An Archive of Despair

In a society that is male-dominated, the library encourages women's rights, has a women's society and has a day-care center. Promotions are handed out based on merit -- not political influence or religious affiliations.

"He's very democratic," said Nadia Hassan, who is in charge of the library's Web site. "He is changing people's ideas."

In one room, six female and two male employees work on modern restoration equipment donated by Italy and the Czech Republic. On this day, they are preserving a yellowing 127-year-old Ottoman Empire legal record, gently cleaning off the dust and grime.

But Eskander's most prized treasures are inside his office. One bookcase contains rare 19th-century texts. Another contains old Hebrew books. Under the government of Hussein, they were placed in a damp, forgotten corner because the staff feared they would be seen as aiding Israel, said Eskander. Today, he worries about the religious Shiite fundamentalists exerting influence over Iraq's education and culture.

"I know such books will anger a lot of narrow-minded people," he said.

Monday, 19 March

The snipers attacked a number of civilians from their positions in al-Fadhel. The INLA had electricity for only 40 minutes. Power-cuts began to effect our work, especially in the Computer and Micrographic Departments. . . . Corruption and restricted regulations have prevented me from repairing the generator since mid-2006.

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The library is nestled in one of Baghdad's most violent killing zones, sandwiched between the Sunni insurgent havens of Haifa Street and the Fadhel neighborhood. In February, a Sunni insurgent ambushed two employees, a Sunni and a Shiite, near the library and forced them at gunpoint to cross the street into Fadhel. The Sunni was beaten up and released. The Shiite was shot dead. He was the fifth employee killed over the past year.

Another day, a receptionist brought in his murdered son's coffin and asked for money to bury him.

When the Ministry of Defense, controlled by Sunnis, wanted to use the library's roof as a guard post, Eskander refused. He was concerned about the nearby Ministry of Health, under the grip of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "Everybody knows we're neutral, neither Sunni or Shia," said Eskander.