The Library at the American University of Kuwait Among First Users of the OHMS Application in the Arab World

The Library at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) has started utilizing the latest application for the indexing and archiving of oral history interviews. The application has been launched by the libraries of the University of Kentucky in the United States of America, which facilitates the synchronization of the recorded audio and the written transcript of the interview, which in turn makes it easier for researchers to locate any subject or audio excerpt without the need to listen to the entire interview or move across hours of the recording on the seek bar. The application is available for free, as it is intended to support libraries and research centers in their quest for sustainability. The libraries at the University of Kentucky have received a special grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States for the purpose of creating this application to help users and researchers find the recorded information they seek more efficiently.

As AUK librarian, Ms. Asma Al-Kanan, explains, “The library at the American University of Kuwait is among the first users of this new system in the Arab world, known as ‘OHMS’ which serves as an Oral History Metadata Synchronizer. The library’s efforts and communications with the University of Kentucky Libraries have led to improving some of the features that support Arabic Language, which will make it easier for other institutions in the Arab world to use the system for oral history documentation in Arabic.”

The Oral History and Documentation Project (OHDP) at the Library of the American University of Kuwait has recently added a number of new interviews to its archive. The collection of recorded interviews, which can be accessed on the project’s website, includes interviews with Ambassador Abdullah Bishara, Ms. Louloua Al-Mulla, Mr. Abdulatif Al-Hamad, Ms. Claudia Al-Rashoud, Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, among others. The project continues with its main objective of building an archive of recorded interviews that acts as a valuable resource for researchers, students, and all members of society, with the aim of preserving the history of Kuwait and documenting the testimonies of pioneers and older generations through these recorded interviews. The Oral History and Documentation Project has also received funding from Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) since its launch in 2020.

To access the interviews and to learn more about the OHDP visit our website:
https://oralhistory.auk.edu.kw
   

AUK Library staff exhibiting about the Oral History Project