HMML is now in partnership with the West African Arabic Manuscript Database (WAAMD), hosted by the Library of the University of California, Berkeley.

This complementarity made close collaboration the logical next step. A series of meetings with WAAMD’s editors helped HMML with the difficult task of identifying names and titles across different collections and standardizing them in a way that facilitates user access. New HMML cataloging records are now shared directly with WAAMD, and a permanent URL on the WAAMD website takes users straight to HMML Reading Room where they can view the digital item.

This collaboration promises to increase visitors to Reading Room and make it easier for students and scholars of West Africa to access manuscripts from the region.