Beirut Arab University
Public Access to Libraries Books and Publications

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
THE indicator 11 2 2

Question and evidence based answer

Does the university as a body provide public access to libraries, including books and publications, through free access and/or paid access?

BAU can document a positive response for free access to selected digital library content. Its strongest evidence combines a university library repository with dated book records, full text download links and current journal issues. The evidence does not support a claim that every library collection, licensed database or campus library is freely accessible to every visitor.

Evidence: Digital Commons at BAU institutional library repository (Institutional responsibility stated on the homepage)

Relevance to SDG 11

SDG 11 concerns inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. Public access to university knowledge collections can support local learning and participation in cultural life. THE places library access within support for arts and heritage, linked to UN targets 11.4 and 11.7. This report assesses access to collections rather than the number of university buildings or registered students.

Evidence: UN Sustainable Development Goal 11

Evidence: THE Sustainability Impact Ratings Methodology 2026 (PDF pages 100 and 102; printed pages 125 and 127)

Publicly accessible books and institutional collections

E1 University responsibility for the repository

The Digital Commons homepage identifies the repository as a service of Beirut Arab University libraries. University departments and centres select and deposit the material. The collections directory groups books, yearbooks, journals, conference material and newsletters. This establishes university responsibility for the access route and distinguishes it from an unaffiliated website that merely mentions BAU.

Evidence: Digital Commons at BAU

Evidence: BAU repository collections directory

E2 Yearbook published in 2021

The Faculty of Architecture, Design and Built Environment yearbook for academic year 2019–2020 was published in 2021. Its public record provides a full text download and identifies a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial No Derivative Works 4.0 licence. It falls within this review by publication date; the earlier academic year is kept explicit. The record makes a university publication available to readers beyond enrolled students.

Evidence: Yearbook published in 2021 (Publication date, download and copyright fields)

E3 Yearbook published in 2022

The next yearbook, covering academic year 2020–2021 and published in 2022, also has a public full text download. The record lists ISBN 978-9953-0-5750-7 and the same Creative Commons licence. It documents continued availability of a book length university publication, including work from architecture and design programmes.

Evidence: Yearbook published in 2022 (Publication date 2022)

E4 Yearbook published in 2023

The yearbook covering academic year 2021–2022 was published in 2023, with ISBN 978-9953-0-5948-8. Its record provides a full text download and a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial No Derivative Works 4.0 licence. During verification, an unauthenticated request to the linked file returned PDF content. Free reading does not remove the licence conditions governing redistribution or modification.

Evidence: Yearbook published in 2023 (Download and licence verified in October 2026)

Together, these records demonstrate access to actual book length publications. They provide stronger evidence than a catalogue entry that identifies a book without making its text accessible. Their presence today establishes current availability; publication dates alone do not establish when public access first began.

Dated public access to scholarly publications

E5 Heritage and public space research published in 2024

Architecture and Planning Journal, volume 30, issue 1, article 6, publishes research on reviving cultural heritage identity through a proposed cultural park in Tripoli’s Abu Ali River area. The authors include a BAU master’s student and academic staff. The public article record gives the 2024 citation and a download link, which returned PDF content without institutional authentication during verification. This is direct access to a publication relevant to local heritage and public space; the paper is not evidence that the proposed park was built.

Evidence: Tripoli cultural heritage article published in 2024

E6 Health information published in 2024

The BAU Journal of Health and Wellbeing publishes “Knowledge and Attitude of Lebanese Adults Towards Asthma in Beirut, Lebanon”, volume 6, issue 1, article 1, dated 2024. The author list includes a BAU PharmD student and academic staff. Its public record and linked PDF provide a tested access example in a second discipline, allowing readers outside the university to consult published research about a local health topic.

Evidence: Beirut asthma research article published in 2024

E7 Community engagement research published in 2025

Architecture and Planning Journal, volume 31, issue 1, article 2, provides a public record and download for “Educational Mixed Use Building Design and Its Connections to Community Engagement”. The citation dates the article to 2025. Its authors are affiliated with institutions outside BAU. The evidence therefore demonstrates BAU’s role as publisher and knowledge provider, rather than a BAU campus construction project or exclusively BAU authored research.

