BA PROJECTS & PROGRAMS
The dissemination of cultural and scientific knowledge, and spreading the culture of dialogue and tolerance, are the goals that Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) aims to achieve through its projects and programs. The BA regularly organizes new projects, and cultural and scientific events. It also provides and develops new services targeting the academic community generally and some of which are concerned with Africa particularly. Hereunder is a selection of the most important BA projects, services and events contributing to fulfil the scholarly needs of BAIFA members:
African League of Young Masters (ALYM)
The BA launched the African League of Young Masters (ALYM) in July 2011 as part of the Youth and Environment Programs. This program mainly targets African students studying at Alexandrina University. It aims to open channels of communication between African students and their Egyptians peers through weekly meetings and other activities during which the two parties share and exchange knowledge and experience. It also has long-term plans for strengthening Egyptian-African relations through producing future ambassadors for Egypt in different African countries.
Joint ASRT-BA Research Grants Program for Young Researchers
The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) are pleased to announce the launching of the Joint ASRT-BA Research Grants Program for Young Researchers. The joint program is funded by the ASRT and it is managed and administrated by the Center for Special Studies and Programs (CSSP), one of the BA academic research centers.
BA African Networks
The BA African Networks are divided into five communities of interest: Public Health, Agriculture, Environment, ICT, and Research methods. In each network, there is a section called “R & R” (for Research & Reports) that will mention and highlight some recent research results and international reports. Some pointers on “Conferences and Fellowships” are also provided. Additionally, the BA African Networks provide its visitors with a section of information on the old BA, labeled “Ancient Wisdom”; a section of information on the current and planned activities of the new BA, called “Alexandrian Activities”; as well as a “Fun Facts” section.
The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)
The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a global project that brings together, on infinitely expandable web pages, information on all 1.9 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms on Earth. As a collaborative effort of tens of thousands of people with expertise around the world, the EOL project aims to provide a free, publically accessible online database, for educational and academic purposes, of all the world’s organisms. The BA is an integral partner in the project.
Science Supercourse Project
Initiated by University of Pittsburgh and mirrored at the BA, the Supercourse, an online repository encompassing more than 3,600 PowerPoint lectures on epidemiology and preventive medicine, represented a useful tool for at least one million students around the globe. It also represented a well-established starting point which triggered the emergence of the new Science Supercourse, an online repository of lectures freely available online for academics in four major fields of science; Public Health, Computer Engineering, Agriculture and Environment.
BA E-Learning Services
The BA E-learning Unit has established an online educational service at the BA, encouraging BA users to gain greater enthusiasm for self-learning and enabling them to reach their full potential through the development of a desire for ultimate learning. Thus, the E-Learning Services Unit is using Moodle as its e-learning platform. The Moodle platform provides a wide range of features that include content delivery and collaboration between tutors and learners, such as content creation or upload up-to-date e-materials, discussion forums, assignments and quizzes, monitoring of participants’ online activities, and much more.
Professional Training Institute (PTI)
The Professional Training Institute (PTI) is dedicated to enhance the role of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in disseminating knowledge and creating a place of learning and understanding between cultures and peoples. It aims to become a regional center of excellence that offers comprehensive professional development and training programs. It provides the public with professional training in various fields and specialties through the organization and implementation of training programs offered by the different BA departments.
Diplôme Universitaire en Sciences de l’Information et des Bibliothèques (DUSIB)
The DUSIB is an internationally recognized one-year distance learning diploma in the field of library and information science, based in a partnership that comprises: the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Senghor University in Alexandria, the l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de l'Information et des Bibliothèques (ENSSIB; The National Superior School of Information Science and Libraries), the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), and the International Friends of the BA. The DUSIB's courses are provided by Senghor University and ENSSIB and are followed by practical training at the BA, the BnF, or any other internationally acclaimed francophone library. This diploma targets librarians and information service specialists in order to help them develop necessary professional skills.