Support the BA
Unique and Memorial Donations
Acquiring out of print material and facing what seems to be an inevitable rise in cost of library materials, libraries are finding ways to maintain a high level of service and efficiency at low cost. Active solicitation of gifts is one of the most cost-effective ways of acquiring materials for the library. Over the years, gifts have filled the need for widely read journals and books in libraries around the world. To achieve our goals as the primary source of information in this community, it is incumbent upon us to provide a clear set of procedures for processing gifts.
Donors of library material to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina come from all walks of life; however, most of our donors are Alexandrian residents, trustees, International Friends of the BA, university professors, as well as families of deceased authors and public figures. Some of the donations come from governments, institutions, or individuals based on the nature of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina as an international institution. We have also received gifts from casual visitors who admired the way we delivered services to them in the few times they used the library, as well as dignitaries from over one hundred countries.
Accepting or refusing a gift is a sensitive matter. If a person thinks that the items they have worth depositing in this institution, it is important to explain how their gift fit or does not fit into our collection. It is also important not to alienate our friends, trustees, and donors. Please take a look at our Gift Policy for further details.
The opportunity to link one's name with an institution that is doing so much for so many is a compelling motivation to financially support the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The gifts provide an ideal time to permanently bond a donor's name, or a name honored by the donor, with the traditions and future of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
There is a variety of named endowed gift opportunities ranging from distinguished specialized libraries to internship scholarships, or book collections. The Chief Librarian's Office will be pleased to provide further details on these and other naming options for any interested parties.
Just as the name attached to an endowed fund will be held in perpetuity at the library, so also will a service rendered to future librarians and their users and, through them, to Alexandria and Egypt.
Gift Descriptions - Specialized Libraries
The Children's Library provides educational, recreational and cultural resources for children ages 6 to 11. It aims at opening a window for Egyptian children to the world, preparing a generation to face the challenges created by the digital age. The objective of the CH Library is to develop the children's reading, research and creativity skills through different programs and activities. The CH Library contains a collection of more than 11,000 volumes that include picture books, easy-to-read books, reference materials, and multimedia materials. This collection is available in many languages, covering various subjects. Parallel to the high tech modern world, our library exhibits an interactive computer lab is provided for the children to explore many exciting websites and learn how to conduct library research.
The Young People's Library opens up a vast world of knowledge, entertainment, culture and information for youth ages 12 to 16. The YP Library introduces young adults to modern information technology, develops their global awareness and knowledge, encourages social interaction in and out of the library, and develops their reading and research skills. The YP librarians follow the school curriculums in order to insure availability of support material to help students prepare their research assignments using BA resources in print and non-print format. The collection of books in the YP area covers the same subject areas as in the Main Library taking into consideration young adults' reading level, needs, and requirements. The YP library offers a license to different media books, periodicals, multimedia and e-resources, with free access to the Student Resource Center (SRC) dat aba se covering most curricula subject areas.
The Arts and Multimedia Library was established to appeal to the various senses of our users. The library includes various audiovisual materials such as: videotapes, audiotapes, CDs, DVDs, diskettes, slides, and pictures which can be operated by the latest available technical equipment. The collection envelops diverse subjects such as education, religion, culture, politics, and more. Other resources coat a broad range of mediums, from documentaries and mainstream movies to language education, up-to-date computer programs to complete recordings of BA conferences, musical performances, and cultural activities. The Multimedia Library is outfitted with a two-group show room and individual study rooms complete with audiovisual equipment for the users own personal viewings.
The Digital Library The digital Library is a future work-in-progress connecting the BA user to the 21st century. The digital library staff are working hard to establish an electronic resource collection that will rival other respected international libraries in all corners of the world. The idea behind a digital library is to open the BA doors to users all over the world without them having to actually step foot on our grounds. The BA's Digital Library will be a leader in archived materials, periodical back sets, subject specific dat aba ses and many more. This addition will also play a role in connecting the BA to other libraries around the world and enhancing Document Delivery Services.
Gift Descriptions - BA Programs
Librarian-In-Residence With the ongoing trend of globalization, the importance of diversification is becoming more vital by the day. A library's responsibility is to bring the world to its user. Since libraries offer free access to all, they bring opportunity to all. And the greatest assets in each of these libraries are the librarians and library workers. The BA librarian acts as Egypt 's window to the world and what better access to the world than the experience of other international librarians. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Librarian-In-Residence program is one of sharing knowledge. A librarian in this program is one who has a masters or doctoral degree and desires specialized study in librarianship. It is not an academic program, but an individualized program designed according to the needs of the LIR and may incorporate research, theory development, applied or field observation. For example, an accomplished librarian may wish to pursue research interests in areas of specialized content; a reference expert may wish to study theory and practice. The LIR has significant involvement in the different sections and units of the BA that offer opportunities for applied work. At the BA, the Chief Librarian will serve as an advisor responsible for planning a program based upon the LIR's interests and goals.
