| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC May 1, 2006 Launch of the Iraqi Virtual Science LibraryUnder Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Kenneth J. Krieg will launch the Iraqi Virtual Science Library at the National Academy of Sciences at 1:00 p.m. on May 3, 2006. The Iraqi Virtual Science Library is an on-line library that will provide Iraqi scientists, engineers, physicians, researchers, and students with access to over 17,000 full-text journals and millions of articles on science and engineering, online training and educational materials, and information on funding opportunities. The library will provide nearly 80 percent of Iraq’s scientists and university students access to the same scientific content available at any top-tier university in the United States. A public-private partnership that includes several U.S. Government agencies, 13 publishers of scientific journals, technology companies such as Sun Microsystems, and the Civilian Research & Development Foundation made the library possible. The State Department, Defense Department, and Civilian Research and Development Foundation made generous contributions and the National Academy of Sciences worked closely with the publishers, who granted access to their journals. The library was created to counter the deterioration of scientific, technical, and educational infrastructure that occurred over the last 30 years of Saddam Hussein’s rule. The Iraqi higher education and scientific community must be rebuilt if Iraq is to thrive in the 21st century knowledge economy. 2006/441 |
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