidika, Vedanga, Darshana, Yoga, Nyaya, Vedanta, Gita) Jainism Sikhism Buddhism (Tripitaka) Literature (Sahitya) Persian Urdu Arabic Ayurveda (Indian Medicine) Vaisnavism Dharma Sastra Karma Kanda

No. of MSS 3576 6 1 213 628 937 140 78 283 108 364 1740

Way back in 2002 senior officials of the library (including the first two authors of this paper) decided to digitize the manuscript collection. Accordingly, the Vice Chancellor was approached by senior officials and a proposal put in this regard. The Vice Chancellor agreed to it and sanctioned the required budget. Thus, the library started digitization work on manuscripts. In 2006, the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), Ministry of Culture and the Government of India came forward to assist us by a variety of means including financial aids. Due to NMM support we were able to complete the digitization work on manuscripts. We are in the process of uploading them in the BHU website. For further details on catalogue of Indian manuscripts one can visit the website of National Mission for Manuscripts.¹⁰

10 National Mission for Manuscripts: http://www.namami.org/. Accessed on 16 October 2013.

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6.6 Impact of ICT on Religious Activities This is the age of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which influences all part of human life. Technology-based religious services like online worship, live speeches, online donations, and solutions to various problems, etc. are commonly seen on various channels on television and internet sites. Most of the religious institutions have their own websites by which they are propagating their own activities and services to society, because websites/blogs are the easy option to provide global visibility for any institution/individual. Digitalization of religious resources is a step to preserve our rich cultural heritage and vast knowledge treasure for the future generations. To cope with the information needs with speed and relative accuracy and reliability, the digital library is the most important and reliable solution. For example, earlier Jainism was confined to a small region of India, but now its concepts and ethical teachings are spread all over the world through the internet. So, we can say that ICT increases the boundaries of Jainism from India to global. Digital religious libraries can play an important role in interreligious dialogue for understanding religious values which makes peace and harmony in the world.

6.7 Future of Religion Society is changing very fast due to various reasons such as the internet, social media, globalization and liberalization. Future society should have the following characteristics: – global citizenship and universal religion; – religious pluralism; – well informed knowledge-based society; – no fundamentalism, open mindedness; – religion and culture will be accepted and adopted by people on the basis of merits not by birth; – sarva dharma sambhav (equality of all religions); – live and let live; – ahimsa/ non-violence; – ethical society; – value-based religious practices. There is a long way between this “should have” and what happens really nowadays. Let our libraries help the opening of the minds.

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6.8 Conclusion Libraries can play an important role in society for religious tolerance and better understanding among followers of various religions. The library is a common place for religious dialogue with suitable references. We library professionals can preserve and serve society with valuable rich cultural heritage of all religions and bring all of them together on one platform. The Parliament of World Religions is working in the right direction with a positive hope to respect the good common thoughts from all religion which serve the humanity. It wants to replace elements of fear and anger into peace, love, and interreligious harmony. In the same manner, the special interest group of IFLA RELINDIAL is taking action for world peace and harmony through religious dialogue. Nowadays digital religious libraries and other online resources may help people to understand religions and their practices. But, there is a need for openmindedness in discussion with flexibility and acceptability. We firmly believe that the ideas of Pandit Malaviya are relevant for all the ages to come. BHU maintains its high standard in teaching and research with religious and ethical teachings. BHU has a Malaviya Centre for Ethics and Human Values. It teaches good behaviour and conduct in students like “Speak the Truth and Practice Virtue”. The value-promotion policy of BHU integrates ethics and human values in higher education. We take an oath to propagate peace among the human beings of the world. All human beings are supposed to respect the universal laws of peace and harmony.

6.9 Bibliography 6.9.1 Banaras University Banaras Hindu University. Annual report, 2012–2013. Leah, Renold. Hindu education: Early years of the Banaras Hindu University. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2005. Dar, S.L. and S. Somaskandan. History of the Banaras Hindu University. Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University Press, 1966. Banaras Hindu University. “Objectives.” http://www.bhu.ac.in/aboutbhu/obj.html. Accessed on 11 June 2013. Banaras Hindu University. “Value Promotion Policy.” http://www.bhu.ac.in/univ_policy/ Sept.13.2010–Value_Promotion_Policy.pdf. Accessed on 15 June 2013.

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6.9.2 Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and text books Benham, William. The Dictionary of Religion: An Encyclopedia of Christian and other Religious Doctrines, Denominations, Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Terms, History, Biography etc. London: Cassell, 1891. Bowker, John, ed. Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Ellwood, Robert S. Gregory D. Alles, eds. The Encyclopedia of World Religions. New Delhi: Viva Books, 2010.

6.9.3 Interreligious Dialogue Akhilananda, Swami. Hindu view of Christ. New York: Philosophical Library, 1949. Aleaz, K.P. Jesus in Neo Vedanta: A Meeting of Hinduism and Christianity. New Delhi: Kant, 1995. Burtt, Edwin A. Man Seeks the Divine: A Study in the History and Comparison of Religions. New York: Harper Colophon Books, 1970. Das, Hari Hara. India Renaissance and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Jaipur: Painter Publishers, 1996. Ghai, O.P. Unity in Diversity: Thoughts of the World Great Religions. New Delhi: Sterling Pub., 1996. Harring ,Ruth. Voice of the Voiceless. New Delhi: Rakesh Press, 1980. Kelman, John. Prophets of Yesterday and their Message for Today. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1924. Leadbeater, C.W. Invisible Helpers. London: Theosophical Publishing, 1908. Russell, Bertrand. Religion and Science. London: Oxford University Press, 1960. Sape, Joseph J. Buddhist-Christian Empathy. Chicago: The Chicago Institute of Theology and Culture, 1980. Smart, Ninian. A Dialogue of Religions. London: SCM Press, 1960. World Parliament of Religions. Commemoration volume 1956. Sivanandanagar Yoga Vedanta Forest University, 1956. Yu, Chai-Shin. Early Buddhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study of the Founder’s Authority, the Community and the Discipline. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999.

6.9.4 Religions by Faith Tradition 6.9.4.1 Buddhism Ahir, D.C. Buddhism in Modern India. Delhi: Sri Satguru Pub., 1991. Granoff, Phyllis, ed. Monks and Magicians: Religious Biographies in Asia. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1988. Holmes, Edmond. The Creed of Buddha. Delhi: Paramita, 1999. Sharma, J.B., Buddhist Culture. Jaipur: Sublime Pub., 1999. Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. Zen Buddhism. New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1996.

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6.9.4.2 Christianity Davar, Firoze C. Socrates and Christ. Ahmedabad: Gujrat University, 1972. Farrar, Dean, Life of Christ. London: Cassell, 1913. Fouard, Abbé Constant. The Christ: The Son of God; A Life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Patna: Catholic Book Crusade, 1947. Read, David H.C. Christian Faith. London: English University Press, 1956.

6.9.4.3 Hinduism Besant, Annie. Ancient Wisdom: An Outline of Theosophical Teachings. London: Theosophical Publishing, 1987. Burnell, Arthur Coke, tr. Ordinance of Manu. New Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation, 1971. Jha, Ganganath, tr. Manu Smrti: Notes. Calcutta: University of Calcutta, 1924. Leah, Renold. Hindu Education: Early Years of the Banaras Hindu University. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2005. Mishra, P.K., ed. The Bhagvata Purana: An Illustrated Oriya Palm Leaf Manuscript. New Delhi: India Abhinav Pub., 1987. Muller, F. Max, ed. Sacred Book of the East. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898. Panikkar, Raimunda. The Unknown Christ of Hinduism: Towards an Ecumenical Christophany. London: Darton Longman and Todd, 1981. Radha Krishnan, S. Hindu View of Life. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1948. Singh, A.K. Devadasi System in Ancient India: A Study of Temple Dancing Girls of South India. Delhi: H.K. Pub., 1990. Vitsaxis, Vassillis G. Hindu Epics, Myths and Legends in Popular Illustrations. Delhi: Oxford University, 1977.

6.9.4.4 Islam Ali, Syed Ameer. The Spirit of Islam. Delhi: Islamic Book Trust, 1981. Al-Maamiry, Ahmed H. Jesus Christ as Known by Muslims. New Delhi: Lancers Books, 1989.

6.9.4.5 Jainism Bhutoria, Mangilal. Historicity of 24 Jain Tirthankars. Kolkata: Priyadarshi Prakashan, 2005. Chakravarti, A. Religion of Ahimsa: The Essence of the Jain Philosophy and Ethics. Bombay: Ratanchand Hirachand, 1957. Chapple, Christopher Key, ed. Jainism and Ecology: Non Violence in the Web of Life. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2002.

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Jaini, Padmanabh S. Jaina Path of Purification. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1979. Upadhye, A.N., ed. Mahavira and his Teachings. Bombay: Bhagavan Mahavira, 1977.

6.9.4.6 Judaism Epstein, Rabbi I. Judaism. London: Epworth Press, 1945. Laqueur, Walter. A History of Zionism. New York: Schocken Books, 1989. Timberg, Thomas A., ed. Jews in India. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. 1986.

6.9.4.7 Zoroastrian Wilson, John. The Parsi Religion. Gurgaon: Vintage Books, 1984.

René-Vincent du Grandlaunay

7. L’application AlKindi – FRBR-FRAD et RDA 7. et RDA – au service de la rencontre 7. interculturelle et interreligieuse *

¹

Résumé: Cet article décrit l’application proposée par la bibliothèque de l’Institut dominicain d’études orientales du Caire. Ce système de catalogage a été développé pour traiter sa collection de textes patrimoniaux concernant la culture classique de l’islam en respectant au maximum la structure du corpus et son exploitation. Avec cette nouvelle version, Alkindi 4 met en œuvre les principes du FRBR et FRAD. Cet article présente le cheminement qui a permis à la direction de la bibliothèque de s’aventurer dans le FRBR. Il décrit aussi les spécificités de l’application qui est en cours de test. Abstract: This article describes Alkindi 4 which is a tool provided by the library of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies. This Cataloguing system has been developed in order to manage the collection of islamic heritage’s texts in a spirit of a systematic cultural respect. With its new version, AlKindi 4 implements the FRBR and FRAD principles. This articles is about the history that has made the management of the library venture into FRBR. It also describes the specificities of the application currently being tested.

7.1 Introduction Je le dis d’emblée, si cette contribution est technique c’est que la rencontre interculturelle et interreligieuse est à prendre au sérieux et qu’il est louable qu’elle profite de toute l’intelligence des techniques documentaires proposées à l’avancée des sciences humaines. Cette technicité est, de prime abord, quelque peu inquiétante pour un néophyte. Mais elle a été un chemin obligatoire pris par

* Je remercie très chaleureusement Odile Dupont qui m’a vivement encouragé à participer à RELINDIAL et qui, très patiemment, a attendu cette contribution. Je veux également remercier Philippe Chevrant pour la lecture et les conseils fort avisés qu’il m’a amicalement prodigués.

1

Frère René-Vincent du Grandlaunay, o.p., Directeur de la bibliothèque, Institut dominicain d’études orientales, Le Caire, Egypte.

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l’équipe encadrante de la bibliothèque de l’Institut dominicain d’études orientales (IDEO).¹ C’est cette aventure qui est décrite ici. J’ai voulu en premier lieu, présenter le contexte humain du projet AlKindi, élaboration d’un outil de gestion documentaire alliant l’intelligence informatique aux exigences scientifiques d’un catalogage attentif aux déterminations culturelles. Ensuite, il m’a paru important de développer un petit historique de l’application, dans la mesure où c’est la première fois que je m’en explique d’une manière si officielle. Enfin, je parcours les quelques spécificités d’AlKindi 3 puis 4 qui traduisent le souci de toute l’équipe de l’IDEO de servir la rencontre entre deux cultures religieuses.

7.2 Coopération Après quelques années vécues en Palestine, en Irak puis en Égypte, il m’apparaît de plus en plus évident (mais cette évidence n’est pas forcément partagée par tous) que ce que nous pouvons envisager de mieux à vivre avec ceux qui ne sont ni de même culture ni de même religion, c’est de coopérer ensemble en vue de l’édification d’une société plus humaine. À l’ère de l’internet et de la mondialisation, ceci n’est plus du tout une option, c’est une nécessité. Par coopération j’entends l’investissement de nos valeurs communes ou diverses dans des réponses à donner aux interrogations que le monde moderne se pose. On retrouve d’ailleurs le sens obvie du terme dialogue au moment de se mettre d’accord sur un principe sociétal, en trouvant des compromis, très vraisemblablement pour annihiler les forces identitaires, globalement séparatrices et mortifères. Je ne défends pas du tout une dissolution de la partie dans le tout. J’appelle à reconnaître l’unité des sociétés constituées d’éléments culturels et religieux composites. Je ne prône pas non plus le syncrétisme socio-culturel où la vérité de chacun est faussement respectée. La sensibilité à l’autre, à sa culture, à sa religion, à l’instar de l’attention et de la compassion, cela s’apprend et s’entretient. Mon expérience non seulement de la vie avec les arabes chrétiens et musulmans mais aussi d’étude des textes des traditions arabo-musulmanes m’ont introduit à ce processus qui, il faut l’avouer, restera toujours exigeant. L’IDEO existe formellement depuis le 7 mars 1953. Mais dès avant sa création officielle, un groupe de frères dominicains s’est attelé à l’étude scientifique

1 L’Institut dominicain d’études orientales, au Caire (Égypte), est actuellement dirigé par JeanJacques Pérennès à qui AlKindi doit beaucoup.

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de l’islam. Ces études arabes avaient été appelées de leurs vœux dès 1938 à la fois par un cardinal de Rome, Eugène Tisserand, et le responsable des études de la Province dominicaine de France, Marie-Dominique Chenu. Leur intuition commune était originale pour l’époque et reste d’une actualité brûlante pour l’équipe actuelle. Elle se disait en ces termes : … Non pas certes partir à la conquête de l’islam, ni même convertir ici et là quelques individus séparés par là même de la Communauté musulmane, mais se livrer à l’étude approfondie de l’islam, de sa doctrine, de sa civilisation. Apostolat à longue échéance et de qualité institutionnelle.²

L’installation des frères dominicains en Égypte dans ce but n’était pas anodine. De par sa situation géographique, le pays du Nil fut et reste un centre culturel considérable de la civilisation musulmane. De plus, en s’installant à proximité de l’université al-Azhar, le petit groupe de frères pouvait se livrer à des études islamiques d’importance. Très vite l’objet d’étude s’identifia : le patrimoine arabo-musulman des dix premiers siècles, des premiers temps de l’islam jusqu’à la prise du Caire par les Ottomans. Ce domaine d’étude fit évoluer naturellement la teneur des collections de la bibliothèque du couvent. De l’inauguration du couvent, le 6 juin 1933, à la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale le registre des inventaires³ compte 3266 titres. De l’arrivée des fondateurs, George Anawati en 1944, suivi de Jacques Jomier en 1945 et de Serge de Beaurecueil en 1946, jusqu’à la création de l’IDEO en 1953, le nombre des ouvrages acquis est de 5620, ce qui porte l’inventaire à 8886.⁴ Quantitativement le train des acquisitions s’est donc accéléré. Mais le changement radical est à noter dans l’évolution des sections de la bibliothèque concernées par ces acquisitions. Comme le montre le tableau 7.1, de 1934 à 1944, les acquisitions étaient équilibrées entre les diverses sections conventuelles. Mais il faut toutefois remarquer que la section Arabisme et islam était loin d’être insignifiante. Elle dépasse même de peu la Théologie et les Lettres classiques. Ceci est dû à l’inspiration d’Antonin Jaussen, fondateur visionnaire du couvent.⁵

2 Régis Morelon, « L’IDEO du Caire et ses intuitions fondatrices sur la relation à l’Islam », Mémoire dominicaine 15 (2001): 137–216. 3 Le premier registre des inventaires porte en première page le titre manuscrit suivant: «  Régistre [sic] des livres entrés à la bibliothèque depuis janvier 1934 ». Une erreur d’écriture nous apprend cependant que le premier enregistrement au registre date du lundi 12 février 1934. 4 Le registre des inventaires n’a malheureusement pas été rédigé avec cohérence. Nous ne pouvons déterminer, dans cette période, le début de chaque année. 5 G. Chatelard et M. Tarawneh, éds., Antonin Jaussen, sciences sociales occidentales et patri-

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Tableau 7.1 : Acquisition (données en %)

Théologie Lettres classiques Arabisme et islam Histoire Autres

1934–1944

1944–1953

16 16 17 18 33

8 3 56 6 27

Très clairement à la création de l’IDEO, un déséquilibre intentionnel se produit entre les collections du couvent et la collection de l’IDEO.⁶ Toutes les forces se concentrent sur l’objet d’étude  : la culture arabo-musulmane et d’une manière plus précise les textes du patrimoine arabo-musulman des dix premiers siècles. Si le reste de la bibliothèque continue à recevoir des titres nouveaux, le groupe d’études islamiques se met désormais à enrichir la bibliothèque des textes dont il a besoin. Aujourd’hui, soixante ans après, c’est toujours le cas. La force d’une institution religieuse comme l’IDEO réside dans sa durée indépendante des aléas du temps et des supérieurs. La bibliothèque de l’IDEO a acquis et continue avec encore plus de vitalité depuis une quinzaine d’années d’enrichir une collection de grande qualité de textes arabes anciens, édités en Égypte⁷ et de par le monde. La gestion de cette collection a entraîné la mise au point d’un outil de catalogage approprié. Mais plus qu’un outil AlKindi est avant tout un esprit, un contexte de travail que je veux maintenant expliquer.

moine arabe : Actes du Colloque de juin 1998 (Beyrouth: Centre d’Études et de Recherches sur le Moyen-Orient Contemporain (CERMOC), 1999); Jean-Jacques Pérennès, Le père Antonin Jaussen, o.p., 1871–1962 : une passion pour l’Orient musulman (Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 2012). 6 Il ne faut cependant pas durcir la distinction couvent-IDEO, dans la mesure où certaines sections sont forcément communes  : histoire des religions, histoire de la philosophie à titre d’exemple. 7 Ces ouvrages font l’objet d’un bulletin régulier dans les Mélanges de L’Institut dominicain d’études orientales (MIDEO) depuis sa première livraison en 1954 intitulé «  Textes arabes anciens édités en Égypte ». Les rédacteurs de ces bulletins sont surtout Georges Chehata Anawati jusqu’en 1988 (MIDEO 18) et Claude Gilliot à partir de 1989 (MIDEO 19).

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7.3 AlKindi au service de cette coopération Si la bibliothèque est toujours fidèle à sa politique d’acquisition, elle n’a pas moins changé dans son mode de gestion. Comme l’exigence d’ordre inhérente à notre métier conduit souvent à des catalogues séparés selon les alphabets, et ce fut le cas à l’IDEO, c’est dans une lecture attentive de l’inventaire que l’on décèle l’évolution la plus significative de l’esprit AlKindi. À son inauguration, le 12 octobre 1935,⁸ le registre est structuré de la manière suivante  : 9 colonnes s’étalent sur l’ensemble d’une double page. Le cadre de saisie est annoncé dans l’en-tête de colonne orienté de gauche à droite, en alphabet latin et en langue française. L’enregistrement commence par la page de gauche avec successivement le numéro de classement (no d’inventaire), le nom de l’auteur, le titre de l’ouvrage et se termine sur la page de droite avec le nombre de volume, le format, la date d’entrée, la provenance de l’ouvrage, son prix et d’éventuelles observations. En voici un extrait tableau 7.2 : Tableau 7.2 : Volume no 1 (inventaire 1 à 5253) – Extraits Page de gauche Numéro Nom de de classe- l’auteur ment 1 Bardy (G.) 2 1137 1292 1299 1300 3267

Page de droite Titre de l’ouvrage

En lisant les Pères Tixeront (J.) Précis de patrologie Al-kittab almoqadas H. El-Zayat Al-marāa fi alEl-Dimishki Guahiliah Mohamed Rissalat alAbdou Tawhid Willfinson Tarikh al-loghate (J.) Al-Samiyah al-Zaǧǧāǧī Al-Ǧomal ‫ال ُج َمل‬

Nombre Format Date de d’entrée volumes 1 in-8o 12 octobre 1935 1 ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’ 1

1

’’ ’’ 18 décembre 1935 ’’ ’’ 8 janvier 1936 ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’

1

’’ ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’

1

1

14 x Septembre 18.5 1944

Provenance

P. Anawati

Prix Observations

Alger 1927

8 En réalité, un premier registre d’inventaire avait été commencé le 12 février 1934. C’est un simple cahier de compte sans en-tête. Chaque ligne comporte le numéro d’inventaire de 1 à 777, puis la mention de l’auteur et le titre de l’ouvrage. Le 12 octobre 1935, le travail fut repris depuis le début selon la méthode que nous décrivons ici.

