The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Celebrates Second Anniversary
Posted on
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria conveyed a message from Her Excellency Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, to an audience of the Library’s International Friends Association, on the occasion of celebrating the second anniversary of the inauguration of the BA. The message related Mrs. Mubarak’s appreciation of the role played by the European Union (EU) in support of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s (BA) cultural message and expressed her regret over not being able to attend the celebration because of her official commitments outside Egypt. Her Excellency’s message described the late events that took place in Sinai recently, saying that:
“The horrors of the bombings in Taba showed that violence and hatred are with us today. A universal phenomenon that shocks our consciousness as it claims ever more innocent victims. Yet it underscores the importance of the message of the [BA], which extends a hand of peace in a world of war; calls for tolerance, dialogue and understanding, against those who would spread fanaticism, extremism and obscurantism; and promoted trust and openness in the face of xenophobia and fear.”
Mrs. Mubarak then expressed the significance of the Library of Alexandria project for her, since it was just a dream, believed by a few to be possible, to the phase of the Aswan Agreement in 1990, through to the stage of becoming a real presence in Egypt and on the international scene. Her Excellency emphasized the essential role played by the BA’s Friends Associations and their governments from all over the world in support of the library’s achievements as a beacon for thought and culture.
“Today, we have established strong institutional foundations, and are seeking to build on these a durable, ongoing enterprise. Today, the research institutes are beginning to produce the first fruits of their labors, and already what we see, whether in Alexandria or at the Frankfurt Book Fair, is up to the highest international standards. [The] BA has taken on the difficult but essential themes of free expression, regional reform and educational transformation in Egypt. Today, the BA, working with the Swedish Institute and the [Egyptian] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is getting ready to welcome the Anna Lindt Foundation, [which] will help strengthen the bonds of understanding across the Mediterranean.”
Her Excellency ended her statement with a call for all those who believe in the values of tolerance, rationality, learning, dialogue and understanding, to direct their minds towards planning the future and ensuring sustainability to the Bibliotheca Alesandrina, an institution that embodies all those values that are badly needed in the world today.
Dr. Serageldin then went on to present the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s achievements and future projects in the next few years to a number of EU ambassadors. He spoke of the contents of the main reading hall at the library, with its expansive facilities including: a combination of six specialized libraries ( Children library, Young People library, Blind and Visually Impaired library, Multimedia library, Microforms and Rare Books and Special Collections), three permanent exhibition halls, seven research centers (covering manuscripts, documentation of heritage, calligraphy, information sciences, Alexandria and Mediterranean studies, arts, scientific research), a Planetarium and Exploratorium, as well as a Dialogue Forum, a conference center and three museums (Antiquities, Manuscripts and History of Science).
Dr. Serageldin also spoke of the most prominent projects that are currently being executed at the library, among which is the ‘Gamal Abdel Nasser Collection,’ in which the library has cooperated with the Nasser Foundation to digitize and publish a collection of documents, speeches and photos owned by the eminent Arab leader and former Egyptian president. Another project is the ‘Digital Library of the History of Egypt,’ in which the BA is preparing to establish an integrated digital library of the modern history of Egypt. ‘The Million Book Project’ is yet another long term project that was announced by the Director of the BA. The project aims at digitizing a great number of books to create a Universal Digital Library that facilitates creativity and allows for free access to knowledge. The library and its partners in China, India and the USA are working on digitizing one million books in three years and making them available as a searchable collection over the Internet.
The Arab Group for the Ethics of Science and Technology (ASEST) was also launched by Dr. Ismail Serageldin at the library, as well as the Academia Bibliotheca Alexandrina (ABA), a group created to promote excellence in science and arts and help build international goodwill through collaboration among scientists, scholars and artists. He also spoke of the Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center (Alex-Med), a research center at the library, and its role in reviving the city of Alexandria and its culture by rediscovering the city’s spirit of diversity, tolerance and cooperation.