Digital Libraries as Catalysts for Transdisciplinary Knowledge Integration in Islamic Scholarship

Abstract

Digital libraries are transforming higher education, especially by improving access to scholarly resources, conserving intellectual culture and facilitating research collaboration. They provide a unique experience in Islamic universities to incorporate classical Islamic epistemologies with the paradigms of contemporary sciences, and thus facilitate the synthesis of knowledge across disciplines. In this paper, the role of digital libraries in such integration is explored, especially in Islamic higher education institutions in Africa and Asia, where the digital innovation is very likely to be hampered by the infrastructural and policy constraints. A systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and institutional reports was carried out; thematic analysis was used to reveal the trends in digital library infrastructure, knowledge integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Results show that digital libraries increase access to varieties of resources, perpetuate Islamic intellectual traditions and cross-disciplinary research. Nevertheless, the lack of infrastructural capacity, the interoperability, and digital illiteracy has been hindering their capacity. Investments in the field of AI-enhanced knowledge management, the interoperability of metadata, open-access projects, and human capacity building are thus important. The paper offers a contribution to the body of knowledge by providing information on the changing role of digital libraries in the promotion of Islamic knowledge synthesis and transdisciplinary research during the digital age.