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Le premier ouvrage en langue arabe suit le cadre de l’en-tête. Il est inscrit en translittération à la ligne 1137. Il s’agit d’une traduction arabe de la Bible. La romanisation du titre, al-kittab al-moqadas, est étrange et hors normes. Un mois plus tard le deuxième ouvrage de langue arabe entre à la bibliothèque. L’auteur, Ḥabīb al-Zayyāt al-Dimašqī (1871–1954), avait édité al-Marʾa fī al-ǧāhiliyya (La femme avant l’Islam) en 1899 au Caire. Nous remarquons toujours une translittération maison, Al-marāa fi al-Guahiliah, colorée de dialecte égyptien. Le constat est ici sans appel, la graphie et la direction de droite à gauche de l’écriture, caractéristiques de la langue arabe, sont neutralisées pour s’adapter au format occidental. Une première écriture en alphabet arabe apparaît au numéro 3267 en septembre 1944, lorsque le bibliothécaire inscrit à côté du titre romanisé, Al-Ǧomal, le terme original, ‫ال ُج َمل‬, en précisant d’ailleurs l’accentuation. Mais c’est là une exception. Car l’écriture en alphabet arabe apparaît réellement à l’inventaire 8646 (Tableau 7.3) où la ligne a dû être inscrite entre 1951 et mai 1952. La translittération n’est désormais presque plus utilisée. Cependant les colonnes du registre définissent toujours la règle de saisie des données. À une date difficile à préciser, mais après mai 1952, au numéro d’inventaire 8887, le cadre de saisie défini par l’en-tête des pages n’est plus suivi. Désormais l’écriture de l’inventaire s’étale sur les deux pages du registre ouvert. La colonne nombre de volumes de la page de droite devient l’équivalente de la colonne numéro de classement de la page de gauche. La colonne format devient le champ dans lequel on écrit le nom de l’auteur en alphabet latin ou en alphabet arabe, etc. C’est au numéro 9034 qu’un nouveau changement apparaît. Désormais l’écriture des lignes respecte les caractéristiques des deux alphabets latin et arabe. Le numéro d’inventaire est toujours écrit sur la colonne de gauche des pages, puis la séquence « nom de l’auteur, titre de l’ouvrage, ville d’édition, année d’édition » est inscrite de gauche à droite en alphabet latin et de droite à gauche en alphabet arabe. L’alphabet arabe a retrouvé ses caractéristiques propres : la graphie de la lettre et le sens de l’écriture. Le cadre imprimé en tête de page ne sert plus à rien. Tableau 7.3 : Volume no 2 (inventaire 5254 à 10585) – Extraits Page de gauche Numéro Nom de de classe- l’auteur ment 8645 al-ʿAlawī

Page de droite Titre de l’ouvrage Itḥāf annubahāʾ al-aqyās

Nombre Format Date Prove- Prix Observations de d’entrée nance volumes 1 Fez 1349 h.

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Page de gauche Numéro Nom de de classe- l’auteur ment 8646 ‫عبد الرحيم‬ ‫السيوطي‬ 8647 ‫حسنحسني‬ ‫الطويراني‬ 8887

Canard

8902

Canard

9034

1285 ‫مصر‬ 2. ‫ هـ‬vol

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Page de droite Titre de l’ouvrage ‫ثالث القمرين‬ ‫مقالة في اجمال‬ ‫الكالم على‬ ‫مسألة الخالفة‬ Une lettre du Sultan Malik Nāsir Les expéditions des Arabes contre Constantinople ‫ سيد محمد الزرقاني‬: ‫شرح على صحيح‬ ‫الموطأ لإلمام مالك‬

Nombre Format Date Prove- Prix Observations de d’entrée nance volumes Caire 1325 h. ’’ 1895

8921 V. Gab- Studi di Storia rieli Musulmana 8937 ‫علي‬ ‫الجارم‬

‫ديوان‬

9068

‫ شـيوخ‬3 ‫مجادلة مع‬

Ex Riv Stor. I. 1950

4e vol.

‫جرجي‬ (‫)األنباء‬

Ce nouveau mode d’enregistrement, qui respecte la langue originale et le génie des alphabets, se libère du carcan de la règle énoncée en français. Le cadre imposé laisse place à l’expression d’une norme dans le génie propre de la langue utilisée. Le choix est alors fait de ne plus romaniser. Ce comportement est contemporain du 7 mars 1953, date de la création de l’IDEO. Vingt ans après l’écriture de l’article de Francis E. Sommer « Co-ordinated Transliteration in Libraries »⁹ où l’auteur dessine les principes d’une translittération scientifique internationale dans le monde des bibliothèques, les frères dominicains prennent le contre-pied et, sans rejeter le principe même de la translittération,¹⁰ façonnent jour après jour une méthodologie adéquate à la gestion du fonds de leur bibliothèque. Le catalogue papier de la bibliothèque a tout de suite été plus libre que le registre. D’emblée le catalogue général était constitué d’un catalogue latin pour les ouvrages publiés en caractères latins et d’un catalogue arabe pour ceux publiés en caractères arabes. Aucune translittération n’a donc été utilisée pour

9 Francis E. Sommer, “Co-ordinated Transliteration in Libraries,” The Library Quarterly 7:4 (October 1937): 492–501. 10 En soi la translittération, comme dans le présent article où certains termes arabes ont été romanisés, est utile pour la composition d’un texte lorsque le sens des écritures originales sont antinomiques. Mais elle n’est plus pertinente dans le cadre d’un catalogue où les entités enregistrées sont indépendantes les unes des autres.

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le catalogue.¹¹ En 1999, ce catalogue papier n’est plus alimenté. Il est désormais remplacé par le catalogue informatisé qui porte alors un nom : AlKindi. Pourquoi AlKindi  ? Ce nom dérive de Kinda, un très ancien groupe tribal sud-arabique¹² et est porté par plusieurs savants du monde arabe. Celui qui est désigné ici est considéré comme le tout premier philosophe arabe. Il s’agit de : Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb b. Isḥāq al-Kindī (801–873). Il était savant encyclopédique connaissant aussi bien les mathématiques, la physique et l’optique que l’astronomie, la médecine et la musique. Mais ce qui a retenu mon attention, c’est la période durant laquelle il vécut. Il a été formé à Bagdad au moment même où surgissait un fantastique mouvement de traduction des textes de l’héritage grec vers la culture arabe, sous le califat d’al-Maʾmūn (786–833), puis sous celui d’al-Muʿtaṣim (795–842). Al-Kindī devint un acteur privilégié de la recherche scientifique arabe, alors à ses balbutiements. Il s’appuyait pour cela, entre autres, sur ceux qui connaissaient le grec et le syriaque : les savants chrétiens de langue syriaque. Ce savant m’est alors apparu comme un personnage à la jonction de diverses cultures. Il était comme une sorte de symbole de l’effort que nous cherchions à produire, à l’IDEO, en permettant des ponts entre les cultures. Avec AlKindi, nous avons un grand défi à relever. Il nous faut utiliser des normes internationales pour être lisibles par le monde scientifique. Mais nous devons garder notre liberté pour ne pas faire subir à la culture, objet de notre étude, des transformations trop incommodes par des normes somme toute rédigées dans et pour un contexte occidental, voire purement latin. Nous devons tout à la fois pouvoir écrire des notices au format ISBD (International Standard Bibliographic Description), accéder à un format d’échange de notice tout en respectant, au mieux, les spécificités culturelles de la civilisation arabo-musulmane et surtout celle de la langue arabe. AlKindi, avec ses faiblesses, tente de relever le défi. Une dernière remarque avant de décrire AlKindi. Ce qui est dit dans cette contribution est rendu possible par le fait que la bibliothèque de l’IDEO est spécialisée et, dans une certaine mesure, de taille modeste.¹³ Le processus qui a abouti à l’apparition de la version 4 (FRBR) expérimentale n’eut pas été possible aussi aisément dans le cadre d’une grande bibliothèque générale où les contraintes de gestion sont de loin plus considérables.

11 C’est d’ailleurs une pratique fort courante déjà signalée par E.-G. Ledos, Usages suivis dans la rédaction du Catalogue général des livres imprimés, Nouvelle édition entièrement refondue par Armand Rastoul (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 1940). 12 v. l’article documenté « Kinda » de I. Shahîd, suivi d’un appendice de A. F. L. Beeston, dans: Encyclopédie de l’Islam, vol. V, nouvelle edition (Leyde: Brill, 1986), 121–123. 13 Nous estimons que le magasin des monographies contient 150 000 volumes et que celui des périodiques en contient près de 80 000.

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7.4 AlKindi versions 0 à 3 7.4.1 Historique La suite informatique AlKindi a désormais un peu d’histoire. En 1994, une première phase de construction du catalogue informatisé de la bibliothèque avait été mise en place. Régis Morelon, alors directeur de l’IDEO, avait inauguré ce long chantier. Le catalogue était alors partagé, selon le modèle des deux catalogues papier, entre deux systèmes différents. Le premier, PICA system, était embarqué sur un ordinateur de type PC. La base de données comportait 6000 notices bibliographiques du fonds latin. Le second, consacré au fonds arabe, était une application fort simple du système 4D v.5 installé sur un ordinateur Apple. Le fichier de cette installation comportait 12 000 notices en une seule table. Le choix d’Apple avait été fait pour la possibilité qu’il offrait alors de saisir directement les données en caractères arabes. Au début de l’année 1998, au moment où je commençai mon travail de structuration d’un modèle de base de données, il ne fut pas possible de récupérer les 6000 notices du catalogue latin. Le catalogue fut repris ultérieurement depuis le début et directement à partir des documents. La table 4D arabe fut exportée dans un premier temps vers un tableur Excel qui fut scindé en 20 tables structurant une première base de données relationnelle. Cette base de données accessible par une interface Access permettait déjà la description ISBD. Ce fut la version 0 d’AlKindi. Durant l’été 2001, avec l’aide de Frédéric Chauveau de Villoutreys, alors étudiant dominicain à Lille, la base de données fut exportée sous Microsoft SQL Serveur avec l’installation d’un serveur domestique apte à procurer un backoffice et un frontoffice, l’OPAC Access. La base de données, AlKindi 1, comportait alors 23 tables et 21000 notices encodées alors en Unicode (utf-8). C’est à ce moment que l’on commença le dépouillement des ouvrages collectifs. En 2003, une nouvelle étape fut franchie avec l’arrivée régulière d’informaticiens volontaires envoyés par la Délégation catholique pour la coopération.¹⁴ Quentin Morelon, Thomas Fayol, Jean-Karim Eskandar, Claire Hoddé et Benoît de Goussencourt se sont succédé pour me seconder dans le développement d’AlKindi. Grâce au travail de Quentin Morelon, la base de données AlKindi est passée

14 Organisation non gouvernementale catholique de développement, La Délégation catholique pour la coopération (DCC) est le service du volontariat international de l’Eglise catholique en France.

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à sa version 2, avec le début de la mise en place du format Unimarc. La base possédait alors un peu plus de 27 800 notices. Une interface en HTML fut alors mise en place. En 2004, avec Thomas Fayol, une grande mutation s’opère puisque nous décidons d’équiper le réseau informatique de la bibliothèque avec un système d’exploitation libre de la famille Unix. Sous Debian est alors installé le système de gestion de base de données relationnelle MySQL. Un nouveau modèle est mis sur pied pour donner la version 3 d’AlKindi. Thomas Fayol écrivit le code PHP du module AlKindi 3 CS ainsi que celui de l’OPAC. À la mise en ligne de cet OPAC (Open Public Access Catalogue), en mars 2006, la base de données proposait 54 500 notices, aujourd’hui elle en propose 180 000.¹⁵

7.4.2 Spécificités d’Alkindi 3 7.4.2.1 Langue et alphabet Le respect des caractéristiques de l’écriture arabe et les possibilités offertes par Unicode (version utf-8) nous ont conduits à mettre en place dès la première version d’AlKindi, en 1998, la saisie des caractères originaux de l’arabe et leur lecture dans la bonne orientation. Les règles de transcription de l’arabe pour le catalogage ne sont cependant pas encore fixées. Nous avons été amenés à définir certaines conventions pour l’écriture de nos notices bibliographiques. À titre d’exemple, nous corrigeons systématiquement l’écriture de la hamza et de la madda, dont l’orthographe est souvent aléatoire sur les pages de titre. Nous restituons également l’écriture pointée du yāʾ final. Et nous supprimons tout espace qui pourrait se trouver après la conjonction waw. En outre, nous ne transcrivons aucune marque diacritique (fatḥa, ḍamma, kasra, sukūn et shadda).¹⁶ Il est vrai que la saisie des caractères originaux sans parallèle en translittération est plus appropriée pour une bibliothèque spécialisée dans un domaine où les langues sont essentielles à l’étude scientifique. Car l’équipe administrative, comme les lecteurs et les chercheurs, doivent connaître l’arabe pour œuvrer avec les collections. Au sein des grandes bibliothèques européennes, le recours à la translittération s’impose lorsque les documents traités utilisent une écriture si éloignée du contexte linguistique qu’elle dépasse la capacité de médiation propre au catalogue, entre la collection et les utilisateurs. Toutefois, et à titre d’exemple,

15 L’adresse est depuis ce temps : http://alkindi.ideo-cairo.org. Consulté le 6 mars 2014. 16 Ce dernier point pourrait cependant faire l’objet d’une réévaluation.

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la Bibliothèque nationale de France, tout en saisissant les données en translittération a commencé à saisir parallèlement en alphabet arabe certaines données bibliographiques¹⁷. Mais l’IDEO a fait le choix, et AlKindi le permet depuis ses débuts en 1998, de saisir les données bibliographiques directement dans l’alphabet du document catalogué sans doublure translittérée, parce qu’il n’était pas envisageable que cette médiation, au cœur de la vocation de l’IDEO, ne fût pas parfaitement assurée par l’outil qu’est le catalogue.

7.4.2.2 Translittération De fait, l’utilisation des alphabets originaux rend la translittération obsolète. Une seule exception subsiste toujours. Il est important, en effet, de pouvoir construire des points d’accès pour une œuvre publiée dans un alphabet distinct de son alphabet d’origine. Ne serait-ce que pour rendre la présentation des données dans l’OPAC plus cohérente, nous construisons autant de points d’accès autorité que de langues dans lesquelles ses œuvres sont publiées. La translittération est toujours une opération délicate, non pas tant pour le choix des règles que pour sa mise en œuvre même. L’utilisation des graphèmes exceptionnels et souvent indisponibles sur un clavier ordinaire est toujours ennuyeuse et la cause de perte de temps. La version 3 d’AlKindi a mis en œuvre pour les champs de type texte, un algorithme de translittération adapté.¹⁸

7.4.2.3 La fonction de classement et l’article défini Inhérent à la question du respect des spécificités de l’écriture arabe, le problème du classement des données en arabe était également à prendre en compte. Toutefois, il faut dire que le tri des données est devenu, par l’accès direct à des notices

17  La Bibliothèque nationale de France a été la première des grandes bibliothèques nationales à avoir saisi des données en caractères originaux. Depuis le début de l’année 2003, les champs Intermarc 245 et 260 (Unimarc 200 et 210) des notices bibliographiques sont utilisés pour la saisie en arabe, parallèle à la saisie translittérée, des zones titres et adresse dans l’optique de respecter l’ISBD. Le champ Intermarc 100 (Unimarc 700) des notices d’autorités de la forme internationale en arabe est également saisi en arabe parallèlement à la saisie translittérée. 18 Partant du principe que généralement la virgule et le point ne sont jamais suivis directement d’une lettre, l’algorithme propose qu’une simple saisie de deux symboles renvoie un graphème diacritique. Par exemple : ʽ,a’ renvoie ʽā’, ʽ,c’ renvoie č, ʽ.h’ renvoie ʽḥ’, ʽ.T’ renvoie ʽṬ’, etc.

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individuelles dans les catalogues en ligne, beaucoup moins pertinent. Il reste néanmoins nécessaire. La méthode des formats de type MARC induit,¹⁹ selon nous, une confusion entre la fonction saisie-recherche-lecture d’une donnée et celle du classement de cette donnée dans un ordre alphabétique particulier. AlKindi distingue nettement les deux fonctions. Une fois les données saisies, une fonction les prépare pour le classement. Cela s’opère dans un champ dédié et suppose tant pour les langues occidentales que pour la langue arabe une altération des données. Ceci est important pour la langue arabe très consommatrice d’articles. La règle qui veut que seul le premier article ne soit pas pris en compte ne suffit pas en arabe car il importe généralement que l’article suivant le soit également. Les deux premiers exemples du tableau 7.4 montrent comment AlKindi traite le champ tri. Tableau 7.4 : Traitement du champ tri Type de champ

Titre romanisé

Titre original

Lecture Classement Lecture Classement

al-Kitāb al-muqaddas Kitāb muqaddas al-Marʾa fī al-ǧāhiliyya Marʾa fī ǧāhiliyya

‫الكتاب المقدس‬ ‫كتاب مقدس‬ ‫المرأة في الجاهلية‬ ‫مرأة في جاهلية‬

Cette fonction est mise en œuvre par défaut pour les données de type texte susceptibles d’être triées.²⁰ Cependant l’interface de saisie est aménagée pour donner la possibilité au catalogueur d’intervenir dans le champ de classement pour parer à d’éventuelles erreurs.²¹ Nous l’avons dit, tous les champs susceptibles de faire l’objet d’un tri sont équipés de ce traitement. C’est également le cas pour les points d’accès d’autorités arabes pour lesquels le rejet du ‫ ال‬n’est pas envisageable en arabe. Dans le cas d’une translittération d’un point d’accès arabe, notre

19 Le principe MARC utilise un indicateur puis un caractère-balise entre l’article initial et le premier mot à classer. 20 Il est prévu pour la version 4 d’AlKindi de développer l’algorithme au reste des langues selon la liste définie par l’appendice E du format MARC21. 21 Comme l’algorithme supprime systématiquement les articles définis, il revient au catalogueur de remettre ceux qui ne devaient pas être supprimés. Ces cas sont statistiquement fort rares. Il s’agit, par exemple, d’un titre commençant par le nom d’une ville comme Le Caire, la renaissance d’une ville. Après traitement de l’algorithme de classement le champ tri est alimenté par Caire, renaissance d’une ville. Le catalogueur doit restituer le premier article : Le Caire, renaissance d’une ville.

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méthode nous permet de laisser le al- à sa place originelle comme le montre le tableau 7.5. Tableau 7.5 : Traitement du ‘al’ Type de champ

Titre romanisé

Titre original

‫( )نجيب الدين) (أبو‬1221\619) ‫النجيب السمرقندي‬ al-Najīb al-Samarqandī22 (619/1222) (Najīb al-Dīn) (Abū Ḥāmid), Muḥammad ‫حامد) محمد بن علي بن عمر السمرقندي‬ b. ʿAlī b. ʿUmar al-Samarqandī Classement Najīb Samarqandī (619/1222) (Najīb Dīn) )‫( )نجيب دين) (أبو حامد‬1221\619) ‫نجيب سمرقندي‬ (Abū Ḥāmid), Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. ʿUmar ‫محمد بن علي بن عمر سمرقندي‬ Samarqandī

Lecture

7.4.2.4 Les points d’accès en arabe Dès la toute première étape d’informatisation, Régis Morelon, avec les conseils de Jacqueline Sublet,²³ avait établi une charte de construction de la vedette d’autorité arabe propre à l’IDEO. Celle-ci fut systématisée dès les premières versions d’AlKindi car, malgré sa longueur, on avait accès rapidement aux divers éléments du nom arabe, ce qui levait l’indétermination provenant de nombreuses homonymies. Un auteur peut être distingué par sa date de mort (tant selon l’ère hégirienne que grégorienne), sa kunya, sa nisba et autres éléments traditionnels du nom arabe, autant d’éléments rarement présents au sein des vedettes internationales. Un module onomastique est apparu dès les premières versions d’AlKindi. Cet outil a pour but de structurer d’une manière systématique les points d’accès d’auteur ancien arabe spécifiques à notre base de données. Tout d’abord, les éléments du point d’accès IDEO sont les suivants : ²²

22 Cf. VIAF ID: 23709089 (http://viaf.org/viaf/23709089. Consulté le 6 mars 2014). On notera pour cet exemple particulier que la forme latine adoptée est Najīb Dīn al-Samarqandī et diffère donc légèrement de la forme arabe al-Najīb al-Samarqandī. 23 Jacqueline Sublet (IRHT) venait d’écrire un ouvrage sur l’onomastique arabe  : Le voile du nom : Essai sur le nom propre arabe (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1991). Le Bulletin des bibliothèques de France a publié en 1958 un article, sur l’onomastique arabe, toujours utile: Daniel Eustache, « Catalogue d’imprimés ou de manuscrits arabes », BBF 3:2 (1958): 99–111. http:// bbf.enssib.fr/. Consulté le 7 août 2013.

