The Bibliotheca Alexandrina: A glimpse into Egypt’s Heritage and Culture

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The Bibliotheca Alexandrina: A glimpse into Egypt’s Heritage and Culture 

Covered by: Ryan Lamberts


Conceived in 1974 by an Alexandrian University professor in cooperation and funding from the Egyptian government and international donors, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built as a revivalist library to honor the original Library of Alexandria. Construction began in 1989 on this expensive 220 million dollar project and was completed in 2001. Made of Aswan granite and covered with over 120 different scripts on its granite face, this library celebrates its creation thanks to Egypt and countries around the world. In its interior it contains 11-floors: one large reading room, and many places of culture that speak to Egypt’s past heritage preserved in time. From the outside to the interior, it is one of the special treasures of Egypt.

Today, the library houses six specialized libraries for the arts and multimedia; children, young people, the blind and the visually-impaired, an Exchange and Archive and Rare Books sections. Among the most interesting was the Taha Hussein Library for the blind and visually-impaired. Unlike most libraries this one possesses some unique collections. It is home to 10 braille printing computers, modern braille-transcription machines, and storage space for audiobooks.  In addition, four museums, a planetarium, a concert venue, and a DAR (Digital Assets Repository) also are part of this vast library complex. 

These four museums (the Center for Documentation of Cultural and National Heritage (CULTNAT); the BA Antiquities Museum; the British Museum; and the Egyptian Museum all work in collaboration with each other and the library to preserve Egypt’s past. Through the use of cutting edge 3-D digital technologies, “InHeritage” brings four interactive digital exhibits to life to promote awareness to the various dimensions of Egypt’s past.  As part of their exhibits, CULTNAT has digital culturamas which focuses on such topics as the Land of Punt and Heliopolis. In an age where digitization of traditional documents and artifacts is become the norm the world over, the BA is quickly emerging as a digital library leader.

They employ over 2400 staff, use the Dewey decimal classification system, and have over 2 million books with the capacity to fill it with 8 million. Political unrest in the last decade has forced the Egyptian government to post guard stations every 25 meters with a fence around the perimeter grounds of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for the safety of its patrons and visitors. The entrance is difficult to find and easy access is a problem due to increased security. Easy access for public patrons has become less important than their safety. As the BA is more of a research library its rare book and archive collections may only be viewed in the library, not checked out because of the rarity and fragile nature of its collections.     


The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Library in Alexandria have drawn researchers from around the world to engage in intellectual and educational discussion and study in many areas such as literature, science, and history. Likewise, please feel free to peruse the links attached and enjoy learning more about Egypt’s national treasure found in Alexandria. 


References

Borman, L. D. (2017, September 19). Visiting Egypt's libraries. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/visiting-egypts-libraries.

Center for documentation of cultural and natural heritage (CULTNAT). Bibalex.org. (2020, June 29). https://www.bibalex.org/en/Center/Details/thecenterfordocumentationofculturalandnaturalheritagecultnat?Keywords=.

Devon.  Library of accessible media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP). (2018, September 6). Great library of Alexandria: new and improved. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. https://www.carnegielibrary.org/great-library-of-alexandria-new-and-improved.

Sacred destinations. (2021). Bibliotheca Alexandrina - Alexandria, Egypt. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/alexandria-library-bibliotheca-alexandrina. 


Links

https://www.bibalex.org/en/Page/About

https://www.bibalex.org/en/page/faq?keywords=frequently%20asked%20questions

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/alexandria-library-bibliotheca-alexandrina

https://www.bibalex.org/en/MediaGallery/Default/specializedlibraries

https://snohetta.com/project/5-bibliothec-alxandrina.


Location: Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt

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