USEK Library

28/07/2026

USEK Library was honored to host history teachers from across Lebanese schools for an immersive journey through our specialized centers, rare archives, and primary sources. 

The visit featured a guided tour of our Conservation, Restoration, and Digital Imaging facilities at the Phoenix Center for Lebanese Studies, ending at our landmark exhibition: “The Centennial of the Lebanese Constitution (1926–2026): One Hundred Years, What Republic?” 

By opening our archives to educators, we empower teachers to bring authentic, primary-source history to life for future generations. 

22/07/2026

During International Archives Week 2026, the USEK Library’s exhibition on the centenary of the Lebanese Constitution was highlighted by An-Nahar as part of a nationwide celebration of archives, memory, and cultural heritage.

Through rare documents, photographs, maps, newspapers, and archival materials, the exhibition retraced key milestones in Lebanon’s constitutional history and reaffirmed the vital role of archives in preserving collective memory.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3RjNnU7

16/07/2026

The family of renowned Lebanese composer and musician Elias Nehmeh Shalala, widely known as Farid Ghosn (1914–1985), has entrusted his invaluable archive to our Phoenix Center for Lebanese Studies. This remarkable gift ensures the preservation of his rich artistic legacy and honors a career that marked a turning point in modern Arabic music.

Farid Ghosn rose to fame as one of the finest oud virtuosos, blending Spanish influences into his music and earning the title “King of the Oud.” His collaborations with legends such as Umm Kulthum, Asmahan, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and Sabah produced timeless masterpieces. A mentor to many, including Farid Al-Atrash and Marcel Khalife, Ghosn also championed artists’ rights, co-founding composers’ associations in Egypt and Lebanon.

Through this archive, his pioneering spirit continues to inspire generations of musicians and preserve Lebanon’s cultural heritage.

14/07/2026

Culture connects us. Heritage inspires us.

On July 3, we had the pleasure of welcoming teachers from the Antonine Sisters School to our campus for an enriching journey through our historical heritage and national identity.

Our guests travelled through time as they explored the rare treasures preserved in the Library, discovered the exhibition marking the centenary of the Lebanese Constitution, visited the USEK Museum, and witnessed the meticulous work of preservation and restoration at our Art Conservation and Restoration Center.

Through these encounters, we continue to celebrate our shared history, safeguard our cultural heritage, and inspire future generations to remain connected to the values and identity that shape our nation.

23/06/2026

15/06/2026

What can a caricature tell us that a formal record might not?

For International Archives Week, under this year’s theme “Archives for Justice,” we turn to Lebanese press caricatures as more than satire. These drawings are visual records: sharp, critical, and often painfully honest reflections of the political and social realities of their time.

From the Elias Haddad collection, preserved at the Phoenix Center for Lebanese Studies, this caricature shows Lebanese Minister of Justice Fouad El Khoury during the presidency of Bechara El Khoury, 1943–1952, patching the law with a hammer.

The image points to the breaches and abuses associated with that period, reminding us that archives preserve not only documents, but critique, public memory, and accountability.



في الكاريكاتور ذاكرةٌ لا تشبه الوثائق الرسمية، لكنها لا تقلّ عنها دلالة.

بمناسبة الأسبوع العالمي للأرشيف، وتحت شعار هذا العام "الأرشيف من أجل العدالة"، نسلّط الضوء على رسوم الكاريكاتور المنشورة في الصحف والمجلّات اللبنانية.

فالكاريكاتور ليس مجرّد رسم ساخر، بل وثيقة تعبّر، من خلال لغتها النقدية، عن الواقعين الاجتماعي والسياسي وتوثق تفاعل المجتمعات مع الأحداث.

وفي هذا السياق، نضيء على مجموعة الفنان إلياس حداد المحفوظة في مركز فينيكس للدراسات اللبنانية، حيث يُظهر الرسم أدناه وزير العدل اللبناني فؤاد الخوري في عهد الرئيس بشارة الخوري (1943–1952) وهو يرقّع القانون بالمطرقة، في إشارة رمزية إلى الخروقات والتجاوزات التي شهدتها تلك المرحلة.

EMH3D_052r, Elias Haddad Collection, Phoenix Center for Lebanese Studies, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.

10/06/2026

Each year on the ninth of June, the world marks International Archives Day — an occasion to reaffirm the importance of historical documents as the collective memory of peoples and the record of their political, social, and cultural development. This year's theme, "Archives for Justice," underscores that preserving and providing access to documents serves not only to safeguard the past, but also to illuminate the paths that shaped the building of nations.

Within this context, the draft of the 1926 Lebanese Constitution — on display as part of the exhibition "The Lebanese Constitution Centenary 1926–2026: A Hundred Years, What Republic?" at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) Library — holds exceptional value as one of the founding documents of the modern Lebanese state.

What distinguishes this draft is that it is handwritten, lending it a singular historical and human dimension that transports us to the very moment of constitutional drafting, before the text was officially ratified. Equally significant is that it corresponds to the final text of the 1926 Constitution at a rate of approximately 95%, making it a direct witness to the process of constitutional preparation and to the legal and political discussions that accompanied the birth of the Lebanese Republic.

In this light, the role of the archive and the role of the constitution converge in their service to society. The archive preserves national memory and documents the journey of state-building, while the constitution defines the principles upon which that state is founded. If the archive protects the past from oblivion, the constitution protects the present and the future from disorder and arbitrariness.

Those wishing to view the Lebanese Constitution Centenary Exhibition are welcome to visit the University Library during working hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., or to contact us by phone at 09600071 or by email at [email protected] to inquire or arrange a visit.

06/06/2026

| Lebanon News

05/06/2026