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Le nasab désigne l’enchaînement des noms (ism-s) d’hommes associés les uns aux autres par un lien de paternité-filiation selon le schème fulān b. fulān (untel fils d’untel). Quoi qu’il advienne de la longueur de la chaîne qui en résulte, l’algorithme de concaténation ne prendra en compte que les trois premiers noms sans tenir compte du troisième b. (fils de) et de ce qui suit. Ainsi de l’enregistrement Aḥmad b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Aḥmad, ne sera utilisée dans le point d’accès que la séquence Aḥmad b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Cependant la chaîne en son entier reste disponible pour une recherche fine sur les noms d’auteur et accessible dans la publication des notices d’autorité. La kunya désigne le nom de filiation selon le schème Abū fulān (père d’untel) ou Umm fulān (mère d’untel). Ce paramètre est répétable puisqu’un auteur peut avoir plus d’une kunya. Ex. : Abū Ibrāhīm, Abū Aḥmad. Nous distinguons laqab et sharaf qui sont, tous les deux, un surnom donné au personnage. Le sharaf²⁴ désigne le surnom honorifique donné au personnage sous la forme *- al-Dīn (*-de la religion) ou *-āl-Dawla (*-de l’Etat). Ce paramètre est répétable. Ex.  : ʿIzz al-Dīn, Ǧamāl al-Dīn, Sayf al-Dawla. Le terme laqab est réservé à tout autre surnom. Ce paramètre est répétable. Ex. : Ǧāḥiẓ, Ṣaḥib al-Zanǧ. La nisba est un adjectif attribué au personnage héréditairement ou de par son histoire personnelle. Cet adjectif est généralement construit avec un ‫ي‬/ī final et indique un lieu d’origine, un métier, l’école de droit ou la voie soufie dont fait partie le personnage, etc. On saisit plusieurs nisba-s dans le même champ.²⁵ Ex. : al-Qāhirī, al-Ġazūlī, al-Šāfiʿī, al-Naqšabandī Un dernier élément, mais c’est le premier d’entre eux, la shuhra. C’est l’ancêtre médiéval de la forme acceptée, du point d’accès autorisé. Il désigne le nom par lequel le personnage est le plus connu.

Ces éléments sont utilisés par un algorithme pour construire le point d’accès auteur selon l’ordre suivant  : shuhra (date de mort hégirienne et grégorienne) (sharaf) (kunya) nasab nisba. Ce n’est pas le lieu ici de détailler les subtilités de cet algorithme. Par exemple,²⁶ tableau 7.6 indique le point d’accès IDEO en comparaison avec d’autres réservoirs.

24 Le RDA (v. note 31) appelle ce composant onomastique Khiṭāb et lui donne la définition suivante : « honorific compound of which the last part is typically al-Dīn », RDA, F.1.1.4, example 1. 25 Ce paramètre a subi une évolution dans la version 4 d’AlKindi. 26 Cf. VIAF ID : 118408498 (http://viaf.org/viaf/118408498. Consulté le 6 mars 2013).

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L’enregistrement des éléments du nom arabe selon une grille fine permet également de faire des recherches dans l’ordre onomastique. Il est possible d’isoler, par exemple, les auteurs d’une certaine période appartenant à une école précise de jurisprudence. Tableau 7.6 : Point d’accès IDEO Latin 

al-Sakhāwī (902/1497) (Shams al-Dīn) (Abū ʿAbd Allāh), Muḥammad b. ʿAbd alRaḥmān b. Muḥammad al-Qāhirī al-Shāfiʿī

IDEO Arabe Congress NLA (Trove) Bodleian Leiden BnF Vatican

‫( )شمس الدين( )أبو عبد هللا( محمد بن عبد الرحمن بن محمد القاهري الشافعي‬1497\902) ‫السخاوي‬ Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, 1427 or 8-1497 Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn `Abd al-Raḥmān, 1427 or 8-1497 Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, 1427 or 8-1497 Saḵāwī, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al- 1427–1497 Saẖāwī, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmân al- (1427–1497) al-Saḫāwi,̄27 Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, 1428–1497

7.4.2.5 Table des maisons d’édition La dernière spécificité que nous devons indiquer ne touche pas le souci particulier du respect de la culture arabe. Elle concerne l’ISBD. La zone 4 (adresse) de l’ISBD est systématiquement construite par indexation des villes et des maisons d’édition. Dès la version 0 de la base de données AlKindi, nous avons constitué une base des maisons d’édition. Les maisons d’édition ont été traitées dès le début comme des autorités à part entière avec leur jeu de formes diverses suivant la manière dont elles apparaissent sur le document. Outre l’intérêt d’avoir accès directement à une liste de publication d’une même maison d’édition, l’indexation des maisons d’édition a été très utile lors de la transformation de la base de données vers un modèle FRBR (en anglais : Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records). ²⁸ En effet, il a été possible de rapatrier directement dans la base du Groupe 2, principalement comme personne morale, toutes ces notices avec leurs relations vers l’entité Manifestation. ²⁷

27 Mais le classement tient compte du al-. 28 Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records: Final Report September 1997, as amended and corrected through February 2009 ([The Hague]: IFLA Study Group on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, 2009). http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/cataloguing/frbr/ frbr_2008.pdf. Consulté le 6 mars 2014.

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7.5 AlKindi 4, une version expérimentale 7.5.1 Historique Avec sa nouvelle version, AlKindi hérite des spécificités des versions antérieures. Quelques améliorations ont été apportées aux divers algorithmes du module de catalogage. Le paramètre onomastique nisba est désormais décliné selon cinq sous-catégories plus précises.²⁹ L’algorithme de translittération a été développé et les particularismes linguistiques seront mis en œuvre. À l’heure de l’écriture de cette contribution l’OPAC n’est pas encore opérationnel. AlKindi 4 bouleverse les habitudes de travail, dans la mesure où trois modifications majeures ont été réalisées. Tout d’abord, le modèle des données a été totalement repensé et suit désormais les principes énoncés par les Spécifications fonctionnelles des notices bibliographiques (FRBR) et les Spécifications fonctionnelles des notices d’autorité (en anglais Functional Requirements for Authority Data, FRAD).³⁰ Il transforme également le processus de catalogage puisque nous avons décidé de suivre le nouveau standard RDA (de l’anglais Resource Description and Access).³¹ Enfin, nous donnons la possibilité aux catalogueurs de définir leur propre langue de catalogage et ce au sein d’un même catalogue.

7.5.2 Spécificités d’AlKindi 4 7.5.2.1 FRBR-FRAD La bibliothèque de l’IDEO tente d’acquérir, dans la mesure du possible, les éditions de textes du patrimoine arabo-musulman des dix premiers siècles. Il est courant d’avoir plusieurs éditions d’un même texte. En 2006 nous avons commencé à utiliser les possibilités offertes par la construction des vedettes titres.

29 Ces cinq sous-catégories sont : l’ethnique, l’école jurisprudentielle, l’école de pensée, la voie soufie et autres nisba-s. 30 Functional Requirements for Authority Data: A Conceptual Model: Final Report December 2008, as amended and corrected through July 2013. [The Hague]: IFLA Working Group on Functional Requirements and Numbering of Authority Records (FRANAR), 2013. http://www.ifla.org/ files/assets/cataloguing/frad/frad_2013.pdf. Consulté le 6 mars 2014. 31 Resource description & access: RDA, developed in a collaborative process led by the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (JSC) (Chicago: American Library Association, 2010.)

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Cela permettait d’une part d’indexer les différentes éditions d’un texte à une même vedette titre.³² Mais surtout cela donnait la possibilité de mettre en relation, par le biais de ces vedettes d’autorité titre, des œuvres entre elles.³³ Lorsqu’en 2010, nous avons reçu à la bibliothèque Hervé Le Baut, alors stagiaire, celui-ci devait établir un rapport en vue d’une mise à jour d’AlKindi 3. Nous nous sommes trouvés devant une alternative. Il nous était proposé ou bien de nous suffire d’AlKindi 3 en l’améliorant pour pouvoir fournir des notices d’échange au format UNIMARC, ou bien de nous lancer dans l’aventure FRBR. Une nouvelle fois, c’est la réalité culturelle de la littérature arabo-musulmane, riche en relations intertextuelles, qui nous a vivement encouragés à entreprendre la révolution FRBR. Nous avons commencé à travailler sur un nouveau modèle de données inspiré par les FRBR au tout début de l’année 2011. Ce modèle prenait en compte uniquement les entités du Groupe 1 (les ouvrages – FRBR) et du Groupe 2 (les autorités – FRAD). La mise en place du Groupe 3 (les objets – FRSAD) a été remise à plus tard. Le travail a pris une tournure plus concrète le 21 novembre 2011, date à laquelle nous avons contacté l’informaticien qui avait mis sur pied la version 3 d’AlKindi. Celui-ci nous mit en relation avec une société de développement. Le cahier des charges a été achevé en mars 2012. L’écriture du code de la nouvelle application AlKindi 4 commença en avril 2012. Le développement, fait à partir du système MVC (Model-view-controller) libre Symfony et avec, principalement, MySQL 5 et PHP 5, a pris un retard considérable. Ce qui n’est pas tout à fait extraordinaire dans la mesure où le modèle des données était tout à la fois nouveau et complexe. Le modèle AlKindi 3 contenait moins de 80 tables, AlKindi 4 en contient plus de 500. La version 4.0 est pratiquement achevée. À l’heure actuelle le script de reprise des données est en cours de rédaction. Nous prévoyons une période expérimentale de plusieurs mois.

7.5.2.2 RDA Le choix de la description catalographique selon RDA s’est fait dans la foulée de celui des FRBR. Plusieurs raisons à cela. Outre qu’il est cohérent d’utiliser RDA dont les normes sont directement inspirées de la structuration FRBR, RDA

32 Nous appelions ces vedettes improprement titre uniforme. Il eut été préférable de les appeler titre conventionnel. En rigueur de terme, le titre uniforme textuel est la normalisation des points d’accès titre pour les œuvres anonymes. Tout cela est défini par la norme AFNOR Z44-061. 33 Commentaire, résumé, suite etc.

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apporte des avantages nouveaux par rapport aux descriptions anciennes pensées pour un catalogue papier³⁴. Tout d’abord, nous l’avons déjà dit, l’établissement des relations entre les diverses entités FRBR-FRAD correspond absolument aux nécessités de gestion documentaire du fonds de l’IDEO. L’aptitude de RDA à la description systématique, description toujours adossée à un système de notes de détails, limite considérablement les abrasions culturelles dues à toute forme de normativité internationale. On l’aura compris, cela est très important pour nous. La capacité à la description des ressources électroniques et les possibilités de description de divers supports pour les manifestations (notamment l’ouverture vers la description des manuscrits) ont finalement emporté notre choix de RDA.

7.5.2.3 Une interface de catalogage multilingue L’interface de catalogage a été développée de façon à en faciliter l’utilisation. Pour l’instant l’interface ainsi que tous les paramètres de l’application ont été traduits en français, en anglais et en arabe. Le basculement d’une langue à une autre se fait par un simple clic sur une icône appropriée.

7.5.2.4 Langue de catalogage La nouvelle application permet la création pour chaque entité du Groupe 1 (œuvre, expression, manifestation, item) et du Groupe 2 (personne physique, personne morale, famille, réunion) de notices de catalogage en langues diverses. Si la bibliothèque rédige ses notices habituellement en français pour les ouvrages en caractères latins et en arabe pour les ouvrages publiés en caractères arabes, il est possible aussi de rédiger, parallèlement, une notice dans une autre langue de catalogage. Ce point est fondamental aujourd’hui, dans la perspective d’une collaboration scientifique des chercheurs au niveau du module Œuvre-Expression. En effet, l’écriture du catalogue pour ce module relève plus de la recherche historique. Sans trop forcer l’opposition, le module Manifestation-Document concerne quant à lui plus les équipes traditionnelles de catalogage. Il est donc tout à fait opportun de prévoir des évolutions de développement vers une coopération de la

34 Par exemple, l’utilisation des abréviations, si utile pour économiser la place allouée par la fiche de bristol, n’est plus de mise désormais dans un environnement informatique.

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communauté scientifique. Une telle participation, pour qu’elle soit la plus large possible, nécessitera forcément une identification linguistique.

7.5.2.5 Groupe 1: Paramètres de relation propre Œuvre-Œuvre Le paramétrage des relations horizontales Œuvre-Œuvre a fait l’objet d’une étude ancienne pour le domaine du patrimoine arabo-musulman.³⁵ L’auteur, Kamāl A. Nabhān, décrit avec acribie les multiples relations qu’il répertorie sans véritablement formuler de principes normatifs. En confrontant les propositions RDA, l’étude de Kamāl Nabhān, et notre propre expérience, nous avons mis au point une liste de paramètres appropriée au travail de catalogage de la culture patrimoniale arabe dans un environnement FRBR. Outre les paramètres RDA auxquels nous renvoyons,³⁶ AlKindi 4 propose les relations supplémentaires suivantes : – pour les œuvres dérivées  : reconstruction (iʿādat bināʾ), réorganisation (iʿādat tartīb), révision (tahḏīb), sélection (iḫtiyār); – pour les œuvres descriptives : commentaire partiel, défense (difāʿ); – pour les œuvres augmentées : louange (madḥ), introduction (muqaddima), identification des sources (taḫrīj). Une mission financée par la Commission européenne doit, dans les trois prochaines années, mettre en évidence, grâce à l’outil AlKindi 4, la manière dont la culture littéraire arabo-musulmane s’est constituée en terme de relations intertextuelles. Tous les grands domaines de la culture sont concernés et fournissent au niveau relationnel des réseaux entre œuvres plus ou moins riches et complexes. S’il est vrai que les sciences traditionnelles (naqliyya) sont la scène d’un déploiement de relations sans commune mesure dans la culture latine, les sciences rationnelles (ʿaqliyya) ne sont pas en reste. Elles construisent également un tissu relationnel. Il sera aussi très intéressant de pouvoir montrer, par exemple, les antécédents grecs d’une œuvre arabe, ou sa fructification dans la culture latine.

35 Dans un premier ouvrage, al-ʿIlāqāt bayna al-nuṣūṣ fī al-taʾlīf al-ʿarabī (Les relations entre les textes dans la littérature arabe) paru au Caire (al-ʿArabī lil-našr, 1993), Kamāl ʿArafāt Nabhān publie sa thèse de doctorat dans laquelle il décrit et catégorise les relations entre les textes qui font le génie de la littérature. Il utilise d’ailleurs ce terme, génie (ʿabqariyya), dans le titre d’un ouvrage ultérieur dans lequel il reprend pour l’essentiel le premier mais en l’enrichissant, ʿAbqariyyat al-taʾlīf al-ʿarabī (“Le génie des auteurs arabes”), publié également au Caire (Markaz dirāsāt al-maʿlūmāt wa-l-nuṣūṣ al-ʿarabiyya, 2006). 36 http://access.rdatoolkit.org: Appendice J.2.

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7.5.2.6 Groupe 2: Point d’accès RDA et AlKindi Une des limites d’AlKindi 3 était d’avoir relégué les formes internationales des vedettes d’auteur à un niveau équivalent à celui des formes rejetées. La seule vedette autorisée était celle, vedette IDEO, que nous formions selon ce qui a été décrit plus haut. Désormais avec AlKindi 4 la création des points d’accès est rigoureusement standardisée. Ainsi nous pouvons rédiger des notices d’autorités et construire des points d’accès autorisés et variants de forme RDA ainsi que des points d’accès IDEO. Les points d’accès Auteur. Titre seront construits avec les points d’accès RDA, mais toute la communication des données se fera grâce aux points d’accès IDEO dont la forme spécifique est plus informative.

7.6 Conclusion Au moment de conclure cette présentation, je voudrais signaler l’horizon de la démarche AlKindi. La lecture de cette contribution montre, je pense, que la rencontre interculturelle et religieuse suppose de la part de ses acteurs un investissement de leurs forces d’adaptation. Dans la mesure où les structures d’encadrement le permettent, le pôle informatique d’une bibliothèque aux prises avec diverses cultures doit pouvoir assumer cette dimension d’adaptation. L’esprit d’AlKindi est de proposer aux chercheurs un outil scientifique qui réponde à la fois aux normes mises à la disposition des bibliothèques, mais qui permette, dans le même temps, les adaptations nécessaires aux expressions particulières d’une culture. RDA, certes, dans son Appendice F (Additional instructions on Names of Persons) montre la volonté de tenir compte des cultures dans la construction des points d’accès auteur. Mais cela se passe dans le cadre strict de la structure du point d’accès RDA. Il ne peut en être autrement dans une perspective d’échange. Cependant, il est possible de faire preuve de créativité et de structurer l’outil, non seulement pour construire des points d’accès plus conformes à la culture, mais aussi pour profiter des informations plus nombreuses que ces points d’accès spécifiques proposent. La structure propre aux FRBR, je veux le souligner ici, nous a vivement intéressés dans la mesure où elle suppose à long terme une coopération étroite entre le monde des chercheurs et celui des bibliothécaires. Notre expérience à l’IDEO nous pousse à croire que les deux communautés doivent apprendre à travailler ensemble. C’est ce qui est organisé concrètement au sein de notre équipe du Caire. Le laboratoire de recherche appelé des Deux-Cents, du nom de son projet, sera amené, durant son travail d’identification des relations Œuvre-Œuvre, non

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seulement à proposer des modifications techniques de l’outil de catalogage, mais aussi à être en contact permanent avec les catalogueurs de la bibliothèque. Ce travail d’identification des œuvres, des relations qu’elles nourrissent entre elles ainsi que la documentation sur l’histoire de ces œuvres, doit permettre également, dans un horizon plus lointain, la contextualisation historique du patrimoine arabo-musulman. Le fait qu’un texte soit contemporain d’un autre texte ou qu’il soit antérieur ou postérieur à un événement décisif dans l’histoire de la civilisation islamique, sera loin d’être une information anodine. Elle suscitera, nous le souhaitons, un appel vers plus de liberté dans l’effort herméneutique qu’une histoire, souvent fantasmée, bride sévèrement. Sur ce point nous avons là un des résultats les plus excitants qui émerge des principes FRBR-FRAD et des normes RDA. L’aventure d’AlKindi 4 ne fait que commencer. Son développement va se poursuivre désormais avec de nouveaux acteurs. Rémi Chéno prend en main la maîtrise d’ouvrage des différents modules à venir. Jean Druel dirige l’équipe des Deux-Cents qui sera amenée à proposer les améliorations du module de gestion Œuvre-Expression. Notre équipe s’élargit pour donner à la bibliothèque de l’IDEO un instrument moderne de gestion documentaire ouvert sur la rencontre des cultures religieuses.

Stephen Brown

8. The Global Digital Library on Theology 8. and Ecumenism Abstract: This chapter reviews the Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib), launched in September 2011, a joint project of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Globethics.net, as a contribution to overcoming the inequality in access to theological knowledge production in the different world regions. In this respect, the use of information and communication technology can be seen as a strategic response to the challenge of creating a more balanced global theological knowledge transfer, to empower people from all regions of the world to engage in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, theological reflection and action between East and West, North and South. GlobeTheoLib seeks to build on the involvement of Globethics.net in promoting intercultural dialogue on ethics, based on the conviction that access to knowledge resources on ethics and values will enhance ethical reflection, action and cooperation locally and globally. GlobeTheoLib also has a role in the wider area of ecumenical learning, seen as an intercultural task and a process of continuous exchange between traditions. The chapter concludes by considering a number of challenges including the role of the open-access movement, and the ownership of knowledge production. The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism Résumé: Ce chapitre présente la bibliothèque numérique mondiale sur la théologie et l’ œcuménisme (GlobeTheoLib) lancée en septembre 2011. C’est un projet conjoint du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE) et de Globethics.net, qui souhaite contribuer à résoudre l’inégalité d’accès à la production du savoir théologique dans les différentes régions du monde. Ainsi, l’utilisation des technologies de l’information et de la communication est considérée comme une réponse stratégique au défi d’initier un transfer mondial d’un savoir théologique plus équilibré. Elle permet aussi d’améliorer les possibilités d’engagement des populations de toute région du monde dans le dialogue interreligieux et interculturel, la réflexion théologique, et les échanges entre l’est et l’ouest, le nord et le sud. GlobeTheoLib cherche à bâtir, grâce à l’implication de Globethics.net dans la promotion du dialogue interculturel sur l’éthique qui repose sur la conviction que

Dr Stephen Brown, Programme Executive for GlobeTheoLib at Globethics.net.

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l’accès aux ressources du savoir sur l’éthique et les valeurs améliorera la réflexion éthique, les actions et la coopération au niveau local comme au niveau international. GlobeTheoLib joue un rôle également dans le vaste domaine de la formation œcuménique, considérée comme une tâche interculturelle, et dans l’échange continuel entre les traditions. Le chapitre se conclut par un propos sur les défis rencontrés, qu’il s’agisse de l’open-access ou de la propriété des productions du savoir.

8.1 GlobeTheoLib – An Online Library for 8.1 Theology and Ecumenism The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib) was launched in September 2011 as a joint project of the World Council of Churches (WCC), represented by its programme on Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE), and Globethics.net, a Geneva-headquartered network using information technology to promote debate on ethics and ethical issues. GlobeTheoLib¹ is supported by a consortium of more than 20 theological library associations, associations of theological schools, mission organizations, regional ecumenical bodies and Christian World Communions. It uses the online library and network platform of Globethics.net to provide free-of-charge access for individual registered users, such as theological researchers, educators and students, to more than 600,000 full-text articles, documents and publications on intercultural theology and the international ecumenical movement, contextual theologies, church history and world Christianity, missiology, systematic and practical theology. The starting point for GlobeTheoLib was the profound inequality in access to theological knowledge production in the different world regions. Not only is there a vast and unmet need for access to theological resources in the global South, but there are substantial and significant barriers to the visibility of theological work from the countries of the South in other parts of the world. At the same time, there is a shift of the centre of gravity in Christianity towards the global South. As Philip Jenkins has noted, while 83% of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and North America in 1900, by 2050, 72% of Christians will be found in Africa, Asia or Latin

1 http://www.globethics.net/gtl. Accessed on 6 March 2014.

