Libraries Guide: Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Public Libraries)

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The new Library of Alexandria, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), is dedicated to recapturing the spirit of openness and scholarship of the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It is much more than a library. It comprises the following:

• The Main Library (which can hold up to millions of books) and its affiliated libraries: the Francophone Library, the Depository Library, and the Maps Library

• Six specialized libraries

• A copy of the Internet Archive

• Four museums

• The Planetarium Science Center (PSC)

• The ALEXploratorium: an exploratorium for introducing children to science

• The Culturama: a cultural panorama projected over nine screens. It is the first ever patented nine-projector interactive system. It has won many awards. The Culturama, developed by CULTNAT, allows the presentation of a wealth of data layers; presenters can click on an item and go to a whole new level of detail. It is a remarkably informative and attractive multimedia presentation of Egypt’s heritage spanning over 5,000 years of history with highlights and examples of Ancient Egyptian and Coptic/Muslim heritage.

• VISTA (The Virtual Immersive Science and Technology Applications system): an interactive virtual reality environment that allows researchers to transform two-dimensional data sets into 3D simulations and step inside them. A practical tool of visualization during research, VISTA helps researchers to simulate the behavior of natural or human-engineered systems instead of merely observing a system or building a physical model.

• Thirteen academic research centers

• Fifteen permanent exhibitions:

• Four art galleries for temporary exhibitions

• The Conference Center (which can accommodate up to thousands of people)

  The new Bibliotheca Alexandrina also hosts a number of institutions:

1. The Academia Bibliotheca Alexandrinae (ABA).
2. Arabic Society for Ethics in Science & Technology (ASEST).
3. The Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures – the first Euro-Med foundation based outside Europe.
4. The HCM Medical Research Project – located in Shallalat
5. The Arab Regional Office of the Academy of Science for the Developing World (TWAS-ARO).
6. The International Federation for Library Associations (IFLA) Regional Office.
7. The Secretariat of the Arab National Commissions of UNESCO.
8. The Middle Eastern and North African Network for Environmental Economics (MENANEE).
9. The Arab Network for Women in Science and Technology (ANWST).

The number of these institutions continues to grow, making the BA the center of many international and regional networks.

Today, this vast complex has become a reality, receiving about 1.5 million visitors a year.

Objectives:

The unique role of the Library of Alexandria, as that of a great Egyptian Library with international dimensions, will focus on four main aspects, that seek to recapture the spirit of the original ancient library. It aspires to be:

• The world’s window on Egypt.
• Egypt’s window on the world.
• A leading institution of the digital age.
• A center for learning, tolerance, dialogue and understanding.

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Last update of library information: 02 May 2018