BA Internship The BA is always trying to find the world's perfect librarians and since practice makes perfect, an internship program has been established to teach future librarians through practical experience. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is seeking applicants who may contribute effectively to the diversity of the profession and the BA. The BA Internship Program offers upper class library school students or recent library school graduates the opportunity to experience various aspects of international librarianship, including exposure to research and multimedia services. During the first half of the one-year program, the successful candidate will gain experience within at least three departments or functional units. The second half will be tailored to the interests of the BA Intern and to the needs of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina with time afforded for a research/writing project. In addition, the BA Intern will participate in administrative assignments, library committees, specialized training, and professional activities.
The Book Rescue Fund As homes grow older and need repair, so do the millions of books in the BA collections. The different types of damage books receive on a day to day basis are many and difficult to avoid. From acid migration to insect damage, or worn out binding to improper usage, books can take a tough beating. The Book Rescue program will educate BA staff and users on preservation of books, teaching them how to handle the books carefully so that these printed resources will remain accessible for years to come. On the other hand, the program will also establish a system of restoration for books that have already undergone the stress of popularity.
Talking Books Fund As an addition to our Taha Hussein Library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina looks forward to increasing the collection of audio books within future acquisitions. In addition to being a practical tool for the blind or visually impaired, audio books serve as an educational tool for individuals with learning disabilities. According to a report written by Dr. Blanche Podhajski, the Founder and President of the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Williston , Vermont , a non-profit literacy organization, the National Reading Panel recently reported that systematic synthetic phonics is most effective for students with reading disabilities. Furthermore, books on tape are a wonderful way to expose students with learning disabilities to literature appropriate to their age and interests. They are excellent ways to help students prepare research papers and augment content area learning. Books on tape have also been shown to increase the reading rate and word attack skills of individuals with learning disabilities.
Gift Descriptions - Other Endowment Funds
The Mouseion Fund for Professional Development Linked with the reconstruction of the Ancient Library of Alexandria is a parallel reconstruction of scholarship and innovation. When Ptolemy Soter assumed power of the ancient library, he asked Demitrius Phalerus, a follower of Aristotle, to create a library system that would rival that of Athens. The Alexandrian Mouseion, however, far superseded its Greek prototype to become an intellectual and scientific institution . The Mouseion witnessed the discovery of the pump by Archimedes and the separation of the Zodiac circle into 360 degrees by Hypsicles.
"In this Mouseion lived a community of scientists who discovered the sciences of physics, linguistics, medicine, astronomy, geography, philosophy, mathematics, biology and geology. Here scientific studies reached adulthood. Here genius flourished. Here in the Library of Alexandria were the first serious trials to understand the world."
Carl Sagan
An American Astrophysicist
Likewise, in the modern version of the library, the BA hopes to honor the history of the Mouseion through a constant development of professional skills, ideology, and innovation. This endowment fund would allow the BA to train, explore, and expand the minds of the BA professionals and the community at large.
The Serageldin Fund for Development (Water, Gender & Environment) As element of the mission of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and in honor of its first director, the library has committed itself to the improvement of the community of Alexandria, Egypt, and the Middle East. One of the goals of the BA is assisting through research and dialogue the development of policies addressing water, gender, and environment. This idea, originally developed by the United Nations and the World Bank, involves gender mainstreaming in relation to water and environment. The ideology behind gender mainstreaming deems it necessary for all foreign policies to reflect gender, examining the effects of decisions on men and women separately. The addition of water and environmental issues take gender mainstreaming one step further, concentrating on the specific effects gender has on water and environment. The discussion of gender, water, and environment has two dimensions:
- That gender mediates human/water/environment interactions and all water/environmental use, knowledge, and assessment; and
- That gender roles, responsibilities, expectations, norms, and the division of labor shape all forms of human relationships to water/environment,
It is now very clear that gender differences and inequalities influence the extent and nature of almost every form of environmental encounter, use, and impact ( www.gdrc.org ).