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America.² This has been accompanied by the development and growth of indigenous, evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal forms of Christianity.³ As Dietrich Werner, then international programme coordinator of ETE, has noted, among the constraints that face institutions of theological education and research in countries of the global South are a lack of library resources, difficulty in accessing new publications in theological research and in taking part in the exchange on innovative teaching curriculum designs, thereby being hindered from interaction in the ecumenical movement within and between the different regions in world Christianity. Such disparities in access to and interaction with theological knowledge and theological concepts are hampering the development of integral concepts in the understanding of ministry, social development, holistic mission and genuine interfaith dialogue. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offers a possibility to share knowledge internationally, even though theological research and education seem to be lagging behind the natural sciences in using the internet for digital sharing and networking.⁴ GlobeTheoLib is thus intended to use the possibilities of ICTs as a strategic response to the challenge of creating a more balanced global theological knowledge transfer and to empower people from all regions of the world, especially in developing and transition countries, to engage in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, theological reflection and action between East and West, North and South by: – providing access to knowledge resources on theology and ecumenism; – making the authentic theological voices heard of churches and marginalized groups of Christians and churches from the different continents of this earth by creating a new quality of mutual connectivity; – facilitating networking on theology and ecumenism in GlobeTheoLib with an online community of persons and organizations; – stimulating global collaborative research on selected fields such as contextual theology, ecumenical theology and interreligious dialogue;

2 Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), xii. 3 Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population (New York: Pew Research Center, 2012), 67–69. 4 Dietrich Werner, “International Ecumenical Networking and Exchange of Resources in Theological Education: Two Innovative Models from the World Council of Churches,” The Expository Times, 123, 9 (2012): 435–439 (436).

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promoting synergies with the online library, networking and research facilities of Globethics.net.⁵

As part of this commitment to cross-cultural understanding, GlobeTheoLib has, from the very beginning, affirmed and underlined the importance of a multilingual approach to theological resources, with its portal available in six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian and Spanish). Specially designed search queries and keywords are used to harvest material from open-access repositories, but GlobeTheoLib also includes commercial content accessible to individual registered participants through institutional subscriptions with publishers. While GlobeTheoLib has been embedded within the movement towards open access models of knowledge sharing and collaboration over the past decade, it has adopted this “hybrid” model to make available commercially-published journals and so help bridge the “knowledge” or “access” divide between the global North and South.⁶ At the same, there is a concerted attempt to work with partners, particularly in developing countries, to ensure that their production of theological knowledge resources is available at the global level, while individual participants and researchers are encouraged to upload their own papers and research to the library. GlobeTheoLib thus offers participants a single portal with a unified search system for material from a diversity of sources. Moreover, since GlobeTheoLib is directed towards individual registered participants, its resources are available to anyone with access to the internet and not only those who work in or are linked to institutions. GlobeTheoLib not only offers access to information through its online library, but, using the platform of Globethics.net, seeks to promote networking and collaborative research by participants. Finally, GlobeTheoLib is embedded in the wider projects of intercultural dialogue on ethics promoted by Globethics.net, and on ecumenical learning and education supported by the World Council of Churches.

5 See http://www.globethics.net/web/gtl/vision-and-mission. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 6 Christoph Stückelberger and Amélie Vallotton, “The Future Role of Online Libraries: Globethics.net’s Innovative Model”, in Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity: Theological Perspectives – Regional Surveys – Ecumenical Trends, ed. Dietrich Werner et al. (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2010): 307–311 (309).

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8.2 Globethics.net and the Intercultural Dialogue 8.2 on Ethics GlobeTheoLib, as already described, uses the online platform of Globethics.net, and as such can be seen as part of the wider involvement of Globethics.net in promoting intercultural dialogue on ethics. This involvement goes back to a meeting of 25 professional ethicists from all continents in August 2004, which led to the creation of Globethics.net with the aim of empowering people from all regions of the world, especially in developing and transition countries, to take part in ethical dialogue, reflection and action. The founding conviction of Globethics.net was that “access to knowledge resources on ethics and values in all regions of the world will enhance ethical reflection, action and cooperation locally and globally”.⁷ One of the main challenges confronting Globethics.net in implementing this vision was the unequal access at the global level to information and knowledge resources, including on ethics. The structures of commercial academic publishing meant that access to scientific and academic publishing resources was expensive if not impossible in many parts of the global South. On the other hand, knowledge production from within the global South was often marginalized and overlooked at a global level, not least because of the Science Citation Index, including its derivatives, which has become “the universal yardstick by which the value of a researcher’s output is measured” and has had “a hugely chilling effect on the growth of and access to research in [the] developing world.”⁸ To promote global discussion and debate on ethics, Globethics.net has thus sought to bridge not only the “digital divide” but also the “knowledge” or “content” divide. One of the main tools for this has been the Global Digital Library on Ethics (GlobeEthicsLib), launched by Globethics.net with thousands of full text documents available free of charge to registered participants via a single search interface⁹. As would later be the case with GlobeTheoLib, articles and documents came from commercially published journals, harvested from institutional repositories, provided by Globethics.net partners, and uploaded by participants themselves. The library includes various fields of applied ethics such as economic ethics, political ethics, bioethics, medical ethics, environmental ethics, family ethics,

7 http://www.globethics.net/web/ge/about-us/vision-and-mission. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 8 Leslie Chan, Eve Gray and Rebecca Kahn, Open Access and Development: Journals and beyond (Brighton: Institute of Development Studies, 2012) , 7. http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/OpenAccessandDevelopmentJournalsandBeyond_Nov2012_Gray_et_al.pdf. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 9 Stückelberger and Vallotton, “The Future Role of Online Libraries.”

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sexual ethics, interreligious ethics and media ethics. There are more than 30 special collections: thematic collections of documents on business ethics, climate ethics and health ethics, and institutional collections of documents from partner institutions such as the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network or the Life and Peace Institute in Uppsala. A special focus has been religious ethics: a collection on Catholic ethics was launched in 2010, followed by ones on Islamic ethics in 2012, Hindu ethics in 2014, and the first steps to a collection on Confucian ethics. Collections on Buddhist, Jewish, Protestant, Orthodox ethics are in preparation. Through these special collections on religious ethics, Globethics.net seeks to promote access to reliable and authoritative material about different faith traditions, and thus provide a solid basis for interreligious and interfaith encounter. GlobeTheoLib shares the same database, infrastructure and software as GlobeEthicsLib. Thus while each library has a distinct identity, it is possible to search both libraries at the same time and using the same tools, allowing interconnections between the libraries and their holdings. As such, the online libraries help those from religious, academic, policy and media institutions to deepen their interdisciplinary understanding of the role of religion and ethics in the world today, and to link this knowledge to a range of policy issues and interreligious dialogue and actions. From the beginning, the digital library on ethics was conceived as part of a wider process of intercultural exchange. Alongside access to knowledge resources on ethics through its digital library, Globethics.net facilitates and promotes networking between registered participants – more than 100,000 in May 2014 – and aims to stimulate global collaborative research through online workgroups in selected fields such as business ethics, responsible leadership and interreligious ethics. Recent workgroups have included “Decent Work in Interreligious Perspective”, developed in the context of a values-based response to globalization, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the World Council of Churches. The Globethics.net Principles on Sharing Values across Cultures and Religions were elaborated by six interreligious and international online workgroups and published at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne in December 2009. The activities of such workgroups are matched by a publication programme, with books being made available both in printed and electronic form, able to be downloaded free of charge. These include Overcoming Fundamentalism: Ethical Responses from Five

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Continents (2009) and Sharing Values: A Hermeneutics for Global Ethics (2011).¹⁰ In turn these publications are available in the digital library. Providing access to information, promoting networking between participants, and stimulating research are thus interlinked and interdependent, something that is also an aim for GlobeTheoLib.

8.3 Ecumenical Learning and Theological 8.3 Education as an Intercultural Task If one pillar of GlobeTheoLib has been the intercultural dialogue on ethics promoted by Globethics.net, the other is the work on ecumenical theological education of the World Council of Churches, founded in 1948 and now grouping most Anglican, historic Protestant and Orthodox churches. “Ecumenical” in this context means both the promotion of visible unity between different Christian traditions and denominations, and a concern for the “whole inhabited earth”, oikoumene in Greek. Since its beginnings at the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910, the modern ecumenical movement (of which the WCC is a product) has had a concern for theological education and ecumenical learning. This found structural form with the creation of the Theological Education Fund in 1958 under the auspices of the International Missionary Council (IMC) to equip theological libraries and theological colleges in the Southern hemisphere with better channels for access to, and academic dialogue in key disciplines such as ethics, practical theology, biblical studies and intercultural theology. After the merger of the IMC with the WCC in 1961, the work on theological education found its continuation in the Programme on Theological Education and later the Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE) programme of the WCC.¹¹ At the same time, there has been a wider discussion within the ecumenical movement on the concept of “ecumenical learning” which can be traced back in part to the insights of the German ecumenist Ernst Lange.¹² More than 40 years ago, Lange argued for the development of a “critical theology” to serve the “ecumenical dimensions

10 All publications mentioned in this paragraph are available for download from http://www. globethics.net/publications. Accessed on 6 March 2014. 11 Theological Education in World Christianity (n.p: Joint Information Service of ETE/WCC & WOCATI, 2009), 15–17. 12 Stephen Brown, “Globalization and the Unity of the Churches: The Ecumenical Utopia of the German Theologian Ernst Lange,” in Die Globalisierung der Kirchen, ed. Katharina Kunter and Annegreth Schilling (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 141–166.

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of conscience” that could manifest the inseparable connection between the local and global manifestations of ecumenical experiences.¹³ These insights have been picked up by Konrad Raiser, WCC general secretary from 1993 to 2003, to affirm the need for “ecumenical learning”, not in terms of absorbing items of information about global problems, but “using the language of Ernst Lange – to enter into the reality of the larger household of God’s oikoumene”.¹⁴ This concept of ecumenical learning, according to Raiser, “challenges the tendency to consider the identity and tradition of one’s own community as something to be preserved and defended against influences from outside by pointing to the fundamental insight that all Christian identities and traditions have been shaped by processes of continuous learning and exchange”. Such an understanding of “ecumenical learning” which has absorbed other concepts such as “intercultural learning”, “global learning” and “interfaith learning” thus reflects: … an invitation and an impelling imperative for churches and educational institutions facing growing globalization and pluralisation today to deliberatively relate contents and methodologies of education to a genuine encounter with the ‘otherness’ of different religious, cultural and social identities which global migration has brought right in the midst of any learning situation of churches in today’s world.¹⁵

This has consequences for theological education, according to Raiser, for while ecumenical learning, “reaches beyond the forms and structures of theological education and goes to the very self-understanding of the churches as a community of learning”, theological education plays a significant role in assisting the churches to respond to the ecumenical imperative. Such a role is particularly important given what Raiser describes as the “renewed denominational orienta-

13 Ernst Lange, “The Malaise in the Ecumenical Movement: Notes on the Present Situation,” The Ecumenical Review 23, 1 (1971):1–8 (7); cf. Simon Oxley, “The World Council of Churches and ‘Ecumenical Consciousness’: How the Constitutional Responsibility of Fostering ‘Ecumenical Consciousness’ has been Reflected in the World Council of Churches’ Educational and Formational Activities from 1948–2006” (PhD thesis, University of Manchester, 2010), 32–33. 14 Konrad Raiser, “The Future of Theological Education in Central and Eastern Europe: Challenges for Ecumenical Learning in the 21st Century,” International Review of Mission 98, 1(2009):49–63 (59). 15 Dietrich Werner, David Esterline and Namsoon Kang (eds.), The Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity: Theological Perspectives, Ecumenical Trends, Regional Surveys (Oxford: Regnum, 2010), 104–110 (107).

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tion” of theological education, where the ecumenical dimension is being weakened again.¹⁶ GlobeTheoLib is thus an attempt to respond to the need to reinforce the ecumenical dimension in theological education and learning: ecumenical in the sense both of transcending denominational perspectives and standpoints and of linking the local to the global within the worldwide oikoumene. Here ICTs offer a specific possibility of linking the local with the global, and to create a consciousness of the links between communities in different parts of the world in the encounter of different religious, cultural and social identities. A description of the “essential marks” of ecumenical learning in theological education and Christian education contained in a “Magna Charta on Ecumenical Formation in Theological Education in the 21st Century”,¹⁷ was presented to the 2008 congress of the World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions (WOCATI). This could serve also as a guide for the mandate of GlobeTheoLib. Picking up the recommendations of the WCC’s 1983 assembly in Vancouver, it underlined that ecumenical learning (a) transcends barriers (b) is action oriented (c) is done in community (d) means learning together, detecting the global in the local (e) is intercultural, promoting the encounter of different cultures, traditions and forms (f) is a total process, social and religious learning are not separated from each other but constitute a unity.¹⁸ GlobeTheoLib is thus not simply a technical tool, but needs to be embedded in a wider community of sharing and ecumenical learning. One step towards this has been the creation of a GlobeTheoLib Consortium made up of associations of theological seminaries and theological libraries, Christian world communions, regional ecumenical organizations, among others, to support GlobeTheoLib by conceptual and strategic guidance, networking and promotion.¹⁹ The online workgroups of Globethics.net and GlobeTheoLib have been used by international editorial teams for the production of three major volumes on theological education: the Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity, the Handbook of Theological Education in Africa, and the Asian Handbook of Theological Education and Ecumenism.²⁰ GlobeTheoLib has also served as a platform for the Global

16 Raiser, “The Future of Theological Education…”, 63. 17 Dietrich Werner, “Magna Charta on Ecumenical Formation in Theological Education in the 21st Century – 10 Key Convictions,” International Review of Mission 98, 1 (2009): 161–170. 18 Werner, “Magna Charta …”, 166. 19 The full list of Consortium members can be found at http://www.globethics.net/web/gtl/ consortium-and-structure. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 20 Dietrich Werner, David Esterline, Namsoon Kang and Joshua Raja (eds), The Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity; Isabel Apawo Phiri and Dietrich Werner (eds), Handbook of Theological Education in Africa (Oxford: Regnum, 2013); Dietrich Werner, Hope Antone, Wati Long-

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Theological Institute, an event for 150 younger advanced theology students from the main regions of the world and all Christian denominational traditions, linked to the 10th assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan (South Korea) in October 2013. Other initiatives include the “Global Directory of Theological Education Institutions” which is hosted on the GlobeTheoLib platform. ²¹ This is an interactive directory of more than 7,000 theological institutions, aiming at facilitating mutual connectivity, exchange, dialogue and research cooperation between theological education institutions in all regions of the world, and one of the results of the Global Survey on Theological Education, launched in October 2011.²²

8.4 Challenges and Future Perspectives As well as opening up new perspectives for the future, such a global endeavour as GlobeTheoLib brings its own challenges, several of which might be mentioned here: the relationship to the Open Access movement in scientific and academic literature; the definition and selection of concepts, subjects and keywords; and the ownership and control of knowledge.

8.4.1 The Challenge of the Open-access Movement As Christoph Stückelberger and Amélie Vallotton point out in their contribution to the Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity, the development of the Globethics.net digital library on ethics coincided with the global movement for open access to knowledge and information linked to the Budapest Declaration of 2001.²³ This movement aims to use electronic access to remove barriers to scientific and academic literature, or the “world-wide electronic distribution of the peer-reviewed journal literature and completely free and unrestricted access to it by all scientists, scholars, teachers, students, and other curious minds”.²⁴

char and Hyunju Bae (eds), Asian Handbook for Theological Education and Ecumenism (Oxford: Regnum 2013). 21 Directory is available at http://www.globethics.net/web/gtl/directory. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 22 Werner, “International Ecumenical Networking…”, 437–439. 23 Stückelberger and Vallotton, “The Future Role of Online Libraries,” 308–309. 24 Alma Swan, Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Open Access (Paris: UNESCO, 2012), 15. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002158/215863e.pdf. Accessed on

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As seen by a number of national and international initiatives in 2012, there is now significant institutional support being given to open access at the national and international level.²⁵ Nevertheless, the issue of the relative merits of the “gold” route (of publishing in open-access journals, often with a publication or article processing fee) vis-à-vis the “green” route of open-access repositories remain contentious. Although the gold route has the beneficial effect of making research freely available to readers, significant institutional financial resources are still required for publication and article processing fees (potentially through a shift from library acquisition budgets for journals to research department). An alternative model of creating open-access journals with no publication fee also requires financial or human resources, even when the journal is published purely online.²⁶ Does this pose the risk of perpetuating the dominance of the global North in knowledge production, since institutions that cannot afford subscription fees are unlikely to be able to cover publication or article processing costs? Some commentators have suggested that a still more important factor is the effect of the Science Citation Index,²⁷ which has the effect of leaving editors and journals in the North to arbitrate the meaning of “world-class” scholarship, often to the detriment of regional-focused research, “even though, in many cases, it is in these areas of regional interest that researchers from the developing world can make a meaningful contribution”.²⁸ There have been a number of attempts to expand open access in developing countries, such as the Scientific Electronic

6 March 2014. For an overview of the history and concepts see pp. 14–19, and Chan, Gray and Kahn, Open Access and Development, 14–21. 25 Chan, Gray and Kahn, Open Access and Development, 32–36; and see for example Swan, Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Open Access, from UNESCO, or this statement by the European Commission http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-790_en.htm?locale=en, accessed on 6 March 2014. 26 Religion and Gender, launched in 2011 as an online journal for the systematic study of gender and religion in an interdisciplinary perspective, has introduced from 2013 “an imperative but non-compulsory model of publication fees or article processing charges”, since the editors are aware “that not all authors do have access to funding to cover publication costs, either because they live in low-income countries or because their institutions or research funding bodies do not (yet) support Open Access publishing”. See “Religion and Gender, Policy for Publication Fees,” http://www.religionandgender.org/index.php/rg/pages/view/publicationfees. Accessed on 28 May 2013. 27 Eve Gray, “Open access in Africa – green and gold, the impact factor, ‘mainstream’ and ‘local’ research.” http://www.gray-area.co.za/2012/09/04/open-access-in-africa-%E2%80%93green-and-gold-the-impact-factor-%E2%80%98mainstream%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98local %E2%80%99-research/. Accessed on 28 May 2013 28 Chan, Gray and Kahn, Open Access and Development, 9.

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Library Online (SciELO) in Latin America, and initiatives in South Africa as well the African Journals Online (AJOL) project which includes a significant openaccess element. Nevertheless, statistics from May 2013 by the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) show the task that remains for a truly “ecumenical” sharing of knowledge, in the sense of referring to “the whole inhabited earth”. Of the 2282 repositories worldwide, almost half are in Europe. By contrast there are only 64 in Africa. Overall the statistics are: Europe 48%, North America 21%, Asia 17%, South America 8%, Africa 3%, Australasia 3%, Caribbean 1%. Even more striking is the language distribution of repositories. English represents 71% of the most frequent languages in open repositories, followed by Spanish (11%), German (8%), Japanese (6%), French (5%), Portuguese (5%), Chinese (4%), Polish (3%), Italian (2%) and Norwegian (2%).²⁹

8.4.2 Concepts, Subjects and Keywords One of the particular features of the Globethics.net online libraries (GlobeEthicsLib and GlobeTheoLib) is that from the more than 55 million documents in the almost 2300 repositories worldwide, they harvest those documents that are particularly relevant to ethics, theology and religious studies (in May 2013 there were more than 804,000 documents from OAI repositories in the two libraries combined). This requires a sophisticated set of queries and keywords to identify the repositories and specific documents required. In part this is a technical issue of identifying those repositories and sub-repositories that have genuinely open content (the contents of many repositories are accessible only from within the institution concerned). More importantly, it is a matter of developing a series of keywords and queries, as well as the overarching subject classification, to harvest what is seen as the most relevant content for the online libraries. This, however, is one of the crucial issues, for who defines what is “relevant”? As an internal Globethics.net discussion paper has noted, “Knowledge mapping, terminology, thesauri and classification systems are deeply related to the Weltanschauungen of their authors”, alongside the unconscious process of selection that might happen when queries and keywords are drawn up by a single individual, or even a group from a similar cultural context. It is for this reason that Globethics.net seeks to work with advisory groups with people drawn from various continents. In drawing up the subject classification for GlobeTheoLib with such

29 “OpenDOAR Charts – Worldwide.” http://www.opendoar.org/find.php?format=charts. Accessed on 28 May 2013.

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a content advisory group, for example, it became clear that it would not be possible simply to adopt a classification of church history in which “Church History in the Non-Western World” was seen as a separate sub-category of Church History and World Christianity. Such an experience was a timely reminder of the need to remain alert to the dangers of cultural centrism.