Evidence: Community engagement article published in 2025

E8 Beirut urban reconstruction research published in 2026

Architecture and Planning Journal, volume 32, issue 1, article 4, publishes “The Reconstruction of Beirut City Centre Downtown as a New Urbanism Project”. The public record identifies Ahmed S. Attia of Alexandria University as author, gives a 2026 citation and supplies a download link. It is a recent example of BAU making urban knowledge available through its publishing platform. Publication by BAU does not establish that BAU carried out the reconstruction.

Evidence: Beirut City Centre article published in 2026

These examples extend the evidence beyond books to academic publications from 2024–2026. Access was verified through public webpages; PDF responses were tested for the 2024 heritage and asthma examples. No claim is made that every item on the repository has been individually tested.

Library initiatives and cooperation supporting access

E9 Open educational resource initiative in 2025

The library’s Mission and Vision page states that library administration and the Faculty of Business led an open educational resources initiative in summer 2025. The stated purpose is to expand access to adaptable learning materials. The same 2025–2030 plan envisages extending the initiative to all faculties. The documented initiative and the planned expansion should be reported separately. This is dated evidence of library activity, while the mission and strategy provide the institutional framework.

Evidence: BAU Libraries Mission and Vision (Future plan 2025–2030 and summer 2025 initiative)

E10 Public guidance to free books and learning materials

The library’s public Open Educational Resources page explains open licensing and directs readers to OpenStax, the Open Textbook Library, LibreTexts, the Directory of Open Access Books, Project Gutenberg and other resources. These are external collections curated through BAU’s library service. The page supports discovery of free books and learning materials; it does not mean BAU owns the collections or that every service on every linked platform is free. Each resource retains its own licence conditions.

Evidence: BAU Libraries Open Educational Resources (Current undated library guide)

E11 Public open access research guide

BAU’s Open Access page provides routes to research literature, including Open Access Theses and Dissertations, the Directory of Open Access Journals, the Directory of Open Access Books and subject specific resources. This broadens discovery across disciplines. Research4Life programmes also appear on the page, but their inclusion is not evidence of unrestricted public entitlement: eligibility and institutional registration may apply. The guide complements, rather than replaces, direct evidence of accessible BAU publications.

Evidence: BAU Libraries Open Access (Current undated library guide)

Open Access

E12 Book Aid International memorandum signed in 2023

The library records a memorandum with Book Aid International signed in 2023, providing for annual donations of specialist and multidisciplinary books. This supports collection development. The memorandum does not itself establish public entry or borrowing rights. It is retained under the rule permitting agreements and memoranda regardless of date.

Evidence: BAU Libraries Memorandum of Understanding

Memorandum Of Understanding

Book Aid International: A UK-based non-profit organization that provides books and supports libraries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. This agreement includes annual donations of specialized and multidisciplinary books to BAU libraries. It was signed in 2023.

E13 Agreements for resource sharing

BAU records participation since 2011 in the Lebanese Inter Library Loan and Document Delivery Services Consortium. It describes sharing print and electronic resources among member libraries. A separate Lebanese Academic Library Consortium agreement concerns electronic resource subscription pricing. These agreements support institutional cooperation, with access subject to member library rules. They do not establish universal walk in access for the general public.

Evidence: BAU Libraries Agreements (Agreements retained without a date restriction)

• Lebanese Academic Library Consortium (LALC): In 2011, an agreement was signed between university libraries and the Lebanese Academic Library Consortium. Comprising eight Lebanese university libraries, the aim of the agreement is to secure better pricing from suppliers for electronic resource subscriptions.

• Lebanese Inter-Library Loan & Document Delivery Services Consortium (LIDS): The LIDS Consortium is an agreement among university libraries in Lebanon, comprising eleven members. Beirut Arab University joined the consortium in 2011. The consortium facilitates Inter-Library Loan and Digital Document Delivery Services (ILL/DDS), which enable the exchange and delivery of print and electronic resources among member libraries. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure mutual benefit through the sharing of resources available within the consortium’s libraries.

