Associate Professor · University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Laila Hussein
Moustafa

Ph.D. in Information Studies

Middle East & North African Studies Librarian

Exploring the intersection of AI governance, data privacy, and cultural heritage preservation across conflict zones in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

Research Areas Publications
Fulbright Specialist · U.S. Department of State · 2019–2023

About

Scholar. Librarian.
Advocate.

Laila Hussein Moustafa is Associate Professor of Library Administration and Middle East and North African Studies Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she has served since 2012. She currently holds an additional appointment as Acting African Studies Librarian.

Her doctoral research at Dominican University examined the gap between libraries' professional commitments to privacy and the practical challenges of adopting emerging AI technologies — producing an evidence-based foundation for policy development and ethical decision-making in academic libraries.

Her broader scholarship explores the impact of war, displacement, and technological change on libraries and archives across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, with particular attention to endangered collections and vulnerable communities in conflict.

She is also Adjunct Faculty of Information Science at the iSchool, University of Illinois, and welcomes collaboration on AI governance, privacy, and documentary heritage preservation.

Education

Ph.D., Information Studies
Dominican University
Dissertation: Policy Adoption of AI in Academic Libraries & Users' Data Privacy
M.A., Medieval Studies
New York University
Focus: Shiism
M.S., Library & Information Science
Long Island University, New York
Focus: Web 2.0 Tools
Scholarship, Human Rights & International Law
Columbia University, New York City

Research Areas

Where Knowledge
Meets Responsibility

⚖️

AI Governance & Privacy

Examining policy adoption of artificial intelligence in academic libraries and the governance gaps that expose users' data privacy rights.

🏛️

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Documenting and developing frameworks to protect endangered archival collections in Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, and across the MENA region.

🌍

Libraries in Conflict Zones

Analyzing disaster management, preservation planning, and institutional resilience in libraries and archives affected by war and political upheaval.

🧬

Indigenous Documentary Heritage

Connecting AI governance and privacy frameworks with long-term strategies for safeguarding the documentary heritage of indigenous populations in the Middle East and Africa.

💻

Digital Humanities & Area Studies

Integrating digital humanities methods and data management practices into Middle East area studies research and teaching.

📚

Islamic & Medieval Studies

Interdisciplinary teaching at the intersection of Islamic studies, Shiism, and digital scholarship — including challenging subjects in contemporary political contexts.

Professional Experience

Academic & Professional Career

2025–2026
Acting African Studies Librarian
International and Area Studies Library · University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2019–Present
Associate Professor of Library Administration
Middle East & North African Studies Librarian · University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2015–Present
Adjunct Faculty of Information Science
iSchool · University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2012–2019
Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Middle East & North African Studies Librarian · University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2002–2012
Cataloger / Assistant Cataloger
Bobst Library · New York University, New York
1998–2010
Independent Research & Translation Consultant
BBC · Vanity Fair · The New York Times · Association of the Bar of the City of New York
1998–1999
Consultant
Human Rights Watch: Middle East Watch · New York, NY
1998–1999
Conference Coordinator
Landmine Survivors Network · Washington, DC
Organized "Surviving the Injury of Landmines" — the first international conference in the Middle East (Amman, Jordan).

Publications

Selected Works

Journal Articles & Conference Proceedings
2024
Book Review: "Moroccan Other-Archives"
American Archives (Invited)
2023
When Gaza's Libraries Are Destroyed, More Is Lost Than Books
Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2023 (Invited)
2022
In the Bubble: The Case of The Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Research in the Time of COVID-19
Journal of Library Administration 62(3) — with A. Salamon
2021
Syrian Archive (Review)
American Archivist Reviews (Invited)
2018
Research without Archives? The Making and Remaking of Area Studies Knowledge of the Middle East in a Time of Chronic War
Archivaria: Journal of the Association of Canadian Archivists 85 (Spring 2018)
2017
The Role of Middle East Studies Librarians in Preserving Cultural Heritage Materials
MELA Notes 90
2017
Teaching the Digital Natives
Review of Middle East Studies 5, no. 1
2016
Cultural Heritage and Preservation: Lessons from World War II and the Contemporary Conflict in the Middle East
The American Archivist 80, no. 2
2016
From Peshawar to Kabul: Preserving Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage during Wartime
RBM: A Journal of Rare Book, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage 17, no. 2
2015
Endangering Cultural Heritage: A Survey of Disaster Management Planning in Middle East Libraries and Archives
Library Management 36, no. 6/7
2013
Disaster Management Plans in Middle East Libraries and Archives in Time of War: Case Studies of Iraq and Egypt
Library and Archival Security 26, no. 1/2
Book Chapters
2019
Interdisciplinary Education for Teaching Challenging Subjects: The Case of Islam and Violence
In Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, The Internet, and Islamophobia, ed. Courtney Dorroll. Indiana University Press.
Reports & Policy Documents
2020
Digital Expansion and Leadership in Pandemic Times
UNESCO
View →
2016
Lessons from World War II and the Holocaust: What Can Be Done to Save Cultural Heritage During Times of War?
Proceedings, Conference at KU Leuven — with J.S. Harris & B.G. Anderson
2015
Cultural Heritage in Time of Conflict: The Need for a Preservation Plan
ILAM, Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) no. 15

Professional Service

Leadership & Affiliations

Endangered Archives Programme · British Library
International Advisory Panel Member · 2016–Present
Middle East Librarians Association (MELA)
Vice President · 2019–2020
Review of Middle East Studies (RoMES)
Advisory Board Member · 2018–Present; Co-Editor Special Issue on Digital Humanities, 2025–2026
IFLA — Genealogy and Local History Standing Committee
Secretary · 2018–2021
Mortenson Center · University of Illinois
Board Member · 2024–2025
Discovery Partners Institute (DPI)
Grant Reviewer · 2020–2026
Big Ten — Middle East Libraries Working Group
Consortium Member · 2023–Present
Open Learning Exchange · Free Education for Syrians
International Board Member · 2017–2019
Reviewer — IFLA Journal, Libri, MELA Journal, Fulbright
2017–2025

Funding

Grants Received

U.S. Department of Education — Title VI
AI and Africa: Four-year online webinars and conference series · 2023–2026
Innovative Programs · Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Illinois · 2021
$20,000
Discovery Partners Institute (DPI)
Scholarly Gaming Environments as Vehicles for Research, Teaching, and Engagement · 2019
$15,000
Center for South Asia Middle Eastern Studies · U.S. Dept. of Education
Digital Humanities & Data Management for Middle East Area Studies · 2020
$7,500
University of Illinois Library Research and Publication Committee
2014 & 2017
$8,800

Contact

Get in Touch

Open to collaboration, dialogue, and shared research interests.

University of Illinois UNESCO Publication IFLA Paper
International and Area Studies Library · University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Middle East & North African Studies | African Studies