8.4.3 Ownership of Knowledge Production One of the issues raised during the start-up of GlobeTheoLib was the issue of the ownership of knowledge production, and specifically the danger of appropriating content and knowledge from the global South in order to package and to commercialize it in the North. In response to this concern, the GlobeTheoLib project leadership group drew up a “Policy Document on the Sharing and Ownership of Theological Knowledge”,³⁰ which sets out six affirmations on the “sharing and ownership of theological knowledge”, underlining among other things, that “given the present imbalances and inequalities in terms of access to and visibility of, theological knowledge from the different world regions, the mission of GlobeTheoLib is particularly directed and committed to empowering regions marginalized and sidelined in the mainstream of international discourse to raise their voice and to increase their visibility via GlobeTheoLib”. As the policy document notes, “since GlobeTheoLib is neither exclusive nor one-sidedly selective in terms of a preference for a particular tradition, the process of maintaining and establishing a proper balance between different realms of theological knowledge within GlobeTheoLib is to a large extent also an issue and a challenge for its users. Their readiness and commitment to contribute from their denominational and geographical contexts and their efforts to enlarge the relevant scope of theological contents presented within GlobeTheoLib is decisive for the participatory and liberative nature of the whole project of GlobeTheoLib.” In this common task, the policy document refers to the seven fundamental values on which GlobeTheoLib is based: – Sharing: GlobeTheoLib promotes the mutual sharing of global and contextual Christian theological concerns and perspectives as a contribution towards overcoming religious fundamentalism and strengthening world peace;

30 GlobeTheoLib Project Leadership Group, “Policy Document on the Sharing and Ownership of Theological Knowledge,” December 2011. http://www.globethics.net/documents/2781038/ 13471567/PolicyPapersAndReports_PolicyDocumentOnTheSharingAndOwnershipOfTheological Knowledge_201112.pdf. Accessed on 28 May 2013.

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Respect: GlobeTheoLib respects and affirms the dignity of every person and the diversity of all Christian denominations, different cultures, and world religions; Unity: GlobeTheoLib serves the unity of Christian churches and solidarity with all of people of good will in the service to peace, justice and integrity of creation; Participation: GlobeTheoLib values the participation of people from all regions and denominational backgrounds of the world, including representatives from other religious traditions; Responsibility: GlobeTheoLib encourages responsible use of and responsible contributions to its knowledge resources and network; Transparency: GlobeTheoLib is committed to building trust through honesty, openness, transparency and accountability; Quality: GlobeTheoLib is committed to providing and promoting high quality resources and scholarly contributions to theology and religious studies.

In considering the more general role of libraries in the service of dialogue, such a set of seven fundamental values – sharing, respect, unity, participation, responsibility, transparency and quality – may be of wider relevance and application.

Paul O. Myhre

9. Interreligious Dialogue Pedagogical Insights from Wabash Center Funded Projects Abstract: The paper describes the activitiy of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, and the work achieved by the grants which it makes to different institutions to promote interreligious dialogue. The author draws attention to the relevance of conflict management and the difficulties of challenging one’s own world view. At the same time the typical classroom is now more likely to contain students with a mix of religious backgrounds. Librarians, faculty and students all have to look for models of education that promote dialogue. Résumé: L’article décrit les activités du Wabash Center, Centre d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la théologie et de la religion. Il montre le travail accompli grâce au financement de différentes institutions pour la promotion du dialogue interreligieux. L’auteur attire l’attention sur la pertinence de la gestion des conflits et sur la difficulté de remettre en cause sa propre vision du monde. Par ailleurs, aujourd’hui, une salle de classe typique est plus susceptible d’héberger des étudiants provenant de différents contextes religieux. Les bibliothécaires, la faculté et les étudiants doivent tous rechercher des modèles éducatifs qui favorisent le dialogue.

9.1 Introduction When I think of the topic it causes me to reflect on all of the interreligious events and personal interactions that I have been privileged to receive over the course of my life. Interreligious dialogue and encounter coupled with interreligious pedagogy call for new approaches to theological education. In particular, pedagogical strategies can take both the contexts from which students come to seminary and the contexts to which they will minister after seminary quite seriously. Perhaps one shared hope in much of the literature associated with the subject is that of providing students with a capacity for not only greater understanding about the people of the world and their religious practices, but also aid in helping

Dr Paul O. Myhre, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion.

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students begin the work of careful examination of their own religious convictions and biases. Clearly a related topic for discussion could be that of student resistance to effective interreligious dialogue. And yet, the fact remains that the practice of religion in North America has become and is becoming more and more diverse. Michael Jinkins, President of Louisville Seminary, underscores this claim in a recent essay when he wrote: …a report about current linguistic diversity… began by asking the question: ‘Where in the world is the largest number of different languages spoken?’ Conventional wisdom, even among experienced linguists, the report went on to say would probably offer New Guinea as the answer. The island offers more than 800 distinct languages ‘scattered around its isolated, jungle-covered valleys.’ However, there is another place in the world that now surpasses the remote island when it comes to diverse languages. ‘The five boroughs of New York City,’ according to recent linguistic studies, ‘are reckoned to be home to speakers of around 800 languages, many of them close to extinction (The Economist, 10 September 2011, 93).¹

It would not be amiss to also conclude that hundreds of religious beliefs and practices would mark that same grouping of people. One would think that ministers working within locations such as this would need to possess a range of capacities for and knowledge about religions other than Christian and to be equipped for engaging interfaith ministerial contexts and relationships effectively.

9.2 Interreligious Efforts Can Spark Interreligious 9.2 Pedagogies In the 13 June 2012 issue of The Christian Century Andrew Packman writes about the efforts of a Bosnian choir made up of multiple religious traditions that is focused on singing about reconciliation. The interreligious choir “Pontanima” was the brainchild of Ivo Marković and it reflects the diversity of Bosnia that experienced the trauma of war. When asked about the work of the choir Marković claimed, “Pontanima is an illusion…It is an illusion because it is not the way things are here, where politicians make the rules…But it is the way it could be.”²

1 Michael Jinkins, “Hearing with Pentecost Ears,” Call & Response Blog 21 May 2012. http://www. faithandleadership.com/blog/05-21-2012/michael-jinkins-hearing-pentecost-ears. Accessed on 7 March 2014. 2 Andrew Packman, “Interfaith Repertoire: A Bosnian Choir Sings Reconciliation,” Christian Century 13 June 2012, 32.

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Packman perceives a word of hope through the work of Pontanima. He writes, “Life does not have to be a zero-sum contest between rival ethnicities. Artistic beauty does not have to be based on ethnic and ideological purity. Pontanima points to an alternative reality, a world in which redemption is found in conversation, cooperation and the pursuit of beauty together.”³ Teaching in interreligious contexts with pedagogical methods that are sensitive to the dynamics of multi- and interreligious classrooms require teachers to possess a variety of skills that include knowledge of the religious histories and practices of the students in the class, a capacity to engage particular topics of study in critical and respectful ways, and a sensitivity to emotional bonds with religious convictions that students carry into the classroom.

9.3 Background Information on Wabash Center 9.3 Activities The Wabash Center has funded over 20 grant projects involved with some pedagogical aspect of interreligious or interfaith dialogue. Four of the Wabash Center grants were specifically focused on the topic of interreligious dialogue – grants to Hartford Seminary, Boston School of Theology, Catholic Theological Union, and Wilfrid Laurier University respectively. Three grants were centred on the topic of multi-faith pedagogy – grants to Andover Newton Theological School, Jewish Theological Seminary, and Hartford Seminary; five grant projects related to the topic of transnational pedagogy – grants to Candler School of Theology, Christian Theological Seminary, University of California Riverside, Agnes Scott College, and Fuller Theological Seminary; and 11 grant projects related to intercultural pedagogy. Each of the grants has yielded a wealth of insight about issues related to the topic of interreligious dialogue in higher education and for theological school contexts in particular. The Wabash Center has also published a number of essays and articles related to the topic in our internationally peer reviewed journal Teaching Theology & Religion. These essays provide keen insights about the topic and can aid institutional, librarian and faculty decisions concerning pedagogy related to how to foster meaningful interreligious dialogue.

3 Packman,“Interfaith Repertoire”.

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In addition, the Wabash Center’s Internet Guide to Religion provides syllabi on the topic of “Interreligious Dialogue” – 21 syllabi cover a range of approaches.⁴ A quick perusal shows that the syllabi concern some dimension of interfaith dialogue between Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faith traditions and the courses are taught in theological school, college, and university contexts. Related to the topic we also have over 60 books, articles, and other materials that focus on questions around interfaith dialogue. The Hartford Seminary book Changing the Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue indicates that at the time of the writing in 2009 all of the syllabi and related materials on the Wabash Center Internet Guide fell into categories of “informational” or histories between two or more faith traditions with much of it concerned with a singular purpose – information.⁵ That said, additional syllabi have been added since then – about a third of which came from the American Academy of Religion’s syllabi collection.⁶ Hence, another look will probably yield different results.

9.4 Scriptural Reasoning Project The Wabash Center funded project around the pedagogy of Scriptural Reasoning involved Peter Ochs, David Ford, and others from the religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It has already proved to be an important step toward interreligious and interfaith dialogue. The book that emerged from this work, The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning edited by David F. Ford and C. C. Pecknold,⁷ represents a collection of essays about various strategies for this type of pedagogical work. Perhaps their list of basic maxims could serve well in other contexts of interreligious dialogical work. This set is threaded through each chapter and an abbreviated list of these maxims for those engaged with this type of pedagogy would include:

4 http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/guide_headings.aspx and the topic at http:// www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/result-browse.aspx?topic=523&pid=427. Accessed on 7 March 2014. 5 David A. Roozen and Heidi Hadsell, eds, Changing The Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue, volume 2 (Hartford, Conn.: Hartford Seminary, 2009). Copies of this text are available through the Hartford Seminary website: http://216.153.145.62/changing-way-seminariesteach-pedagogies-interfaith-dialogue. Accessed on 7 March 2014. 6 https://www.aarweb.org/programs-services/syllabus-project. Accessed on 7 March 2014. 7 David F. Ford and C. C. Pecknold, eds, The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning (Malden, Mass.; Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.)

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acknowledging the sacredness of the others’ scriptures to them (without having to acknowledge its authority for oneself); the “native speakers” hosting a scripture and its tradition acknowledging that they do not exclusively own their scriptures – they are not experts on its final meaning; recognizing that the aim is not consensus, but honest sharing; embracing and modelling intellectually honest ways for discussion that may include argument, dispute, and so on; drawing on shared academic resources to build understanding of each religious philosophies, ethics, practices, etc.; allowing time for reading and re-reading texts, and inviting questions; reading and interpreting with a view to the fulfillment of God’s – in the case of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity – purpose of peace between all people; being open to mutual hospitality that could turn into friendship.⁸

A brief video about the project can be found in the 12 October 2007 issue of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.⁹

9.5 Particular Insights from Wabash Center 9.5 Funded Projects 9.5.1 Hartford Seminary Project Grant Hartford Seminary has over 30 years of work involved with questions about how to effectively engage interfaith dialogue in a theological school context. As mentioned previously, their grant project eventuated in a book entitled Changing the Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue.¹⁰ This text provides insights gained through six case studies at no less than five different higher educational institutions: St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia; Perkins School of Theology; Hartford Seminary; Drew University School of Theology, and Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

8 Ford and Pecknold, The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning, 5, 6. 9 “Scriptural Reasoning”, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly 12 October 2007, http://www.pbs.org/ wnet/religionandethics/episodes/october-12-2007/scriptural-reasoning/3118/. Accessed on 7 March 2014. 10 See note 5.

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In the editor’s introduction we learn the case studies were meant to, “… describe not only the context, content, methods, and related goals and rationales of the course, but also present an evaluation of the course and discussion of the implications of the evaluation for teaching interfaith dialogue in theological institutions. Our hope for the book: To create a practical literature and related conversation among theological educators on the role of interfaith dialogue in a seminary curriculum, and on the substantive and structural issues related to it.”¹¹ A key question that arises in their text is that of the role of the practice of interfaith dialogue in a seminary curriculum. Their hope through the book is to: “… enhance the capacity of seminaries to equip their students to engage the multi-faith reality of the American (and global) context in ways that advance mutual understanding and appreciative relationships across faith traditions.”¹² Each case study highlights different approaches to interreligious pedagogy. For example: the Jesuit School of Theology offers a course in which in-class exercises in meditation and a direct dialogical experience are required. Other case studies provide detail about grafting religious dialogue to existing world religion courses, a separate eight-day interfaith intensive experience, international and cross-cultural immersion education focused on interfaith encounter, and threading interreligious dialogue across a curriculum.

9.5.2 Transnational Pedagogy Grant Projects The Wabash Center has also awarded several grants for projects centered on the topic of transnational pedagogy. The term “transnational” has triggered a range of definitional responses and proved to be an important term for conversations about pedagogies intent on some form of intercultural and interreligious dialogue in classroom contexts. Among the grant projects awarded were: Candler School of Theology “The Pedagogy of Transnational Education: Enhancing Faculty Creativity and Student Learning” and Fuller Theological Seminary, “Teaching Theology in a Globalized and Transnational World.” Each of these projects has sought to take seriously the issue of transnational students within their educational contexts and the diversities of educational methods required to foster rich pedagogical engagement across religious and cultural boundaries.

11 Roozen and Hadsell, Changing the Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue, 1. 12 Roozen and Hadsell, Changing the Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue, 5.

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9.5.2.1 Cultural and Religious Histories and Practices Many would claim that the need for understanding cultural and religious histories of any group of people is vital for theological education in a religiously pluralistic world. Theological school students will eventually find themselves ministering to others who will have textured cultural and religious histories that may or may not include Christian. The challenge of how to work alongside multiple cultures and religious affiliations is not new to Christian history. However, the desire for more reflective, respectful, and responsive interactions with others seems to be relatively recent. Language competency and cultural awareness are regarded as important components for any interreligious dialogue. In addition, it is often the case that the lines of demarcation between religious bodies are closely tied to different cultural affinities. Hence, a need for knowledge about the cultural histories of people and historic interactions among them along religious lines is vital for effective ministerial work to ensue. In an Andover Newton Theological School grant project entitled, “Christian Heritage, Multi-Faith Community: Faculty Discernment on a Multi-Faith Future,” Mary Luti and Sharon Thornton tackled the tough topic of faculty-led worship for teaching and learning in an ecumenical and multi-faith context. Their work focused on the inevitable tensions that arise in interreligious educational contexts such as: identity, particularity, boundaries, language, symbol, hospitality, and generosity.¹³ Michel Andraos, in his article “Engaging Diversity in Teaching Religion and Theology: An Intercultural, De-colonial Epistemic Perspective” offers: …a class session is dedicated to discussing the relation to the cultural and religious ‘other’ in students’ early religious education and cultural experience. In light of some analytical readings on understanding other religious worlds, students do a critical theological reflection on their formative experience of learning about other religions and cultures. We try to analyse and understand where the prejudiced theology comes from and why it has such a powerful grip on students’ minds. Colonial relations of Western Christianity to other world religions and cultures are also discussed from historical and theological perspectives with many examples from around the world. Many students also share their personal stories in this area. In an international, culturally diverse classroom, students have different experiences of living with people from other religions. Many students come from areas in the world where they experienced ethnic and religious conflicts, wars, and violence. Listening to the experience of these students gives the class an opportunity to discuss the question of

13 Sharon Thornton and Mary Luti. “Christian Heritage, Multi-Faith Community: Faculty Discernment on a Multi-Faith Future,” 2011. http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/grants/details. aspx?id=24511. Accessed on 1 June 2012.

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religion and violence and why the same religions co-exist peacefully in one place and are at war in another.¹⁴

The course reader consists of a collection of articles from different cultural perspectives from around the world, which include a variety of interreligious theological views.¹⁵ The challenge of widening student perspectives about religious and cultural diversity is enormous. It is especially acute when theological schools are located in regions where religious others are largely absent. Helping students constructively engage interreligious dialogue is particularly challenging for many involved with theological education.

9.5.2.2 Interreligious Dialogue in Relation to Theologies and Christologies The fear of apostasy or idolatry often figures into any discussions about interreligious dialogue in more theologically conservative school contexts. Coupled with a concern about distorting Christian teaching or a risk of syncretistic slippage some theological school contexts are leery of moving too quickly toward embracing active interreligious dialogue. In addition, some would maintain that the role of seminary is to equip ministers not for interreligious dialogue for its own sake, but to engage it as a means of proselytization or conversion. Underlying this would be a conviction of the superiority of Christian beliefs over any other belief system. This approach could be problematic in some educational contexts and may serve to thwart interreligious dialogue. Robert Hunt’s case study “World Religions and Christianity: A Global Perspective in the Context of the Overall Program of Theological Education at Perkins School of Theology” is particularly helpful here. The summary of lessons learned could be applicable to other pedagogical efforts. For example among the lessons learned were: Dialogue must take into consideration religious holidays of all religions represented, pre-dialogue meetings with dialogue facilitators is warranted, trained moderators are critical, non-Christian and Christian ought to identify their particularities in religious observance and practice, diversify the dialogical experiences, and provide students with ways to process their struggles.¹⁶

14 Michel Elias Andraos, “Engaging Diversity in Teaching Religion and Theology: An Intercultural, De-colonial Epistemic Perspective,” Teaching Theology & Religion, 15, 1 (2012): 3–15 (11). 15 Michel Elias Andraos, “Engaging Diversity in Teaching Religion and Theology”, 10. 16 Robert Hunt, “World Religions and Christianity: A Global Perspective in the Context of the

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9.5.2.3 Interreligious Dialogue Requires Conflict Management and 9.5.2.3 Peacemaking Skills Since religious and cultural histories matter there will be inevitable friction or even conflict when two or more come into contact with each other. Religious and cultural values are woven deep within the fabric of any given group and can stir deep emotions about core values that are held to be unmovable. Examples of theological school curricular efforts to address this need include courses that address a theology of trauma, peace building, interreligious theologies of forgiveness, and restorative justice. Perhaps the ministry of reconciliation would figure most prominently in theological school curriculums. Boston University School of Theology’s efforts in this area are commendable. In the learning abstract from their grant, published on the Wabash Center website, they concluded the grant project: …revealed the healing contours of a relatively new movement in theological school and higher education. The movement studies the role of religion in stirring and sustaining conflict, and the simultaneous power of religion to inspire and guide the transformative work of forgiveness, restorative justice, trauma healing, and reconciliation. We discovered that many schools’ mission statements support this emerging field with accents on social transformation; programs in the field have expanded significantly in the last decade; and effective pedagogies accentuate mentoring, narratives, pilgrimages, hard conversations, collaboration, meditation, and action-reflection. We also learned that, to advance the movement, we need to continue sharing our best pedagogies and programs. The conversation begun in this Consultation will continue through the creation of a support network and resource pool. An interfaith consultation is also being planned to expand the conversation within Abrahamic traditions.¹⁷

Marcia Riggs, Columbia Theological Seminary, has also produced important work in this area. Her study leave project, “Teaching as a Practice of Cross-Cultural Encounter” was directly focused on developing a pedagogical model that would make connections between religion, culture, and conflict. According to her, the model is meant to “…integrate theories of the social construction of difference, cultural analysis of religion and conflict, communicative ethics, transformative

Overall Program of Theological Education at Perkins School of Theology,” in Roozen and Hadsell, Changing the Way Seminaries Teach Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue, 57–77. 17 “Teaching Religion, Conflict Transformation, and Peace Building: A Consultation of Educators in Theology and Religion.” http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/grants/details.aspx ?id=20587, Accessed on 1 June 2012.

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mediation, and intercultural communication for use in both academic and congregational contexts.”¹⁸

9.5.2.4 Pedagogical Strategies Integrate Cultural and Religious Sensitivity 9.5.2.4 Development In a wide number of grants the importance of developing faculty, administrator, and student capacities for cultural and religious sensitivity was regarded as significant for developing student capacities for ministry in diverse contexts. Engaging others on their own terms can be one means by which to develop cultural and religious sensitivity. Storytelling could comprise one dimension of this. Cross-cultural immersion trips was cited in a number of projects as an important means toward theological student formation for intercultural dialogical capacity. This could involve short immersion trips of as little as a week to year-long experiences. It might involve service learning as one means by which to engage others in intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Robert Priest’s essay “Peruvian Churches Acquire ‘Linking Social Capital’ Through STM Partnerships” surfaces some of the key issues – access, privilege, partnerships, social capital, and the impact of learning experiences on students and receiving communities.¹⁹ The article highlights global wealth disparities, the high cost of immersion education, and how intercultural immersion trips may impact communities in a range of ways. More research is merited on the impact for receiving communities.

9.5.2.5 Cross-cultural Encounters Merit Intercultural Pedagogies Several Wabash Center grant projects have been concerned about intercultural engagement and the development of intercultural pedagogies – examples include Robert LaSalle Klein (Holy Names University), “Faculty Seminars on Intercultural Pedagogies”; Eduardo Fernandez (Jesuit School of Theology), “Intercultural Training”; and Mary McGann (Franciscan School of Theology), “Global Theological Education Initiative: Intercultural Learning in a World Church”. Perhaps

18 Marcia Riggs, “Teaching as a Practice of Cross-Cultural Encounter,” http://www.wabashcenter. wabash.edu/grants/details.aspx?id=8651. Accessed on 1 June 2012. 19 Robert J. Priest, “Peruvian Churches Acquire ‘Linking Social Capital’ Through STM Partnerships,” Journal of Latin American Theology, 2, 2 (2007): 175–189.