Physical library services and access conditions

E14 Library network and service availability

The current About Libraries page reports nine libraries across Beirut, Debbieh, Tripoli and Bekaa, with print and electronic resources including books, journals, theses and multimedia. This describes the institutional collection network. It does not establish identical visitor access conditions at every location.

Evidence: BAU About Libraries (Current undated operational page)

Beirut Arab University (BAU) has nine libraries located across its four campuses in Beirut, Debieh, Tripoli, and Beqaa, occupying a total area of 3,096 square meters within the campuses’ grounds. These libraries offer a diverse range of information resources, both printed and electronic, including books, journals, theses, dissertations, and multimedia materials. They also house special collections, such as rare books and manuscripts, displayed in the BAU Museum. This collection also includes maps and BAU memory photos.

BAU Libraries provide users with access to specialized and multidisciplinary databases, as well as open-access resources for all faculties. The libraries are committed to keeping pace with the latest trends and standards by adhering to a set of Key Performance Indicators based on ISO 11620 and ISO 16439, as outlined in their quality manual. Furthermore, BAU Libraries continuously enhance their services through a well-trained staff.

The library is also embedded in ongoing collaboration through memberships and formal agreements with other libraries in Lebanon and with international library associations, enabling resource sharing, interlibrary loan services, and continuous alignment with evolving international best practices and accreditation requirements.

The library homepage lists Beirut opening hours as Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM–5:30 PM and Friday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM. For Debbieh, Tripoli and Bekaa it lists Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM. These are published service hours; external visitors should confirm admission and current arrangements with the relevant library.

Evidence: BAU Libraries opening hours (Hours published at the date of review)

E15 Onsite use and assistance

The Onsite Book Checking page describes consultation of books and references within the library. The Ask a Librarian page provides a public contact route, including library@bau.edu.lb and campus contacts. These establish a service and a route to request information. Neither page, by itself, confirms that all external applicants are eligible, that entry is automatic or that entry is free.

Evidence: BAU Onsite Book Checking

Evidence: BAU Ask a Librarian

It is a service offered to library users that enable them to view/ use books and references within the library.

E16 Borrowing fees and licensed electronic access

The Borrowing page lists faculty, administrative staff and undergraduate and postgraduate students as borrower categories. It specifies a non refundable US$50 fee for students and part time faculty. The FAQ refers readers to these circulation rules and describes registration for library services. These statements do not establish an external visitor tariff or a public borrowing category. The FAQ also ties off campus electronic resource access to BAU students and academic and non academic staff, with accounts created on campus.

Evidence: BAU Borrowing rules (Borrowers and limitations)

Evidence: BAU Library FAQ (Subscription and off campus access questions)

It's one of the library services that allow students to borrow an item from the library according to some rules and limitations.

• It is requested to leave the book on the table after reading it.

• Some items are not to be borrowed like: Dictionaries, encyclopaedias, guides, and periodicals.

• Renewing items are available once, unless if it is requested by another user.

• Finally, a fine is imposed on any user who is returning an overdue item, in addition to other restrictions.

E17 Catalogue and interlibrary access

The catalogue information page describes discovery of books, journals, theses and multimedia. At review, its search link led to a private campus network address. A public information page therefore cannot substantiate a working off campus catalogue, or free access to the full text of listed books.

Evidence: BAU Search the Library Catalogue

The Inter Library Loan page describes free request services and eligible categories at participating institutions. It supports cooperative access for eligible users, with lending and copyright conditions. Its free service statement should not be extended to every unaffiliated member of the public.

Evidence: BAU Inter Library Loan and Document Delivery

Recommended submission narrative and evidence assessment

Suggested response to the question

Yes. Beirut Arab University provides free public access to selected digital library books and scholarly publications through Digital Commons at BAU, a service of the university libraries. Public book records include yearbooks published in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with full text download links and stated Creative Commons licences. Dated journal records provide further examples from 2024–2026. The library also supplies public guides to open access books, research and educational resources.

Evidence: Institutional library repository

Evidence: Example book record and full text download

Evidence: Example journal article and full text download

For the two options in the question, free access is supported within this digital scope. Paid public access should remain unconfirmed until an original BAU policy specifies external eligibility and fees. Public access to selected digital content does not establish automatic physical entry, public borrowing privileges or access to all licensed databases.