Collection Development Policy

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Vision and Objectives

H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, chairperson of the BA Board of Trustees, presented her vision for the future at an open conference, where she highlighted the four objectives of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

• to be the world's window on Egypt
• to be Egypt’s window on the world
• to meet the challenge of the digital age
• to be a center of learning and dialogue

Relationship to BA Vision and Objectives

In order to achieve the objectives and to support the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in its mission, the library has established a Collection Development Policy for selecting and acquiring resources. This policy is a guide to build up an extensive collection covering different fields with special emphasis on certain topics based on the BA's four objectives.In this respect the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has set the following priorities for its collection strategy·

Since the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is considered to be the modern successor of the Ancient Library of Alexandria, it has undertaken the responsibility to develop a comprehensive collection to cover the history of the famous Ancient Library and its affiliated research academy known as “The Museion. However, the BA's interest extends beyond the Ancient Library to include the history of intellectual life, as well as, the history of other Centers of Knowledge during and after the Hellenistic period.

Bearing in mind that the Ancient Library of Alexandria has made a substantial contribution to the transmission of Greek knowledge to the Arabs, who in turn transmitted this knowledge to Renaissance Europe, the second subject of special interest for Bibliotheca Alexandrina is the “History of Science”. This has been also ascertained by the creation of the BA History of Science Museum located under the Planetarium.

The rapid development of science and technology has raised ethical questions today in particular in the age of biotechnology and cloning. Accordingly, Ethics of Science and Technology, Genetics and Biotechnology are essential subjects in the BA Collection Development Plan in the field of Science.

Being a depository library for UN Publication and considering BA’s significant role as the main source of information for Middle East countries, development through “Gender, Water and Environment” come under the major priorities of the BA's Collection Development Policy.

Knowledge, too, has become subject to management; therefore, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina endeavors to follow the development of Knowledge Management” as a growing discipline.

In retracing the history of “writing and scripts”, an overview of the different scripts and their relationship is given. The technical aspects of script (history of printing) as well as its artistic aspects as revealed in calligraphy are also the objects of the library's focus.

Since Egypt is the cradle of civilization, it is necessary for the BA to focus on “Egyptology” in the development of its collection. The aim is to build up a multilingual collection for public, as well as professional Egyptologists.

Finally the Bibliotheca Alexandrina places special emphasis on 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.

GENERAL PRIORITIES

Basically the strategy of the Collection Development is being directed to focus on:

• Alexandria and Egypt.
• The Mediterranean.
• The Arab world and Africa.
• The rest of the world.