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one of the most insightful projects around the topic was Joseph Tortorici (Wesley Theological Seminary), “Short-term Intercultural Immersion Experiences at ATS Seminaries: A Study of Pedagogical Practices Contributing to Transformative Learning and Cultural Competency.”²⁰ Through this study they identified five elements that contribute to the success of programmes for transformative learning and cultural competency. These are: 1. institutional leadership that is supportive of this curriculum component; 2. faculty who are passionate about leading immersion trips; 3. adequate funding for immersion programmes; 4. well designed pre-immersion components of readings, presentations, and discussions in order to prepare students for the actual cultural immersion experience; 5. adequate evaluation instruments and procedures which ensure feedback and improvement of the programme and the learning.²¹ Several recommendations emerged from this work for theological schools to consider when engaging in cross-cultural contexts. Among them were: defining key terms, identification of multiple curriculums at play in the work – explicit, null, and implicit curriculum, understanding self, action-reflection pedagogy, and so on. Insights from this work can be found in Joseph S. Tortorici and Shenandoah M. Gale’s essay, “Intercultural Immersions and Cultural Competency: Preparing Seminarians to Minister in Today’s Global Reality.”²² The importance of cultivating relationships for intercultural and interreligious dialogue cannot be under stressed. Nearly all of the funded projects would suggest relational development between students, faculty, and people of other faith and/or cultural contexts in interreligious dialogical teaching and learning is paramount for a programme’s successful outcome. Misunderstanding Stories by Mindy McGarrah Sharp of the Phillips Theological Seminary is helpful for theo-

20 Wabash Research Team for Theological School Intercultural Programs, “Short-term Intercultural Immersion Experiences at ATS Seminaries: A Study of Pedagogical Practices Contributing to Transformative Learning and Cultural Competency,” 2009. http://www.wabashcenter.wabash. edu/grants/details.aspx?id=17805. Accessed on 10 March 2014. 21 Wabash Research Team for Theological School Intercultural Programs. “Cross Cultural/Intercultural Programs in Theological Schools: A Research Report from the Wabash Research Team,.” Summer 2011. http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/grants/details.aspx?id=17805. Accessed on 1 June 2012. 22 Joseph S. Tortorici and Shenandoah M. Gale, “Intercultural Immersions and Cultural Competency: Preparing Seminarians to Minister in Today’s Global Reality,” Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervised Ministry, 28 (2008), 209–220.

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logical educators who are concerned about praxis components to their pedagogical strategies. The book includes case studies and an appendix of journal prompts and discussion questions. It is particularly helpful for those engaged in intercultural pastoral care teaching for intercultural and interreligious ministerial contexts.²³

9.6 Pedagogical Practices are Attentive to 9.6 Student Learning In a 2003 article, Sophie Gilliat-Ray made the claim, “…good learning refers to educational methods of teaching ordinands about other faiths that (a) broaden their practical experience and theological understanding of religious diversity, (b) enable them to appreciate diversity within and between major faith communities, and (c) equip them to respond to theological and pastoral issues related to religious diversity later in their ministry. Good practice refers to educational methods of achieving these goals.”²⁴ In this article Gilliat-Ray also notes that several things contribute to enhancing student learning about other religions or faiths. She claimed that these “best practices” include personal encounter, prior preparation for multi-faith encounter, group size, providing student choices for learning, and offering spaces for reflection and follow-up.

9.7 Pedagogies Engaging the Arts Can Aid‚ 9.7 Interreligious Dialogue In a paper I presented a few years ago for a Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies conference, I made the claim that “Interreligious dialogue can be a contested and difficult space for constructive conversation. Power dynamics are latticed throughout faith positions and cultural perceptions. Hermeneutical frameworks can create obstacles for dialogue and can misread and misrepresent the ideas that another regards as sacred or special. Dialogue that is

23 Mindy McGarrah Sharp, Misunderstanding Stories: Toward a Postcolonial Pastoral Theology (Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick, 2013). 24 Sophie Gilliat-Ray, “Ministerial Formation in a Multi-Faith Society,” Teaching Theology & Religion, 6, 1 (2003): 10.

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honest and respectful of all positions can be trumped by other operative agendas. True dialogue can seem untenable and unattainable in interreligious conversations where truth claims assert primacy over a desire for candid conversation. Yet, there is something about the capacity of the arts to transcend and create arcs over those things that would divide people of different religious affinities. The arts provide constructive ways forward for mutual understanding and respect to occur in the context of interreligious dialogue by the very nature of their expression and experience. It is in and through the visual, auditory, kinesthetic arts that people find commonalities and shared ideas. It is in the multivalent capacity of the arts to speak with numerous voices at once that spaces and places for dialogue are given the room necessary for emergence. Perhaps it is the capacity of the arts to speak both with singular and multiple voices that enables interfaith dialogue to occur in the spaces created by the art forms themselves.” Three areas seem most pertinent for consideration when engaging the question of how the arts could enhance interreligious dialogue. First, the idea of “resonance” may provide some indication of hope for meaningful dialogue to ensue. Second, the notion of “reflection” as a site for internal and external dialogue could provide a place for extended conversation. And third, the concept of “repetition” may yield places for conversation as images or ideas are repeated frequently they may hold specific places of connection between core religious ideas and values. One of the great strengths the arts can bring to interreligious conversation is a capacity to provide places of resonance between different religious traditions. Largely associated with the fields of physics and mathematics, a host of dictionary definitions are available. Perhaps for our purposes here the most relevant definitions for the words “resonant” and “resonance” might be “… having a lasting presence or effect” and “the state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system.”²⁵ In music, a single note played on a piano string may cause another string on a nearby instrument – such as a cello or bass – or in the piano itself to vibrate in sympathetic harmony with that note. The resultant sound produced creates a sonic space in which the music produced is neither the original tone of the first string or the second tone of the resonant string, but something that blends to create a third tone. In the visual arts the presence of resonance may occur when kindred forms and images trigger associations in the viewer between it and something familiar to their own frame of context. When placed along side each other there can

25 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/resonance. Accessed on 5 October 2009.

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be the production of a type of reverberation or resonance between the two that eventuates in a third perception that is neither rooted in one or the other, but occurs somewhere between the two. Efforts to encourage this “resonance” have been many over the course of interfaith and interreligious interactions and have been particularly acute in regions where contextual theology has been embraced. While resonance may be sought dissonance may result.²⁶ Janet Walton, in a 2010 essay published in Teaching Theology and Religion came to a similar conclusion when she wrote: I have found the task of designing interfaith rituals very challenging. By interfaith worship I do not mean expressions of side by side prayers, that is, each community of faith praying in its own words, but rather rituals where we pray together, where we go beyond our boundaries, where we listen deeply to each other in order to pray together…At Union Theological Seminary during a meeting of international peace activists from many traditions and cultures we prepared an opening ritual using symbols and words that were common to all traditions or were new to all of us. …The theme was ‘Peace is Possible.’ Our goal was to have moments in the ritual where we felt together that this human hope is possible. We were acting ‘as if’ it were true.²⁷

Using a one-minute quick write strategy she invites people to use four categories – symbols, sounds, actions, and movements – for imaginative reflection on what a particular religious tradition might hold as central. Right and wrong answers are set aside in order to allow for a freedom of exchange to occur between multiple responses. In one liturgy she invited reflection on the concept of peace from a multiplicity of religious traditions. In the liturgical action she arranged for “Seven sweepers on stilts dressed in medieval earth-toned colors and rustic material led the opening procession. They swept the space with twelve-foot brooms. The interpretations about peace as possible from this action were varied and rich.”²⁸

9.8 Conclusion Pedagogies associated with interreligious dialogue are manifold and each practice embraced carries with it particular responsibilities. Recognition of the inter-

26 Paul Myhre, “How the Arts May Enhance Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue: A Modest Proposal,” unpublished (2010). 27 Janet Walton, “Bursts of Imagination: A Teaching Strategy for Interfaith Ritual Planning,” Teaching Theology & Religion, 13, 3 (2010): 245–247. 28 Walton, “Bursts of Imagination”.

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religious makeup of twenty-first century classrooms is a first step toward developing respectful, responsive, and substantive teaching methods that advance student learning in the study of religion and theology. That said, the practice of teaching that encourages interreligious dialogue raises a host of questions for me. A number of questions arose when reflecting on the grants and essays produced through the sponsored efforts of the Wabash Center. A few of these questions are provided below. 1. How far can interreligious dialogue advance in theological school contexts that have been historically cautious about risks to fidelity to a specific theological position? 2. What does it practically mean to provide students with opportunities for authentic interreligious dialogue and what dangers might be inherent in doing so? 3. How does an approach to interreligious dialogue promote or hinder intercultural and interreligious understanding? 4. What are the foundational theological concerns with which a theological school curriculum ought to be concerned in the twenty-first century? 5. What risks do theological institutions take in either openly or not openly engaging authentic interreligious dialogue across the curriculum? 6. How might the cultural and religious histories of students and faculty be a resource for thinking creatively about how to engage interreligious dialogue? 7. How might problem-based learning assist librarians, faculty, and students in learning about how to effectively engage interreligious dialogue in theological school contexts? 8. Are there specific models for education that could aid faculty, librarians, and students in interreligious collaborative efforts that might also help promote interreligious dialogue? 9. What specific steps might theological institutions and librarians in particular make in order to facilitate theological education for diverse contexts in the twenty-first century? 10. How do theological educators address the thorny questions associated with teaching interreligious dialogical capacity in diverse contexts where issues about identity, language, convictions, boundaries, inclusivity, exclusivity, and so on are foremost on students’ minds?

Liz Weir

10. Shortening the Road Storytelling on the Path to Peace in Northern Ireland Abstract: The author recounts her experiences as a storyteller and children’s librarian in Northern Ireland during the civil unrest. Storytelling gives people of all ages the opportunity to escape to a different place. It also can bring the old and the young together. Libraries are ideal places in which to encourage these encounters bridging divisions between communities and between the generations. Résumé: L’auteure raconte ses expériences de conteuse et de bibliothécaire pour enfants en Irlande du Nord pendant les troubles civils. Conter des histoires donne aux personnes de tout âge l’occasion de s’évader mentalement. Jeunes et vieux peuvent aussi se rencontrer à travers cette activité. Les bibliothèques sont le lieu idéal pour encourager ces rencontres qui permettent de dépasser les divisions entre les communautés et entre les générations.

10.1 Introduction Traditionally, libraries all over the world have organised storytelling as an activity to entertain children and to foster a love of books and reading. This paper will consider the wider role of storytelling as a tool for cultural understanding and peace building. As Children’s Librarian for the City of Belfast during fourteen years of civil strife in Northern Ireland I witnessed the healing power of story. This ancient communication system still has a vital part to play today in encouraging worldwide dialogue. But to begin, a tale written by Dan Keding, a storyteller from Illinois:¹

1 Reproduced with the permission of the author. Liz Weir, Storyteller and writer.

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The Two Warriors Two mighty armies faced each other across a battlefield. Day after day they fought, and at the end of each day the troops set down their weapons. First they buried their dead and then tended their wounded before resting by their campfires, ready to fight another day. The battle continued until at last only two warriors were left. They knew one more day would end the fighting. As night fell, they set down their weapons, looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. One fire would be enough. What was the point of two? After they had eaten and the fire started to burn low, they began to talk. One spoke proudly of his sons. Two young men determined to follow their father into the service of their country and perhaps even to die for the cause. The other spoke in a gentle voice about his only daughter. She was the image of her mother and he hoped he would live long enough to see her grow and have children of her own. The two warriors talked late into the night. They awoke as the sun rose, turned from each other and took up their swords. They faced each other, ready to finally end the battle.But as each looked into the other’s eyes, tears welled up. They set down their weapons, turned, and walked away. It is very difficult to hate someone once you know their story.

This story points up the importance of listening to each other. Seeing the world from another person’s point of view. Real, active listening shows respect for the speaker, whether or not you agree with what they have to say.

10.2 Ireland, Oral Tradition and Storytelling 10.2 during the Conflict Ireland is known worldwide as a country with a strong oral tradition, and yet often this rich heritage is appreciated much more by those who live outside than by its own people. For many Irish people the idea of storytelling belonged in the past and it is only in the last thirty years that a genuine revival has taken place. This revival was set against a backdrop of thirty years of violence and civil unrest in Northern Ireland and yet storytelling has proven to be a force to bring people together regardless of religion or cultural background. The Belfast Public Libraries Summer Storytelling Programme, which began in 1975, brought storytelling to children at up to 80 venues per week in the city, children who had been forced to grow up too quickly by the unrest going on in the streets around them. During those more violent days, it was important that children were kept off the streets during the summer holidays. A wide range of summer playschemes was organized for them by statutory and voluntary organizations. Belfast Public Libraries were keen to get involved, but while public libraries were seen as “neutral” venues in a divided society, getting there could be a problem for young

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children. They might have to cross streets where danger lurked. So library staff went out into the community to where the children gathered. One example of many shows the impact that storytelling could have. I had gone out to tell stories at a venue in North Belfast, a community centre. When I got there the centre had been destroyed by a bomb overnight. But the children were all still standing around waiting for stories. The ground was covered in broken glass. So I got them all to sit up on a wall while I stood facing them to tell stories. In those days as a librarian I used a lot of picture books and I began telling “The Three Billygoats Gruff” illustrated by Paul Galdone.² This story had been a favourite of mine since my own childhood. I was happily telling it, with the three billygoats trip-trapping over the bridge, when an armour-plated police jeep came down the street. Without a word my audience jumped off the wall, picked up rocks and stones and began throwing them at the police. I stood there. Shocked, with my mouth wide open. All of a sudden the vehicle disappeared. And the children simply hopped back up on the wall without a word and waited for me to go on with the story. What to do in a situation like that? Something told me that I must keep on telling. That taught me a very important lesson: No matter how fast our society teaches children to grow up, no matter how conditioned they are – they are children. Children, who just long to hear the end of a good story. Over my years as Children’s Librarian there were many examples of how stories could touch lives and this sort of work continues even today. Classes of children from Catholic schools and from state schools (almost exclusively Protestant) still visit libraries today for cross-community storytelling sessions. Sharing stories brings the groups together, participating in songs and rhymes has them interacting and the personal stories begin to unfold. The recognition and appreciation of difference continues to be as important as the acknowledgment of what we share. The telling of folk and fairy tales takes young people to a different place and time. They can be powerful tools to prompt discussion about difficult situations. I am reminded of a quotation from the late Alice Kane, a native of Belfast, who went on to become Children’s Librarian in Toronto. When she was once asked about violence in fairy tales she said: “Why, in a world full of violence should children be saved from just one kind of violence? It is silly to hold out the hope

2 Paul Galdone, The Three Billygoats Gruff (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1973).

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that if we get ourselves into a mess someone will help us out. If you don’t like the world you fix it!” I often use an animal fable adapted from Jean de La Fontaine as an opener for workshops about conflict resolution:³ Two goats meet on a bridge. There is only room for one to pass at a time. Neither gives way so they lock horns and manage to push each other off and into the water. The next day they meet again. One says: ‘Maybe if I step over to one side you can get past?’ – The other says: ‘And if I squeeze over to the other side maybe you can get past me?’ – And each goat can go on his way.

There are many bridges that still need to be crossed in Northern Ireland. But this work is not confined to the younger generation. In 1985, the formation of the first community storytelling group, “The Yarnspinners”, gave adults in the city the opportunity to meet and share stories in a neutral city centre venue, the historic Linen Hall Library. Founded in 1788, the oldest library in Belfast was a place with many stories of its own. It felt as if the ancient building knew what was going on, that the spirits of its former members were nodding approvingly. Let us remember that in those days we could have been sitting there in the city centre enjoying stories while sirens screamed outside and bombs exploded. Still the stories were told. The atmosphere at those early Yarnspinners evenings was one of warmth. Sharing experiences was one essential ingredient; the other had to do with the way of listening. Audience members wanted the storytellers to do well. On some occasions an older person might have forgotten a line. No problem. Because there was always somebody to fill in the gaps or shout a word of encouragement – just as might happen in a traditional Irish singing session. There was no elitism as each person had their own distinctive style. Contributions were welcomed whether they were folktales, monologues or traditional stories. The whole idea of The Yarnspinners was to give anyone with a good story the opportunity to share it with others. While modern media had led to a decline in the tradition of people going to visit and share stories with neighbours, lots of people all over Ireland had still many interesting tales to tell. They had simply lacked the opportunity to tell them. Since those early days storytelling has continued to spread its web and several public libraries in Northern Ireland continue to host regular adult story-

3 Margaret Read MacDonald, Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About (Atlanta, GA: August House, 1992), 5.

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telling evenings attracting people from across our so-called religious divide. In the new multi-cultural Northern Ireland we no longer speak of the “two communities”. Nowadays we speak of a shared society where people of many faiths can meet and explore each other’s stories.

10.3 Storytelling Worldwide Novelist Chimamanda Adichie grew up on a university campus in eastern Nigeria. Her mother had taught her to read very early. She read British and American children’s books. At the age of seven she wrote about what she had learned about those foreign countries: all people there were white and blue-eyed, played in the snow and ate apples all day. That’s what today she calls the “danger of a single story”. There are many stories still untold. In any post-conflict situation the need to share experience is part of the healing process. When a story is told and valued by listeners it also empowers the teller, giving them a sense of self worth. The process of giving voice to those whose stories have not been heard is vital. It can promote understanding between the generations and encourage respect for those who have gone before. Story sharing helps preserve memories, promotes self esteem, and values the contribution of older members of our community. In Ireland we have a disappearing oral tradition and yet these stories are invaluable, touching the emotions and staying in the memories of the listeners. Local history sections contain stories, stories of people who lived and breathed and whose tales deserve to be told. In a project called “Sharing Tales” we started with a group of older people mostly in their seventies and eighties who were invited along to a reminiscence session. On these occasions it is important to take time for introductions and in Ireland a cup of tea often eases things along! Discussion was prompted by books containing old photographs of the local area showing not only landmark buildings and street scenes from long ago but also places of employment. There were shots of old linen mills with people working the looms and also photographs of farming with old machinery such as horse ploughs since we knew some of the people grew up in the country.

10.4 The Role of the Librarian The role of the librarian is to act as a facilitator trying to draw out stories. Asking the right question at the right time is always important and even a simple question

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such as “Do you remember the first job you had or the first wage you earned?” will result in lots of comments. Taking the time to listen to each other is very important at this initial session. It is important to document each stage of the process but on a cautionary note I need to say that many older people are very nervous about being recorded or filmed so I never do this without their permission and I personally would never record on a first visit – we need time to get to know each other. It is not difficult to have someone scribe the main points. Having got to know the older members of the group, we then organised a second session to which we invited along some 10- or 11-year-old children for a storytelling session. During this we used books such as “Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge” by Mem Fox (which is an Australian book about the relationship between a young boy and a group of old people),⁴ or the poem “Warning” by Jenny Joseph.⁵ This prompted discussion about old age and the facilitator then went on to draw them out, stimulating discussion about very old relatives or how life has changed over the years. It was interesting to hear the children’s perceptions of old age and there were lots of stereotypes of old people sitting quietly doing nothing. Books from the local studies section were again used to show old pictures of where they lived and websites were also used to make the sessions more interactive. The young people then went off tasked to ask questions from older members of their family and neighbours on topics such as work, holidays and pastimes, favourite food. They were also asked to write poems or stories based on what they gathered. Having “warmed up” both groups it was time to bring them together. This was marvellous to see. Many older people do no longer spend time with children and may themselves have certain stereotypical ideas about the youth of today. It might be interesting to those from outside Northern Ireland to note that both Catholic and Protestant people were involved in this project so it was truly cross-community. The interaction was remarkable as they swapped stories, talked about the way life used to be and the young people read some of their work. Once again the role of the librarian/facilitator is vital to keep conversation flowing. At this stage with full permissions having been given it was possible to video the session for archive purposes. A booklet of stories which was complied as a result was not only a collection of memories but a strengthening of community. This project was inexpensive to organize but rich in value.

4 Mem Fox, Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge (Harmonsdworth: Puffin, 1987). 5 Jenny Joseph, “Warning,” http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/warning. Accessed on 1 February 2014.

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Several projects based in Northern Ireland libraries have aimed to let stories of the conflict be told. “Acts of Resilence”⁶ in 2011 was one example which enabled the public to come together in two libraries in South and East Belfast. Through storytelling, poetry and creative writing the project explored the idea that people can survive and grow in spite of hard times. It looked at how people have had the strength to carry on and sought to explore how others might be encouraged to follow the same path. A DVD was created and specially commissioned poems written to highlight the importance of encouraging resilience. As a professional storyteller I have worked with groups of people in many countries, from Israel to South Africa, from the United States to Russia. The premise holds for all of them. Storytelling not only promotes mutual understanding but also crosses barriers of religion, age and disability. Its role in peace building is a very important one. Once during a visit to Israel I took part in an evening in the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem. It was headlined as “Storytellers tell Stories of Peace”. In the audience were people from diverse backgrounds: Arab, Bedouin, Druze and Israeli – as well as those of us from overseas. At that time it was breath-taking for me. And it still would be even more so now– now that I know about the power of storytelling. The story I remember best is a very short one told by Laura Simms from New York about Mullah Nasruddin, that character who appears in numerous tales from the Middle East. She said that people saw Nasruddin pouring milk into a river and they asked him what he was doing. He replied “I am making yoghurt”. People laughed and said “It will never work!” Nasruddin simply replied: “It might.” That is how it is with peace building. One has to try. Libraries all over the world are places where people can come together to share their tales. Everyone is welcome, from the youngest child attending a rhyme-time session to a group of senior citizens gathering for an afternoon of reminiscence. As the strands of the stories interweave, the interchange strengthens community, fosters intercultural understanding and leaves a valuable legacy to those who come after us. The future isn’t here yet and we cannot foresee what it will bring. The present is only a moment and the past is one long story. Those who don’t hear stories and don’t tell stories live only for the moment and that isn’t enough.⁷

6 http://www.gerrimoriarty.com/id11.html. Accessed on 1 February 2014. 7 Isaac Bashevis Singer, Naftali the Story Teller and his Horse Sus (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1976), 19.

