It is important to stimulate today's generation on the importance of documents and the need to preserve the Nations rich heritage of all kind. This will encourage our youth go on searching and researching deep into the nations history to re-strengthen our trust in a better future linked to a glory past.

The 17th of October of each year has been selected to become the Arab Document day. For it was in October the first National Exhibition for Documents. In fact, it was the first exhibition and International participation. Thus, the Arab Document Day will be a real day of celebration of Arab Archivists and all those working in the field of documents. These men and women have strived for years in an endless effort to draw the attention of Arab generations on the peril status that our documents have reached. They have alerted, all those concerned, against the continuous damage and destruction of our cultural heritage due to lack of awareness, lag of planning or misestimating of the value of our cultural heritage.

The Arab Nation engulfs a unique civilization that has enriched human intellect mainly through its documents and in most fields. Documents will forever be the link that connects man to his homeland and history.
Therefore, the annual mark of Arab Document Day will reassure the importance of Documents, and stimulate efforts to search for the lost ones scattered all over the world and preserve what we already have.
This day will also help in guiding our concerned Institutions and Centers on the need to preserve their documents via up to date methods in order to catch up with the well-developed countries.
We should learn from the experience of those countries that puts a lot of effort and money for the sake of preserving its document and expanding their virtual age. It is well known that the virtual age of documents is in continuous decrease due to several reasons including pollution and the bad quality of papers. The 20th century documents virtual age is between 30-60 years.

Arab Document Day will also be a day of cooperation and exchange among institutions working in the field of documents and documentation. It will be a launching day for several projects aiming at protecting our document treasures, a day of launch for innovation and creativity in the field of Arab documents.

Prepared by the late Mr. Yousef Qandil - Member of the Executive Bureau of Arabcin - Head of the Jordan Branch of Arabcin - Head of the Jordanian Libraries Society.