Cataloging Algerian manuscripts between theory and practice

The process of cataloging manuscripts is considered one of the important technical processes, because of the objective descriptive data it provides, as it enables us to count the intellectual production of the Arab-Islamic manuscripts, and introduce it to researchers, in order to give a clear picture of the historical stages that peoples and nations went through through various previous eras; These indexes are also considered a bridge connecting researchers, students of science and those interested in manuscripts, and this has been proven by many studies, that indexing manuscripts is a help in accomplishing the researcher's work easily in order to access the manuscript. The indexing of manuscripts enables us to create studies and research related to the geographical, literary and intellectual history of a particular subject, and to simplify the task of investigators and publishers of manuscripts and those working on the true manuscript heritage.
Through this article, we will try to shed light on the following aspects: the definition of cataloging manuscripts, the rules for cataloging manuscripts, the reality of cataloging manuscripts in the Arab world, and the efforts of official actors and institutions in cataloging manuscripts in Algeria.