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Bibliotheca Alexandrina Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Annual Report/Bibliotheca Alexandrina. - V.1 (2004)-. - Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, c2004- v. cm. ISBN 977-6163-52-3 Annual 1. Bibliotheca Alexandrina -- Periodicals. 2. Libraries -- Egypt -- Alexandria -- Periodicals. I. Title. 027.0621 --dc21 2006255738 ISBN 977-6163-52-3 ©2006, Bibliotheca Alexandrina. All rights reserved. NON-COMMERCIAL REPRODUCTION Information in this publication has been produced with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. We ask only that: • Users excercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the material reproduced; • The Bibliotheca Alexandrina be identified as the source; and • The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials repro- duced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. COMMERCIAL REPRODUCTION Reproduction of multiple copies of materials in this publication, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. To obtain permission to reproduce materials in this publication for commercial purposes, please contact the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, P.O. Box 138, Chatby, Alexandria 21526, Egypt. E-mail: [email protected] Layout: Atef Abdel Ghany Aly Cover : MOHAMED TAMAN Printed in EGYPT 2000 copies PROFILE To be a center of excellence for the production and dissemination of knowledge, and to be a place of dialogue and understanding MISSION between cultures and peoples. To be the world’s window on Egypt Egypt’s window on the world An instrument for rising to the challenges of the digital age A center for dialogue between OBJECTIVES peoples and civilizations CONTENTS Foreword 9 Acronyms and Abbreviations 11 Introduction 13 I Highlights 17 II Nine Themes 63 Theme i Leader in the digitization, preservation, and management of heritage 65 Theme ii Center of excellence on specialized topics 71 6 Theme iii Actor in the sustainable development of the city 83 Theme iv Innovator in cultural and artistic interaction 91 Theme v Incubator for children’s talents 97 Theme vi Promoter of science and technology 103 Theme vii Catalyst for reform in the region 121 Theme viii Apex for networks and partnerships 133 Theme ix Meeting point for dialogue and understanding between people 155 III Support Departments 161 7 IV Financial Statement Financial Statement 179 V Calendar of Events 189 VI Statistical Snapshots Statistical Snapshots 205 VII Board of Trustees Board of Trustees 219 VIII Meet the Management Meet the Management 233 IX BA Friends BA Friends 259 X Publications 271 HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak FOREWORD am delighted to see the progress being made by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) as this fourth Annual Report attests. It conveys an image of a much more mature organization than one would have expected from so young anI institution. Indeed, since the inauguration in October 2002, our enterprise has grown rapidly. However, I am happy to note that quantity of output did not displace quality. Indeed, if anything, our young staff is becoming more experienced and our activities more focused. This year, of the myriad activities we undertake, the report highlights three areas: First, the documentation of heritage, where innovation and the use of the most modern digital technologies have brought to life many great chapters of our history for the delight of general visitors and specialist scholars alike. Second, the launch of the new Institute for Peace Studies (IPS). Established by the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement (SMWIPM), hosted at the Bibliotheca 10 Bibliotheca Alexandrina Annual Report Alexandrina. This initiative, the first of its kind in our region, will open a whole new field of activity using the BA facilities. Last, but by no means least, is the nurturing of our children’s talents. From music and art to computer and science, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is actively providing training and opportunity for our children. They are our most precious resource, and it is heartwarming to see thousands of children who flock to the Library with their teachers or their families. These three highlighted areas of interest are but some of the many activities that our staff are undertaking. Their endeavors are giving shape to our “university without walls, registration or degrees”, where the pursuit of knowledge, the nurturing of talent and the promotion of a culture of peace go hand in hand. It is an instrument to help us and the rest of the world in creating a better future for our children. Suzanne Mubarak Chair, Board of Trustees Inroduction 11 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Please note the following abbreviations which may be used in this report ABA Academia Bibliotheca Alexandrinae Alex-Med Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center ARF Arab Reform Forum ASEST Arab Society for the Ethics of Science and Technology BA Bibliotheca Alexandrina CSSP Center for Special Studies and Programs CULTNAT Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage DF Dialogue Forum DLF Digital Library Federation ISIS International School of Information Science OCR Optical Character Recognition OPAC Online Public Access Catalog PSC Planetarium Science Center SMWIPM Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement TWAS The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World INTRODUCTION he Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) is proud to present to the world its Annual Report for 2006. Covering the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, the report highlights three areas, while still presenting our hundreds of activities grouped under nineT thematic headings. This year’s three highlights are (1) The Documentation of Heritage; (2) The new Institute for Peace Studies, established by the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement (SMWIPM) and hosted at the BA; and (3) Nurturing Children’s Talents. We have selected these three areas to recognize a domain where the BA has excelled in the past and is now becoming an acknowledged international leader (Documentation of Heritage); to underline the new and very important change that we are undertaking (the Institute for Peace Studies); and to bring to light an area where the BA is doing much, but that is not sufficiently well-known by the general public (nurturing children’s talents). Beyond these three highlighted areas, the myriad activities undertaken by the BA and its constituent parts are 14 Bibliotheca Alexandrina Annual Report grouped under the nine themes presented in previous years, namely that the BA should be a: 1. Leader in the digitization, preservation and management of heritage 2. Center of excellence on specialized topics 3. Actor in the sustainable development of the city 4. Innovator in cultural and artistic interaction 5. Incubator for children’s talents 6. Promoter of science and technology 7. Catalyst for reform in the region 8. Apex for networks and partnerships 9. Meeting point for dialogue and understanding between peoples. A brief statistical snapshot is worth introducing here. The BA has a workforce of 1608 members including 613 security and custodial workers (predominantly males) and 995 staff members (61 percent women). These are managed by 163 managers (72 are women and 91 men). The average age is slightly over 28 years old, and over 79 percent of the staff are under 35 years of age. Only 26 individuals are over 55. This number includes a massive increase of 341 individuals to undertake the maintenance of our facilities in-house. This task was previously outsourced, but the new arrangement was found to be more economical (see Chapter 4, Support Departments). In the 12 months under review, the BA has received 750,000 visitors and welcomed to its Reading Hall some 230,000 readers, a total approaching one million. In addition, 539 events were undertaken within its facilities (see Chapter 5, Calendar of Events). Above all, under-girding all these activities is the enduring commitment to excellence and the unshakable determination to produce and disseminate knowledge to a wider public. Our mission statement and our four main objectives are presented at the outset of this report. We invite the readers of this report to come and visit the BA. The space itself exudes a special atmosphere with its young and motivated staff, eager to recapture the spirit of openness and scholarship of the Ancient Library of Alexandria. The visitor will be pleased to discover that the BA, our New Library of Alexandria, is much more than a library. Inroduction 15 It contains: • A library that can hold millions of books • A center for the Internet and its archive • Six specialized libraries for (i) audio-visual materials, (ii) the blind and visually impaired, (iii) children, (iv) the young, (v) microforms, and (vi) rare books and special collections; • Three museums for (i) antiquities, (ii) manuscripts, and (iii) the history of science • A planetarium • An exploratorium for children’s exposure to science • Seven permanent exhibitions covering (i) Memory of Alexandria: The Awad Collection, (ii) The World of Shady Abdel-Salam, (iii) Arab Muslim Medieval Instruments of Astronomy and Science, (iv) Arabic Calligraphy, (v) History of Printing, (vi) The Artist’s Book, (vii) Mohie El Din Hussein and the World of Ceramics • Four art galleries