Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)
Duty Station: Erbil
Job Family: Education
Type of contract : Non Staff- Individual Consultancy
Duration of contract : Tentatively 25 November 2025 – 31 January 2026
Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 17-11-2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
A. Background
The Mosul University library was extensively damaged during the conflict. The space once housed more than one million books, periodicals, manuscripts, and government publications from as early as the 1920s. As a house of learning and knowledge at the center of the University, the Library was among the first institutions targeted after their occupation of Mosul in 2014. The library was deliberately set on fire, almost all its collection was destroyed, and its building severely damaged. In the absence of the central library, more than 60,000 students, university lecturers, and staff did not have easy access to the required literature for their research and academic projects. UNESCO aims to build resilience and promote rapid recovery and transition in Mosul.
Education provides physical, psychosocial, and cognitive protection that can sustain and save lives during a crisis. Education remains a fundamental human right, and quality learning opportunities should be available for all ages. The Mosul University library plays an important role in realizing this objective by supporting the revival of the spirit of Moslawi youth, ensuring access to a safe learning environment, especially for young girls, and fostering peaceful coexistence among the youth of Mosul. The physical infrastructure rehabilitation of the Central Library was completed in February 2022 by UNDP, but the operationalization of the library required urgent support to put in place the necessary measures for designing library functionalities and providing the modern tools and instruments necessary to effectively perform those functionalities from acquisition to archiving and digitization of the existing old and new library materials and holdings. Additionally, technical and professional capacity strengthening of the library staff through tailored practical training programs was highly needed. The gaps within institutional and professional capacities of the Central Library resulted in undermining the wider investment and prospects of the university in offering a holistic approach to learning and research.
To address these urgent needs, the “Restoring Mosul University Library” project was implemented from 1 June 2023 to 31 January 2026. Supported by AICS, the project was implemented by UNESCO in close partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the University of Mosul as the primary beneficiary, with active involvement from its leadership, staff, and students. The project also involved some national and international partners like the Sacred Abbasid Shrine from Iraq, Ulster University from UK, Open Computer Library Center, Arab Unified Catalogue (ARUC) and the University of Saint Joseph (USJ). Additionally, 21 institutions and publishers were involved, through Erbil International Book Forum, in providing the library with the needed knowledge resources.
With the overall objective of making the Mosul University Library fully functional and ensuring that it is perceived as an essential knowledge resource and a cultural connecting place, the project included the following activities:
1- Capacity-building: Development and implementation of a training program for more than 87 Library staff in various areas such as library management, acquisitions, cataloguing, scanning and archive management, conservation, digitization, repository management, Koha LIS (Library Information System) use and communication. The training was followed by practical application throughout the project duration.
2- Application of the LIS: Selection, customization and deployment of an enterprise software solution, covering the Library local functions and remote e-services, including acquisition, warehousing, interchange and virtual integration with other libraries’ content and catalogues, cataloging, classification, collection management, local and remote access and circulation/borrowing/reading/interlibrary loan, reference services, research and instruction, patron and subscriber relation management, management of scanned materials, periodicals, ebooks, rare materials and manuscripts.
3- Conservation, restoration, digitization, and indexing/cataloguing: Restoration, preservation, conservation, digitization and bookbinding of rare and other endangered library materials including rare books, manuscripts, and historical documents, through the establishment of an on-site laboratory with modern chemical and mechanical technologies.
4- Partnerships: Establishment of partnerships with relevant institutions across the world, for reinforcing the sustainability of the library’s functions and operations. These partnerships, in particular, aimed at facilitating the provision of international expert advice and support to capacity building as well as result in agreements on acquisitions of relevant up-to-date knowledge material and support library services.
B. Project outcomes and outputs
Below is an outline of the project results with the impact, outcomes and outputs of the project:
Impact: The Mosul University Library is recognized as a physical and virtual meeting place of educational and cultural inspiration, contributing to the rebirth of Iraqi civil society as an essential knowledge resource for students, teachers, staff, and community members.
Outcome 1: Restoration of the Mosul University Library to create a well-functioning and adequately equipped library, allowing access to quality sources of learning and education.
Output 1.1: Enhanced Capacities of Mosul Library Staff in acquisitions, cataloguing, conservation, digitization, archive management, reference services, and communication. Output 1.2: Establishment of Mosul Library Management SystemOutcome 2: Perception of Mosul University Library by the community as the main source of knowledge and information through existing references, recovered manuscripts, and a network of partners.
Output 2.1: Restoration, Digitization, and Conservation of Manuscripts Output 2.2: Establishment of Partnerships with International BodiesThis evaluation is being conducted at the conclusion of the implementation period and aims to assess achievements, challenges, and opportunities for sustainability.
The independent external final evaluation will be summative in nature with formative dimensions. The key objectives of the evaluation include the following:
Assess the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, coordination, and pathways to impact. Generate lessons learned and good practices. Inform future planning for similar projects, particularly in post-conflict higher education recovery.Specific objectives:
Review the project design, implementation, and outcomes. Assess the library’s accessibility and functionality. Evaluate the results of training and system implementation. Assess the success of digitization, restoration, and partnerships.The evaluation findings will be used by UNESCO, the donor AICS, the University of Mosul, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) to inform future planning, policy, and programming.
I. Geographical Coverage
The project Targets the Central Library of Mosul University with benefits to the whole campus and other departmental libraries. The evaluation will be conducted in Erbil, and Mosul governorates in Iraq.
II. Target Groups
University of Mosul faculty and library staff. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Members of the Project’s Steering Committee. Library users from the University students, researchers and wider community. The Computer Data Center management. Library’s management and technical committee. UNESCO staff involved in the project.
III. Evaluation Criteria & Questions
a. Relevance
To what extent are the project’s objectives aligned with national higher education priorities? To what extent does the project align with relevant international standards and best practices in library restoration and higher education, such as the standards for libraries in higher education outlined by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the standards of library development, services and access provided by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)? Does the project respond effectively to the needs of Mosul University and its community? Did the project design, and chosen approaches, as well as methodologies applied by the project address the development needs effectively?b. Effectiveness
To what extent were the planned outputs and outcomes achieved (training, system establishment, preservation, partnerships)? To what extent has the knowledge and skills gained from the training been applied in the daily operations of the library? To what extent was the library management and functionality improved by the project?
c. Efficiency
Was the project implemented cost-effectively and on schedule? To what extent were resources (technical, financial, human) optimally utilized? Was the project implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?d. Coordination
How effective was collaboration among stakeholders (UNESCO, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mosul University, Central Library)? To what extent were partnership mechanisms with external libraries and institutions effectively activated and maintained throughout the project?
e. Pathways to Impact
In what ways has the project enhanced access to knowledge and educational resources for students, faculty, and the broader community? To what extent is the Mosul University Library functioning as a central hub for knowledge and information, facilitating academic and research activities? To what extent has the training program enhanced the capacity of the library staff in terms of their skills, knowledge, and ability to effectively manage and operate the library's systems and services?