International Friends of the Alexandria Library
The last year has seen many changes at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina due to the appointment of a new Director previously at the World Bank. New policies have been put in place relating to acquisitions and the role of the Library in Alexandria and Egypt: the director is keen to use the Library to promote literacy and lifelong learning and to that end a special 'soft opening' was held for a month in October 2001 to ensure that the local people would feel that the Library was theirs. An official opening was planned for 23 April but postponed until October because of the situation in neighbouring Israel.
This key international project comes within IFLA's professional priority of supporting the role of libraries in society and it is expected to be a showpiece for the library in the electronic age.
The Poster Session will increase awareness of the Library itself and promote the various national Friends associations. Encouragement will be given to IFLA participants from other countries to set up their own associations. Issues relating to the kinds of material the Library is collecting and the balance of traditional and digital materials will be addressed at the Poster Session.
Multi-lingual materials will be on display from Friends associations, the Library management and the construction company.
Alan Hopkinson
Head of Library Systems
Middlesex University
Bounds Green Road
LONDON N11 2NQ
United Kingdom
Email: a.hopkinson@mdx.ac.uk
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