A Donation of Half Million Books from France to the BA
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Alexandria—As part of the Mediterranean cooperation between the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the BA receives a gift of half million French books from France.
These books tackle a wide range of subjects including science, history, geography and anthropology. They are mostly recently published books, issued during the period from 1996 to 2006.
After receiving the donation, the BA will be the sixth largest francophone library in the world with the biggest collection of French books outside France. The BA will also become the main depository of French books in the Arab world, surpassing Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, in addition to also being the main French Library in Asia and Africa.
A grand celebration took place on 30 November 2009 in Marseille Port, France, on the occasion of sending the first shipment of books. It featured Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, as a guest of honor, and was attended by a representative from the French Presidency, the French Minister of Culture, the President of the National Library of France, and the Egyptian Ambassador to France.
Another celebration will be held at the BA once the half million books are received.