Annie Everall and Carolynn Rankin

11. The IFLA International “Sister Libraries” 11. Programme Children and Young Adults Dialoguing beyond Borders Abstract: The IFLA Sister Libraries programme, sponsored by its Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section, facilitates collaborative partnerships based on the exchange of views, the development of joint programmes and opportunities for professional development. It gives the opportunity to develop peer-to-peer connections and provide informal learning. The authors give several examples of pairs and larger groups of children’s libraries working together and look forward to its future development. Résumé: Le programme IFLA «  Sister Libraries  », parrainé par la section des Bibliothèques pour enfants et jeunes adultes, facilite des partenariats de collaboration qui reposent sur l’échange de points de vue, le développement de programmes communs et les possibilités de formation continue. Il donne l’occasion de développer des relations de professionnel à professionnel et favorise l’apprentissage informel. Les auteurs donnent de nombreux exemples de collaborations entre deux ou plusieurs bibliothèques pour enfants qui envisagent leur développement à venir avec enthousiasme. The IFLA International “Sister Libraries” Programme

11.1 Introduction The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section’s key purpose is to support the provision of library services and reading promotion to children and young adults throughout the world and the librarians who deliver them. The main objectives are to promote international cooperation and to encourage the exchange of experience and best practice, education and training and research in all aspects of this subject. “Sister Libraries” is an umbrella term for a formal or informal relationship between libraries in different countries to build community ties between the organizations Annie Everall, OBE, Consultant and Trainer in Children’s Books, Libraries and Reading, Director, Authors Aloud UK. Dr Carolynn Rankin, Visiting Fellow, Leeds Metropolitan University.

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and to meet local needs.¹ The IFLA Sister Libraries programme facilitates collaborative partnerships based on the exchange of views, the development of joint programmes and opportunities for professional development. The programme enables and encourages children’s librarians to partner with another library to build international partnerships focusing on reading for children and young people. The Sister Libraries programme also provides opportunities to create partnerships between children and young people in the Sister Libraries communities and thus help build and develop global understanding. It enables children, young people and the librarians who work with them to share their passion for children’s books. The benefits to international partnerships include increased cultural understanding between countries, increased access to published information and artefacts in both countries and the opportunity to share information, expertise, and training between libraries.² Becoming readers enriches lives, and for many children and young people, libraries and librarians are the route by which they become readers. The IFLA Sister Libraries twinning programme was first discussed at the IFLA meeting in Milan in 2009 as one response to challenges faced by many children’s librarians all over the world. These challenges include insufficient training, professional isolation and lack of moral support. The invitation to join the Sister Libraries programme was launched on the IFLA website in November 2009 with information published in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and, later, German. A multilingual blog was added to the website in June 2010 (http://sisterlibraries. wordpress.com) for Sister Libraries to share their experience.³ As of March 2014 there are 68 registered libraries of which 39 are involved in a Sister Libraries pairing.

1 Carolynn Rankin, “The IFLA Sister Libraries Programme – an Evaluation of the Development, Challenges and Progress in the First Two Years of an International Network,” New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship volume 19, issue 2 (2013): 108–118. 2 Nancy Bolt, “Cooperation through International Partnerships,”http://wikis.ala.org/sister ibraries/images/1/10/Bolt_paper_about_Sister_Libraries_March_2011.pdf. Accessed on 10 March 2014. 3 Viviana Quiñones, “Libraries for Children and Young Adults: International Perspectives with IFLA Today,” Focus on International Library and Information Work, volume 44, number 1 (2013), 35–37.

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11.2 Engaging in the Dialogue beyond Borders The IFLA Sister Libraries programme offers easy entry level for the individual librarian via a simple web-based registration process and there are no fees or subscriptions. Any library can participate and some have very specific reasons for wanting to be part of the programme as these comments from libraries demonstrate:⁴ There is not a real library in my community and as those who come to our small library are children and young people they cannot travel far because of the current violence. A sister library would be of great benefit, not only for the young people of our association but to the whole community, since we are in a red-dangerous zone and it would help them with their research and to self-educate. There is really so much work to do for children and young people. (Guatemala) To show our children the world is much bigger than Goldsboro, NC. Most have never been out of town, let alone out of state. Coming from poverty, they don’t have a clear picture of what the rest of the world is like, or the potential it holds. Perhaps this will capture their interest and inspire them to think beyond the confines of our small corner of the world. (United States) There are at our school children and young people from foreign families, or from second generation foreign families, as well as children from parents who work in the countries we are interested in pairing off with. We are not only interested in communicating with children and young adults from those countries so that our pupils recognise themselves as part of a multi-cultural world, but also interested in exchanging experiences on reading promotion with librarians from these countries. (Peru) We want to develop library skills by learning from other librarians, we want our children and young adults to meet children and young adults from other parts of the world, to learn from their way of living and that the love for literature is global. (Sweden)

At the World Library and Information Congress in Gothenburg in 2010 Quiñones reported on the key reasons recorded by those making early registrations to find a partner library. She identified the desire to share experiences, ideas and information, … “so as to provide a better service, to attract the young public, to improve their reading culture, to make the library more alive”; the participants also wanted to learn in order to enrich their own work, and had a desire to cooperate, articulated as “fostering different and creative points of view; to build and belong to a network, to establish contact with people with the same goals, to meet new friends and colleagues”.⁵

4 Annie Everall and Viviana Quiñones, “The Sister Libraries Project,” Youth Library Review, issue 41 (2011): 27–29. 5  Viviana Quiñones, “Sister Libraries for Children’s and Young Adults’ Reading: An IFLA Programme for International Exchange and Cooperation.” Paper presented at the World Library and

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Librarians also realise that many children in their communities have a very limited view on the world beyond the community in which they live. Librarians have an innate understanding of how books can help broaden a child’s perspective. The opportunity to extend that perspective further through direct interaction with children in another country via the Sister Libraries programme is one that they welcomed. Librarians have a tradition of networking and this can be viewed as the concept of a community of practice, proposed by Wenger-Trayner.⁶ The community of practice has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest where members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. In promoting collaboration there is a dialogue of information exchange and sharing of best practices across boundaries of time, distance, and organisational hierarchies. Librarians can build relationships that enable them to learn from each other and they develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems. At the outset of the programme Standing Committee members located in France, England, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden volunteered as “Godmother Mentors” to support the twinning libraries, offering mentoring support from a ‘friendly’ expert in the community of practice. The view of one godmother, expressed during the first phase of the evaluation in 2011, affirms the desire to sustain partnerships and encourage the dialogue: The project connects librarians across the world, so they can share experiences and librarydeveloping ideas. Children across the world can communicate (the most important thing). In a wider perspective we give children a chance to learn about other cultures and ways of living – and it may help us to a better world.

11.3 Dialogue to Connect across Cultures Connection between cultures is also key to the success of “The World through Picture Books”, an IFLA Children’s and Young Adults project that sits alongside the Sister Libraries programme. Children’s librarians all over the world understand how important picture books are for children – for their development, their

Information Congress, 10–15 August 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden, http://conference.ifla.org/pastwlic/2010/147-quinones-en.pdf. Accessed on 10 March 2014. 6 Etienne Wenger-Trayner, “Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction.”, http://www. ewenger.com/theory/. Accessed on 10 March 2014.

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cultural identity and as a springboard into learning to read for themselves. Using local and international partnerships, librarians are creating an annotated list of picture books from around the world as a way of celebrating and promoting languages, cultures and publishing quality. Travelling exhibition collections are based in the National Libraries of Japan and France and can be borrowed by any country. This project aims to support the Sister Libraries and the children in their communities by encouraging and enabling them to undertake activities around shared picture book experiences. Collection development is enhanced by encouraging countries to purchase and explore “favourite” picture books from other countries which are excellent for reading aloud and sharing with children. These selections are published on line and available to download or can be purchased as a hard-copy catalogue.⁷ Ideas for activities that Sister Libraries might like to share are suggested by the programme co-ordinators and Sister Libraries are encouraged to share successful activity ideas with the wider community. One suggested activity for Sister Libraries is based on the idea of My Favorite Book by Amy Reggio which shows pictures of children in a village library in Burkina Faso holding their favourite books and offering reasons as to why they prefer them over others.⁸ This activity gets children talking about their favourite book as they are encouraged to look at a range of books and talk to each other about the kind of books that they like reading. They write a sentence or two about their favourite and a photo is taken of them holding their book. A book (digital or printed) is created which includes each child’s photograph and the text of why it’s their favourite – this can be shared with the children in their Sister Library.

11.4 Dialogue between Professionals At the heart of the IFLA Sister Libraries partnership is the opportunity to develop peer-to-peer connections and provide informal learning. This has the potential to support professional development and in some instances has led to librarians visiting their Sister Library to spend time “learning in situ”. The Sister Libraries partnerships are informal, based on a desire to share, learn and cooperate. There are long-term values to members who are part of the community involving

7 Annie Everall and Viviana Quiñones, eds, The World through Picture Books: Librarians’ Favourite Books from their Country (The Hague: IFLA, 2013), http://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-professional-reports-135. Accessed on 10 March 2014. 8 Amy Reggio, My Favorite Book (San Jose, CA: Friends of African Village Libraries, 2009).

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personal development, reputation and professional identity. Wenger-Trayner suggests⁹ there are also considerable benefits to the organization that the individual member belongs to. These factors resonate with the objectives of the IFLA Sister Libraries programme to support the development of the individual librarian and enhance the work in their library environment for the benefit of the children. The digital divide is a problem identified by the Sister Libraries godmothers in establishing and maintaining communication, as is the pressure of time. However, despite the challenges, successful partnerships have been established in different parts of the world. Here are six brief examples which exemplify the spirit and ethos of the programme in connecting beyond borders.

11.4.1 Ong Public Library in Lomé (Togo) with Municipal Public 11.4.1 Library in Paris (France) Regular emails are exchanged between the librarians who send their monthly activity programmes, discussing current issues and problems which are different in Lomé and Paris. Young people in both cities have regular internet meetings exchanging information on their daily life and interests; soon this will be expanded to share book recommendations and recipes. The library in Paris has donated carefully selected books to Lomé and a visit to Paris by the Lomé library director is planned.

11.4.2 School Library in Piura (Peru) with School Library in 11.4.2 La Matanza (Argentina) The librarians have exchanged their National Reading Plans and the Sister Library and joint activities are presented and explained in each library blog. There is considerable activity around cultural exchange and understanding for example, the Peruvian school library celebrated the bicentenary of Argentinean independence by putting up decorations in Argentinean colours and reading books from or about the country.

9 Wenger-Trayner, “Communities of Practice”.

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11.4.3 Russian State Library for Young Adults and Stockholm 11.4.3 Public Library – PUNKTmedis and Serieteket¹⁰ These Sister Libraries have arranged exchange visits for a number of staff. The three libraries have worked on the international “Step by Step” photography project to create a day by day life story of the partner libraries. Every day one photo of the particular day in a library has been posted on the Photoblog (see http:// photoday.libplanet.org.) The librarians involved believe that this kind of project will help to establish good relations with foreign colleagues and exchange ideas and experiences, and inspire them to develop cultural and professional connections.

11.4.4 Dr Djordje Natošević Library, Indjija (Serbia), George 11.4.4 Bariţiu Library, Braşov (Romania) and Frydrichas 11.4.4 Bajoraitis Library, Šilutė (Lithuania) Starting in December 2010 these were one of the earliest successful Sister Library pairings, developing the “Let’s Dream Together” project. First contact between the children in each country came through a short documentary film “Drawing the Portrait”, made to introduce the children and their country to each other. Friendship Books were made for their Sister Library, which included photographs, cards, drawings, poems and information as well as gifts of bookmarks and friendship bracelets. Other activities are video conferencing via Skype enabling the children to present live to each other. ¹¹ The project was so successful that George Bariţiu Library then became Sister Libraries with Frydrichas Bajoraitis Public Library in Lithuania. This partnership developed the “Culture Capsule” project which was designed to enable the children to discover the meaning of culture and cultural identity, share information about their own culture and reflect upon what they learned about the culture of their partner country, exploring and celebrating similarities and differences. George Bariţiu Library has now also become Sister Libraries with Médiathèque de Clichy. They visited Paris to meet with their colleagues at Médiathèque de Clichy to jointly design an action plan for their Sister Library programme collaboration. Their comment from the blog is that “the Sister Libraries programme is the best for the exchange of knowledge, information, resources, experience and good

10 http://kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/Bibliotek/Serieteket/. Accessed on 10 March 2014. 11 “Let’s Dream Together”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZi-emAfHZo, and blog at http:// copiibrasov.wordpress.com/ifla-sister-libraries. Accessed on 10 March 2014.

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ideas on library work for children with colleagues abroad and opens one up to new possibilities of partnerships. Our children are very pleased and excited to work with children from other countries, it’s an opportunity for them to meet new cultures, to learn about them and to have fun, too.”

11.4.5 Gosford Public Library (Australia) and Brossard Library, 11.4.5 Quebec (Canada) The “Jean Genies” project was developed initially as a fun programme for public libraries across Australia during the 2012 Australian National Year of Reading. Drawing inspiration from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants novel by Ann Brashares,¹² it saw nine pairs of jeans travelling between forty rural, metropolitan and regional public libraries. Each participating library hosted activities, craft workshops, film nights, intergenerational programmes and outreach events with the result that the jeans were decorated and then sent on to the next participating libraries. Libraries in France, Holland, Japan, Slovakia and Peru have also now participated. It is hoped that the project will continue to grow and that the collection of hundreds of pairs of recycled decorated jeans from countries around the world will create the bonds of friendship between librarians and share their passion for literature.

11.4.6 Vaggeryd Library (Sweden) and Singapore Singapore and Sweden undertook a “My Favourite Book” reading project. They targeted children aged 9–12 because they were already running reading clubs and other activities with this age group so had a ready-made audience. Each country sent a favourite book published in their country to the other, to be read to the children, as the starting point for exploring their countries and cultures. Sweden sent Pettsson goes camping by the author Sven Nordqvist.¹³ The librarians then interviewed local children about their own favourite books and took photos of them. These were then put together to make a small book with the pictures of the children presenting their favourites and was sent to Singapore and shared with children in the Young Authors club. The librarians and children in Singapore did

12 Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (London: Corgi, 2002). 13 Sven Nordqvist, Pettson Goes Camping (Stroud: Hawthorn, 2010).

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the same in return, sending Georgette’s Mooncakes by Adeline Foo,¹⁴ a story set during the Chinese lunar festival, as well as a PDF with the children from Singapore presenting their favourite books for the Swedish children. The Swedish children’s librarian then collected those of the books that the Singapore children recommended that were available in Swedish. The library then made a small lunar festival where the children´s librarian went to a school where he presented the books, told the children about Singapore and the traditions behind the festival. This festival is not known in Sweden, but this raised the children’s awareness of it and the children enjoyed it. The children then chose a book to read that had been recommended by the children from Singapore. What each of these six case studies demonstrates is that the Sister Libraries programme not only provides opportunities for dialogue between librarians but also enables the development of a rich and varied dialogue between children and young people. At one level, the partnership offers the experience of interacting with children in a different country but on another, it also provides opportunities to share stories and artistic expression, explore language and cultural identity, leading to better cultural understanding and global harmony.

11.5 Evaluation of the Sister Libraries Programme The theoretical framework used for the evaluation of the programme is Wenger-Trayner’s “community of practice” and a longitudinal view is taken of capacity building and professional generosity as a “community of practice” develops.¹⁵ Wenger’s view is that “Communities cannot be measured and managed in conventional ways. Traditional methods are not likely to appreciate the creativity, sharing and self-initiative that are the core elements of how a community creates value”.¹⁶ The qualitative data being gathered as part of the longitudinal evaluation is using anecdotal evidence to tell the story of value as stories can be considered a good way to explain the linkages between community activities, knowledge resources, and performance outcomes. The key to success is the need for flexibility within the programme, to enable each pair to work together in the way that best suits them. Some of the

14 Adeline Foo, Georgette’s Mooncakes (Singapore: Ethos, 2009). 15 Rankin, “The IFLA Sister Libraries programme.” 16 Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott and William M. Snyder, Cultivating communities of practice: a guide to managing knowledge (Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2002), 185.

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pairs develop on-going, detailed and well constructed programmes involving exchanges between the children and the library staff, others may only exchange limited emails. The overall programme has to be able to accommodate both. Inevitably it is those librarians who are motivated that actively take their partnership forward, once they have been found a Sister Library. Because the “community” is varied and diverse and members are operating in very different circumstances, perhaps the most important lessons learned through the evaluation is that we need to accept that the timescales may take longer than original expectations, and that the scheme needs to be flexible and fluid.

11.6 Future – Maintaining the Dialogue The framework offered by the Sister Libraries programme is valuable as it provides any library with the possibility of a “tailor-made” international partnership. There are challenges, but as the examples of successful pairings have shown, much can be achieved with willing and motivated librarians. As a result of the evaluation and feedback from godmothers, a major review of the programme is currently under way. The co-ordinators are exploring greater use of social networking such as Facebook, Twitter and possibly the creation of a Sister Libraries You Tube channel to increase sharing of experiences and information, and to maintain the dialogue. The IFLA Sister Libraries programme is still in the early stages of development but the indications for the future of the network of partnerships are positive. The successes achieved to date in dialoguing beyond borders should be celebrated because each in their own way has made a difference in the lives of the children and the libraries who have taken part. In his widely quoted autobiography author Richard Peck¹⁷ perfectly sums up why reading is important, the impact it can have on a child and the role of a library in this: I READ: I READ: I READ: I READ: I READ: I READ: I READ:

I READ because one life isn’t enough, and in the pages of a book I can be anybody; because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life; not for happy endings but for new beginnings; I’m just beginning myself, and I wouldn’t mind a map; because I have friends who don’t, and young though they are, they’re beginning to run out of material; because every journey begins at the library, and it’s time for me to start packing;

17 Richard Peck, Anonymously Yours (Julian Messner, 1991), 120.

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I READ: because one of these days I’m going to get out of this town, and I’m going to go I READ: everywhere and meet everybody, and I want to be ready.

What the Sister Libraries programme offers and what successful Sister Library partnerships demonstrate is that through the global dialogue, cultural exchange and story sharing, libraries are working together to ensure all our children are “ready” for whatever their future brings them.

François Bousquet

12. Bibliothèques et bibliothécaires au défi 12. du dialogue Un rôle irremplaçable Résumé: Cet article souligne l’importance du dialogue interculturel et interreligieux, dans le respect des différences. Il montre que l’écrit rassemblé et accessible à tous construit la paix en servant le dialogue. L’écrit, ouvrant un nouveau jeu entre autorité et liberté, est une ouverture à l’avenir. Les bibliothèques sont le lieu de sa conservation et de la mise en dialogue des textes et des sources, pour faciliter la transmission, aider au discernement, favoriser le lien entre universel et particulier. Le rôle du travail en réseau est mis en valeur. Abstract: This article underlines the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, with regard to their differences. It shows that writing, brought together and accessible to all, builds peace while serving dialogue. Writing, opening a new game between authority and freedom, is a doorway to the future. Libraries are places which conserve them, and are the setting for dialogue with texts and sources, to facilitate their transmission, assist in their appreciation and foster the link between the universal and the particular. The role of networking is highlighted.

12.1 Introduction

Bibliothèques et bibliothécaires au défi du dialogue

Membre de la Commission de recherche pour la paix de l’UNESCO et ancien vice-recteur à la recherche de l’Institut Catholique de Paris, je suis très honoré et reconnaissant aux éditeurs de cet ouvrage de me demander une parole au terme des contributions ici rassemblées. Dans un monde globalisé, le dialogue devient une des conditions essentielles de la paix entre les peuples, et de l’harmonie entre cultures, dans le respect de leurs différences, qui déploient l’humanité commune en formes sociales et historiques variées, riches, inépuisables – mais aussi fra-

Pr. Mgr François Bousquet, Ancien Vice-Recteur à la Recherche de l’Institut Catholique de Paris, Professeur émérite au Theologicum, Membre de la Commission de recherche pour la Paix à l’UNESCO, Membre du Conseil Pontifical de la Culture, Recteur de Saint-Louis des Français à Rome.

