Fwd: Invitation to Support Research on Persian Digital Archives
Evyn Kropf
From: Majid Samavi <MAJID....@stu.mmu.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Subject: Invitation to Support Research on Persian Digital Archives
Dear Researcher / Librarian,
I hope this message finds you well.
This is a polite request for your support in promoting two core components of a doctoral research project at Manchester Metropolitan University. The project—“Digital Strategies for Preserving and Accessing Persian Collections: A Theoretical Framework and Practical Guidelines”—aims to address the challenges and opportunities involved in the digital preservation of Persian-language materials, and to develop culturally sensitive and technically robust best practices.
I would be most grateful if you could assist with one or both of the following activities:
1. Participate in and Share a Short Online Questionnaire
This user survey is a key part of the research and is designed to gather insights from anyone who has used—or is interested in using—Persian-language materials via online archives, whether for research, teaching, study, or personal interest.
- Estimated time: 8–10 minutes
- Language: English
- Survey link: https://forms.office.com/e/LELj3JL6Yd
The questionnaire is anonymous and ethically approved. Your own participation would be immensely valuable, and I warmly encourage you to complete the survey if you engage with such materials yourself.
In addition, I would be sincerely grateful if you could share the survey link with your wider user community—particularly individuals working with or studying Persian content. To support dissemination, I have attached a printable A4 poster featuring a brief overview of the study and a QR code for convenient access.
2. Expert Interviews: Call for Participants
I am also conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with professionals who have expertise or practical experience in any of the following areas: digital archiving, Persian cultural collections, metadata creation, or emerging technologies in preservation (e.g. OCR, AI, or linked data frameworks).
If you—or a colleague within your institution—may be interested in contributing to this qualitative strand of the project, I would be delighted to hear from you. Interviews last approximately 60 minutes and can be conducted online in English or Persian at a time that is convenient for you. All participation is voluntary, confidential, and conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards.
Please email me directly at majid....@stu.mmu.ac.uk for further information or to express interest.
I would be truly grateful if you could also consider forwarding this message to colleagues, researchers, or practitioners within your networks who might find this work relevant or wish to take part.
Your support in either (or both) components of this study will contribute meaningfully to enhancing access to Persian-language archives globally, while also informing broader strategies for preserving non-Latin script collections in inclusive and sustainable ways.
With warm regards,
Majid Samavi
PhD Researcher
Department of Languages, Information & Communications
Manchester Metropolitan University
