Since its inception, UMAM D&R has always sought to make accessible to "the public" the contents of its steadily growing collection. Regardless of the type of documentation involved—printed materials, audiovisual records or artifacts—our organization has always been motivated to share its broad views on Lebanese issues, particularly those related to the country's recent history. In doing so, UMAM D&R has always been aware that in this context, “Lebanon” is more than just the name of a country. Rather, it is a moniker for a unique set of human experiences.
To accomplish our goal of disseminating the elements of this comprehensive collection, UMAM D&R launched its Memory At Work website several years ago. That site, which doubles as an online database, was originally populated with content gathered primarily from open sources that addressed a remarkably broad spectrum of topics related to the Lebanese civil war. Over time, however, Memory At Work extended the timeline it covered and expanded the breadth and scope of the records it contains. Today, Memory At Work has emerged as an electronic repository that holds “traces” of Lebanese life gathered in times of peace and war.
As a follow-on initiative, UMAM D&R is pleased to launch another Web-based storehouse that will catalog books and similar items held within the organizational library. We will begin this effort by focusing on cataloging publications written originally or later translated into the Arabic language.
Rather than maintaining a very narrow focus, however, the new website/database will list books and other published materials that do not relate solely to Lebanese peace and war. Instead, it will take a number of different directions and address a variety of fields. Notably, credit for the diverse nature of the assets included in our library goes primarily to those who entrusted UMAM D&R with their books—even if they did so simply to rid themselves of accumulated "clutter.