Inauguration of the 27th MELCOM International Conference
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Alexandria, 23 May 2005—Monday, 23 May 2005 witnessed the opening session of the 27th MELCOM International Conference, hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), 23-25 May 2005. The opening session included speeches by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Dr. Sohair Wastawy, Head of the BA Library Sector; Dr. Youssef Ziedan, Director of the BA Manuscript Center and Museum; as well as Dr. Arnoud Vrolijk, President of Melcom International.
In his speech, Dr. Ismail Serageldin shed light on the ancient library of Alexandria, and the great scientists, mathematicians and poets from all civilizations who came to study and exchange ideas there. He pointed out the vital role of libraries in affecting the policies, plans, and projects of development, and gave a brief on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, its role and achievements since its inauguration.
Dr. Sohair Wastawy presented the services that the library provides to its users. She added that the conference aims at exploring new ways for administrating libraries and developing the human resources to cope with the electronic revolution taking place.
Dr. Arnoud Vrolijk also stressed the importance of the conference in providing an international exchange of ideas on librarianship and book research, and leading to further cultural and scientific enhancement in society.
Bringing together over 120 librarians from around the globe, the topics discussed include: Libraries in the Arab World and International Cooperation; Manuscript Collections; Information Technology and Libraries; Electronic Publishing and Manuscript Cataloguing; Cataloguing Policies and Practices; Manuscript Conservation; and History of Printing.
MELCOM is the acronym of Middle East Librarian Committee. It is the European Association of Middle East Librarians, a non-governmental organization enhancing cooperation among individuals and institutions in Europe, North America and the Middle East devoted to all aspects of librarianship, book collecting, the book trade and publishing.
For further information visit: http://www.uni-bamberg.de/unibib/melcom/home.html.
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| The Opening Session |