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giles devant les maux redoutables que sont la guerre, la famine, l’intolérance ou le fanatisme. L’interculturel et l’interreligieux, étroitement solidaires, même lorsque la sécularisation des sociétés demande de bien distinguer les champs, font partie des conditions nécessaires pour une paix durable, au-delà même des questions économiques et politiques, précisément pour que les compromis nécessaires au vivre-ensemble soient reçus et vivables. Il m’a été demandé d’essayer de décrire en quoi et comment les institutions au service de l’esprit et de la culture, que sont les bibliothèques, sans oublier les bibliothécaires qui les animent – au sens propre : qui en sont l’âme – jouent un rôle décisif dans cette recherche, « sèment des graines d’espoir et de paix », comme l’écrit magnifiquement Odile Dupont. C’est à elle que je commencerai par emprunter les lignes de force de ce que l’on peut dire sur notre sujet, dans les recommandations qu’elle a envoyées aux auteurs : Cet ouvrage souhaite montrer l’apport des bibliothèques à la richesse du dialogue entre les hommes, voire à sa faisabilité. Contrairement à ce qui se dit souvent, cette volonté d’ouverture à la religion et à la culture de l’autre ne date pas d’aujourd’hui : les bibliothèques patrimoniales qui mettent en regard des collections venant d’horizons confessionnels divers en sont la preuve, elles représentent la matérialisation d’une volonté de dialogue. Devant l’urgence d’un dialogue planétaire qui laisse sa place à chacun, les bibliothèques sont le lieu qui permet de comprendre l’interpénétration entre culture et religion et en facilitent l’apprentissage. Aidées par les avancées des normes de catalogage portées par l’IFLA et grâce à la révolution du web, elles développent les outils d’une communication indispensable entre les hommes. En s’appuyant sur un réseau planétaire, elles font dialoguer des enfants d’origines différentes qui découvrent ainsi des modes de vie différents, des croyances différentes et apprennent à s’enrichir de la culture de l’autre. En faisant raconter leurs histoires aux communautés qui sont rassemblées par l’histoire, elles créent des ponts entre les civilisations.

Le R.P. Noël Sheth, s.j., savant éminent, à la renommée internationale, en tout ce qui concerne les traditions hindouistes et bouddhistes, décrit bien, dans la contribution d’ouverture du recueil, qui fait suite à l’historique de la création du réseau RELINDIAL au sein de l’IFLA, comment les bibliothèques, élément décisif des institutions de haut savoir, ont un rôle propre à jouer, très déterminant, pour construire la paix à travers le dialogue interreligieux qu’elles contribuent à servir. Et l’exemple qu’il donne de Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeth, l’Institut Pontifical de Philosophie et Religion de Punè en Inde, est tout-à-fait convaincant. J’aurais mauvaise grâce, après un tel guide, à baliser de nouveau les chemins qu’il a empruntés. Aussi voudrais-je plutôt partager une réflexion à tonalité fondamentale, sur le cœur même de la fonction multiple des bibliothèques et les soucis des bibliothécaires et tenter de dire en quoi l’objet même qu’est l’écrit (quel que soit son

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support, papier ou numérique), tel que rassemblé et accessible à tous dans les bibliothèques, construit la paix en servant le dialogue. D’une triple manière, ce qui donne le plan de notre approche : il sera question d’abord de la manière dont l’écrit donne (comme le corps pour la vie biologique) un sol ferme pour la liberté ; puis nous aurons à parler de la mémoire et de son importance pour l’avenir ; enfin il faudra traiter de l’universel, dans le respect et la recherche de la vérité du particulier.

12.2 Bibliothèques et trésor de l’écrit En cette période de la culture où auteurs, éditeurs, bibliothèques, et, plus généralement les institutions de transmission des savoirs, écoles et universités, s’interrogent sur le changement de support qu’opère le passage de l’impression sur papier au document numérique sur écran, mieux vaut revenir au fondamental, à savoir l’écrit, avec sa puissance propre au service de la culture, dans un mode de communication différent de l’oralité et dont les paradoxes n’ont pas fini d’être surprenants. La culture de l’oralité est première, mais dès l’invention de l’écriture c’est un bouleversement total et de nouvelles potentialités. Les religions traditionnelles, au sens technique du mot, centrées sur la coutume orale des anciens, laissent bientôt apparaître des religions à Ecritures et à fondateurs, ou bien consignent par écrit leurs traditions de chants liturgiques, de poèmes cosmogoniques, de dits de sagesse, etc. De ma vie je n’ai rencontré de bibliothécaire qui n’ait un respect infini du livre  ! A ce respect s’ajoute aujourd’hui l’acquisition et la pratique d’une compétence technique très sophistiquée en informatique, pour que soient transmis (j’allais dire aussi religieusement….) les documents. Qu’est-ce qui arrive à la culture, et à la culture en dialogue, avec l’écriture, cette merveille que l’on fait apprendre aux enfants, mais qui concerne la société tout entière? Plusieurs révolutions anthropologiques et sociales considérables : un nouveau jeu entre autorité et liberté; un nouveau mode de présence dans l’absence, qui permet au passé d’être contemporain, avec ainsi une autre ouverture à l’avenir; enfin, une diversification de l’acte de lecture, où la créativité de l’imaginaire tricote avec le réel de nouveaux possibles. Un nouveau jeu entre autorité et liberté, cela veut dire aussi l’accessibilité pour l’immense peuple des lecteurs des sources du savoir et des activités que ce savoir rend possible. En Grèce ancienne, la naissance de la démocratie commence quand au cercle de chefs guerriers décidant de l’action fait suite l’inscription de la loi au vu de tous sur l’agora. La loi n’est plus parole d’autorité du chef

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ou du devin, mais elle est pour tous, inscrite dans le marbre. L’écrit fixe ainsi les choses, mais il ouvre en même temps les diverses possibilités de l’interprétation. L’oralité, parfois répétitive et parfois pleine de divagations, reçoit une règle, capitale pour la réception : avec les Ecritures saintes des diverses religions, la Parole écrite est proclamée, reçue par un groupe, et commentée de manière autorisée, non sans débat autour des interprétations. L’étape de l’imprimerie, au fond récente, à l’échelle de l’histoire humaine, multiplie avec le nombre des lecteurs l’accès à des sources qui ne sont plus au seul pouvoir des savants mais permettent d’en accroître le nombre. Et bientôt, l’efflorescence des sciences depuis trois siècles demande, avec l’efflorescence concomitante des écrits consignant les expériences et les savoirs, un débat permanent entre tous les écrits relatifs à un même sujet, afin de faire progresser toutes les vérifications requises. Cela demande non seulement un catalogage précis, mais aussi un dispositif adéquat de stockage de ces réservoirs de données, de recherches, et, pour la littérature, de rêves ou de possibles réels. L’écrit trouve aujourd’hui un nouveau support, et ainsi, plus que jamais, aucune bibliothèque ne peut se comprendre autrement qu’en réseau. Pour que l’écrit permette à nouveaux frais ce jeu de l’autorité du vrai et de la liberté de recherche, ou la liberté du lecteur tout simplement, de nouvelles tâches s’imposent, en particulier de discernement, ne serait-ce que pour s’orienter dans les colossales banques de données dont la taille est immaîtrisable par quiconque. Bref, l’écrit est un sol ferme sur lequel peut s’appuyer l’élan de la liberté qui cherche le vrai et le juste, et les bibliothèques sont le lieu non seulement de la conservation, mais de la mise en dialogue des textes et des sources. Comment faut-il comprendre, en second lieu, qu’avec l’écrit s’instaure ce que j’ai appelé énigmatiquement un nouveau mode de présence dans l’absence? Il faut réfléchir ici à la magie extraordinaire de l’écrit, que chacun peut ressentir en séjournant dans une bibliothèque, ancienne ou récente. Tout ce qui est décrit, raconté, analysé, exploré là, n’est pas seulement ici  : c’est ailleurs et dans un autre moment que tout cela s’est passé, qu’il s’agisse d’une expérimentation, d’un voyage, ou de tout autre objet du récit. Et pourtant cela est présent : nous voilà, dans la lecture, contemporains de ce qui est écrit. Cela commence avec la lecture d’une lettre : la personne qui nous écrit est là malgré son absence. Cela continue en tout récit : dans la mémoire que l’on fait de la sentence d’un sage, il est rendu présent, au-delà de sa disparition ou de son absence physique. Et, très fortement dans le Christianisme avec le récit de l’Institution eucharistique, la présence transformante ne peut avoir lieu sans la médiation de la proclamation, la lecture à voix haute de ce que l’Ecrit, biblique ou liturgique, consigne, raconte et prescrit. L’actualité de l’écrit est donc mémoire de ce qui est absent sans être aboli, mais au contraire mystérieusement présent et actuel; et sont engendrées à cause de cette présence de nouvelles possibilités d’avenir. La parole orale le fait

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aussi, certes, mais l’écriture, en toute occurrence, est inscription dans un corps, ou un corpus, qui rappelle cette nécessité pour tout ce qui est promesse d’avenir de s’inscrire dans le réel. Enfin, autant il y a de motifs pour l’écriture (depuis les premières inscriptions rupestres, en passant par l’invention de l’alphabet des marchands phéniciens, sans oublier la tradition millénaire de la calligraphie chinoise, où la clé de chaque idéogramme garde une adhérence visuelle ou picturale), autant il y a de genres littéraires et de types de textes, autant y a-t-il aussi de possibilités de lecture. Et ce n’est pas moins que l’esprit qui permet ce transit de l’écriture à la lecture. On touche ici au problème que pose l’intériorisation de ce qu’on lit, avec les discernements que cela suppose. Ce n’est pas parce qu’une chose est écrite qu’elle est vraie, ou au moins intelligente. Dès l’école, on devrait apprendre aux enfants à décrypter, par exemple à partir des nouvelles, lues sur le journal ou même commentées à la télévision, que tout écrit a une dimension de persuasion qui fait partie de l’échange qu’il permet, mais que cela requiert de vérifier l’intention qui préside à la transmission, et qui gouverne les modes de transmettre. En ce qui concerne les bibliothèques, avant même les recensions critiques dans les revues spécialisées, qui permettent une première évaluation ou discussion critique des contenus, les notices des catalogues sont une première œuvre de salut public, une première objectivation de ce dont il s’agit. Mais alors de nouvelles tâches vont apparaître : plus les bibliothécaires travailleront en réseau, et dans des réseaux interculturels et interreligieux, plus la déontologie imposera de devenir conscients des présupposés implicites mais non perçus qui sont à l’œuvre dans la manière de décrire. L’exemple fourni par la procédure d’AlKindi à l’IDEO du Caire montre bien comment les choses se jouent dès le catalogage, si l’on veut que les standards internationaux n’écrasent pas les différences culturelles et le génie propre de chaque langue. En résumé, les bibliothèques rendent un premier service au dialogue entre les cultures (et au dialogue interreligieux dans la mesure où bon nombre de religions sont matricielles de cultures spécifiques) en étant les institutions où l’on prend soin de l’écrit, avec sa puissance propre (si la culture est tout ce qui humanise la nature) et ses paradoxes salubres : l’écrit permet de donner un sol ferme à la liberté au sein de l’autorité vérifiable de la chose écrite; de rendre présent ce qui provient d’un autre espace et/ou d’un autre temps, amplifiant ainsi le présent lui-même; enfin en étant bibliothèque et non pas un seul livre, en étant aussi une masse énorme de documentation numérisée, d’ouvrir le champ de la recherche et de l’interprétation, à la recherche d’une vérité vivante et capable de rassembler.

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12.3 Bibliothèques et mémoire pour l’avenir Il nous faut revenir un instant sur la question de la mémoire, tellement importante pour l’avenir des peuples, dans le dialogue des cultures et des religions. Il en va comme pour chaque personne, mais avec la multiplication du nombre : ôter à une personne ou à un peuple sa mémoire (comme cela s’est fait aux temps esclavagistes par exemple) est la meilleure manière de les priver d’avenir et d’espoir, faute de racines pour l’identité. Car ce sont des identités qui dialoguent, alors même que le dialogue les transforme, pour peu que les uns et les autres soient « altérés » de l’autre, comme le langage dit bien. Assoiffés, pour grandir et s’enrichir de la rencontre, et transformés, dans ce qui doit être alors alliance et non pas aliénation. Nul doute que les bibliothèques soient non pas seulement les « temples du savoir » comme on dit parfois, mais aussi le recueil précieux de la mémoire collective, de ses recherches, de ses efforts et de ses rêves. Mais il y a mémoire et mémoire. Il pourrait y avoir une mémoire antiquaire qui ne serait pas une mémoire d’avenir. Alors la fonction des bibliothécaires serait confinée à un rôle de conservation. Il ne faut pas le sous-estimer car c’est une condition essentielle, comme lorsqu’à l’enfant doivent être assurées la santé, la sécurité et un certain bien-être, pour que se développent les apprentissages que cela permettra. Comme aussi, en amour, il faut bien passer du « je t’aime » à « passe-moi le sel »… Donc, on se donne beaucoup de mal pour la conservation, avec ses conditions précises et contraignantes, avec lesquelles on ne saurait tricher. Mais pour autant, un livre est fait pour être lu. Le travail en réseau accélère les appels, il faudrait dire la vocation, d’une bibliothèque à faciliter et multiplier la lecture, une lecture non pas isolée, mais des lectures approfondies, critiques et inventives aussi, des sources, des commentaires, des questions actuelles posées à toute cette documentation, sans oublier les intérêts divers des chercheurs travaillant dans un même champ, scrutant un même corpus. Le travail en réseau devient alors essentiel et c’est une bénédiction que les extraordinaires moyens technologiques contemporains facilitant la communication puissent servir infiniment plus qu’autrefois cette nécessité. Un réseau comme RELINDIAL trouve dans son objet même, à savoir mettre à disposition d’abord les sources, mais aussi tout la documentation disponible sur ces continents de pensée cordiale que sont les cultures et les religions un accord naturel et profond avec l’esprit du temps présent. On a dit avec raison, après les travaux de Huntington, que la première chose qui détruisait la paix n’était pas le choc des cultures, mais le choc des ignorances. Par ailleurs, il est très important, pour le dialogue interreligieux, d’essayer de comprendre l’autre, au-delà même de la différence qui engendre le dialogue, comme il se comprend

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lui-même. Il y a pour ce faire des conditions intellectuelles : s’envisager mutuellement à hauteur d’hommes, sans avoir une pensée qui surplombe par avance, et assène à l’autre la vérité (sans laquelle évidemment on ne croirait pas ce que l’on croit, mais qui n’autorise pas à classer l’autre aussitôt comme étant dans l’erreur). C’est en cherchant ensemble la vérité plus haute que l’on s’empêchera de considérer immédiatement l’autre comme déviant. La requête, dans le dialogue, est de partir du meilleur de ce à quoi l’autre tient, sans commencer par se reprocher mutuellement les contentieux historiques ou bien les sous-produits qu’engendre inévitablement toute tradition ; puis d’avoir comme exigence mutuelle la cohérence, intellectuelle et spirituelle, avec ce meilleur. De nouveau apparait ici l’importance de revenir aux sources, puis aux commentaires, puis à la littérature environnante, etc. La mise à disposition par un réseau approprié, de ce qui est accessible, tout autour de la planète, dans les régions natives des traditions spirituelles, et dans les langues originales, ne servira pas seulement la recherche savante, mais, patiemment, et avec la pédagogie nécessaire, à une connaissance mutuelle toujours plus fine. C’est l’ampleur même du service rendu qui contribuera à combattre ce fléau qu’est l’ignorance des masses, mais aussi des élites cultivées, concernant la culture et la religion de l’autre. Les contacts personnels et les relations suivies sont certes décisifs, les bibliothèques demeurent un lieu d’objectivation et d’échange incomparable. Pour que la mémoire qui est à l’œuvre là ne soit pas une mémoire antiquaire, mais une mémoire d’avenir, une mémoire qui recèle les possibilités d’un avenir autre que celui de l’incompréhension et du conflit, encore faut-il que l’esprit développé par le projet de réseau des bibliothèques rende attentifs tous ceux qui y auront recours au souffle qui anime religions et cultures. Le malheur de toute approche lourdement positiviste est de penser qu’une bonne religion est une religion morte, comme l’insecte mort épinglé par l’entomologue. Le bon entomologue quant à lui s’émerveille du vivant et de la vie de ce qu’il observe et essaie de comprendre. Dans le domaine religieux et culturel, il n’y a pas cette extériorité d’un objet qui nous demeurerait étranger : il s’agit d’un souffle, par lequel, dans la culture, le vivant intelligent et spirituel qu’est l’humain déploie les mille figures possibles d’humanisation de la nature, et de formes d’expression du vrai, du bon, du beau, bref, du transcendantal qu’apporte une vie qui n’est pas seulement biologique et, dans les religions, il n’escalade pas le ciel, mais il intériorise l’absolu qui le met en quête et en mouvement, ou bien il demeure ouvert à la manifestation ou révélation de l’inouï qui seul répondra à son attente, une attente qui préfère les rivages aux frontières et aux enclos où elle ne reconnait pas le désir qui la fait vivre. Que l’on se qualifie comme croyant ou non, que l’on appartienne à telle ou telle tradition, sapientielle, spirituelle, religieuse, c’est, dans le domaine qui

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nous occupe, le souffle qui anime les bibliothèques et leurs responsables qui fait la différence, et qui permettra d’éviter, comme l’a écrit Noël Sheth, de s’enfermer dans « des tours d’ivoire ». Ce souffle évitera de transformer le religieux en simple ornementation culturelle. Il fera que l’on demeure attentif à ce qui se joue dans la lecture et la transmission. Il permettra de veiller sur une mémoire respectueuse, «  œcuménique  » c’est-à-dire maintenant aux dimensions de la planète. Il fera dialoguer, et ainsi ouvrir à l’avenir, tout ce qui est conservé pour la recherche vive. Les bibliothécaires, on l’a dit et il faut le répéter, sont les garants et les inspirateurs de ce qui anime leurs institutions et leur réseau. Cette tâche ô combien difficile, d’animer ce que l’on pourrait appeler une « bibliothèque de plein vent » est parmi les plus nobles.

12.4 Bibliothèques et lien entre l’universel et le 12.4 particulier La grande difficulté du temps présent est d’articuler, comme on dit, le local et le global. Qui ne voit qu’un réseau de bibliothèques comme RELINDIAL au sein de l’IFLA accomplit ce tour de force. On peut le dire aussi à un plan plus fondamental, philosophique, là où il s’agit d’articuler l’universel et le particulier. A première vue, consulter un catalogue, ou les catalogues d’un réseau d’une telle amplitude, culturelle et religieuse, couvrant tous les continents et tant de traditions, pourrait donner l’impression d’un «  catalogue à la Prévert  », d’une énumération incroyablement disparate et d’un éclatement irrémédiable, ou d’une pulvérisation sans limite des contenus. Certes, la partie analytique des sciences prolifère indéfiniment, dans ce que Hegel nommait le faux infini du savoir; et l’on peut se rappeler le conseil donné à tout rédacteur de thèse : arrêtez de lire, vous trouveriez sans peine de nouveaux détails à ajouter à vos analyses, et mettez-vous à écrire, à présenter une synthèse. Pourtant, c’est le singulier qui est le véritable existant, et l’on ne saurait trop admirer l’attention fine que portent les bibliothécaires à la singularité de chaque livre, voire même de chaque exemplaire, à la description minutieuse, de ses caractéristiques, de son histoire, de son environnement culturel. Et c’est bien ainsi qu’il faut se comporter aussi lorsque l’on traverse une religion ou une culture. Les cultures et les religions, outre leur diversité entre elles, ont leurs différenciations internes, leurs traditions multiples, leurs évolutions et leurs adaptations. Sommes-nous condamnés alors à nous cantonner dans ces particularités? Non, car l’erreur serait de prendre le « général », qui fait abstraction des ces différences et singularités, pour l’universel. Mais il en va autrement :

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c’est par la vérité du singulier que l’on s’élève à l’universel, et non par l’effacement de l’existence elle-même dans les généralités sans saveur. Bien plus, cette vérité ne s’approche que dans la mise en relation, par où l’on s’aperçoit qu’il y a des différences qui ne sont pas séparatrices mais enrichissantes. On peut éviter les pièges d’un mauvais comparatisme, qui fait des rapprochements inessentiels ou aléatoires dans la comparaison, de deux façons : en respectant les cohérences internes de chaque culture, de chaque religion, de chaque vision du monde ; et ensuite, en faisant jouer dans la mise en synopse un troisième terme, plus haut et en avant, a savoir les défis qui s’annoncent pour tous dans le monde contemporain ou qui s’approche. Dans le dialogue interreligieux ou interculturel, la question n’est pas : quelle religion est-elle meilleure? Mais : de quelles ressources intellectuelles et spirituelles disposons-nous ensemble à partir de nos traditions pour agir ensuite en sorte que nous puissions espérer pour tous ? A plusieurs reprises, les enfants ont été mentionnés dans ce volume. C’est à juste titre, car les bibliothèques sont un univers où peuvent s’accomplir plusieurs dimensions de leur éducation, de leur enfantement à la liberté de l’âge adulte et responsable. Les possibilités du multi-media ne se substitueront jamais au trésor de l’écrit  ; les livres, avec une pédagogie progressive, qui fera passer des livres pour enfants à la documentation travaillée par les adultes, les feront rêver, réfléchir, avec curiosité et esprit critique, en apprenant à apprendre, mais aussi ils les feront s’enthousiasmer, et avoir envie de découvrir et rencontrer les autres. En somme leur jeune expérience pourra bénéficier d’une mémoire vive aux dimensions maintenant planétaires, ce qui par ailleurs leur donnera le goût de comprendre et parler la langue de l’autre. Enfin, ils sauront, à partir de la fidélité à leur singularité, s’orienter en n’oubliant pas l’universel. Je n’en dirai pas plus : il faut saluer avec RELINDIAL, rendu possible par l’IFLA, avec les premiers résultats du travail en commun que représente ce volume, un réseau construisant la paix dans le service qu’il rend au dialogue.