The State-of-the-Art Technology Fund As the Bibliotheca Alexandrina ushers in the 21 st century, keeping up-to-date with the technological advances is becoming more and more frequent and costly. A look back to the link between libraries and technology show that such inventions as the compact disc, internet, audio books, electronic dat aba ses, multimedia and videocassettes, added a needed richness to library services. Technology is helping readers, researchers, and scientists to explore new ideas with all of their senses, stepping out of this world and into a new one. What more can a library offer, when a user wants to explore Mozart and discovers she can read about his life, listen to his music with the quality of a live performance, watch an opera enhanced enough to see every emotion the heroine is feeling, sign into a chat room and discuss her discoveries with other Mozart lovers, and then log into an interactive website giving details of the lives, society, and habits of the people of Vienna in the 1700s. Technology has the ability to offer completeness in experience, in research, and in exploration.
Gift Descriptions - Library Collections
Library Collection Development Each library collection available has been set by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Collection Development Policy.
As the BA is the modern heir of the ancient library of Alexandria, it is imperative that the BA develop a comprehensive collection of the Ancient Library and its affiliated research academy the "Mouseion". The ancient library of Alexandria substantially contributed to the transmission of Greek knowledge to the Arabs, who in turn transmitted this knowledge to Renaissance Europe.
Keeping with this tradition, the History of Scienc is the second subject of special interest to BA, preliminarily demonstrated by the BA History of Science Museum located under the Planetarium.
The rapid development of science and technology has raised ethical questions, particularly in the field of biotechnology and cloning. Ethics of Science and Technology, genetics and biotechnology are therefore essential in the BA collection development plan in the field of science.
Playing a significant role as a main source of information for the Middle East countries, the BA gives major priority to development issues such as Gender, Water and Environment. A priority shared by the UN and linked to the BA, being a depositary library of the UN.
In retracing the History of Writing and Scripts, we try to illustrate the different scripts and the relationship between them. We are also focusing on the technical aspects of script (history of printing) as well as its artistic aspects as demonstrated in calligraphy.
In the field of art, BA especially focuses on criticism, in order to deepen the Critical View in Understanding Artistic Expressions and thus encourage the openness to others.
Since Egypt is the cradle of civilization, it is natural that the BA focuses on Egyptolo in the development of its collection. Our aim is to build up a multilingual collection for all users, including tourists as well as professional Egyptologists.
Moreover, BA grants special emphasizes to its hometown Alexandria. It aims at building up a special collection covering the entire history of the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria from the foundation up to the contemporary period including all its different aspects.
Gift Descriptions - Library Tools
The Librarian Factory Practice makes perfect and what better way to reach perfection than through the training and development of the BA librarians. The Librarian Factory is an on sight training lab and classroom specializing in the art of library services and informational sciences. The BA welcomes and receives librarian experts from libraries all over the world on a quarterly basis. These experts teach, share, and exchange their international skills and knowledge with BA librarians in a cooperated growth and transformation of the art and science of librarianship.
The Study Corner The library is not only a place of research, but also a place where students, scientists, and philosophers can think, discuss, and study. The Study Corner is an area within the Main Library that is dedicated to the art of learning. Library users will be able to release themselves to the world of academia within a comfortable and inviting environment designed to enhance learning comprehension and concentration. Desks, chairs, sofas, conference tables will be equipped and stocked with stationary supplies such as paper, pens, highlighters, staplers, etc. The Study Corner will become the birthplace of good grades and innovative projects.
The Quiet Nook For centuries libraries all over the world developed a standard of peace and quiet within reading areas. But as technology, populations, and society expanded and evolved, a quiet place is sometimes the most difficult place to find. The BA sympathizes with users searching for a little tranquility and therefore established of Quiet Nooks. Each Quiet Nook is an individual study room, sound resistant and equipped with a comfortable table, chair and computer. Each room is designed to be comfortable, alluring, and most importantly, quiet.
Study Tables A library's main function is to facilitate research, reading, and study. Scattered throughout all seven levels of the Main Library at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina are reading and study tables each equipped with a chair and a study lamp.
This is a growing period for a library as young as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and as all children do, the BA needs support and guidance from its surrounding community. If you are interested in supporting the BA please feel free to contact us.
In person:
Sunday thru Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (see location map ).
Fourth floor, Chief Librarian's Office .
By mail:
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Attn: Library Sector/Chief Librarian's Office
El Shatby 21526
Alexandria , Egypt
By phone:
For Gift Donations please contact the Gifts & Exchange Unit at (+203) 483 9999 ext. 2598. For Named Gift Opportunities or other donations inquiries please contact the Chief Librarian's Office at (+203) 483 9999 ext. 1192.
By email:
When inquiring by email, please send your questions to infobib@bibalex.org with Gift Donations in the subject heading.
By fax:
When faxing an inquiry, please include a fax cover sheet with the subject Gift Donations and to the attention of the Library Sector/Chief Librarian's Office.
Our fax number is +203 482 0460.