 |
 |
NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release: 06/01/2005 Contact: David Seaman [log in to unmask] BIBLIOTHECA ALEXANDRINA JOINS DIGITAL LIBRARY FEDERATION WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Board of Trustees of the Digital Library Federation (DLF) today announced that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has joined the DLF as its first Strategic Partner from outside the United States or Europe. "I am delighted that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has accepted our invitation to join," said David Seaman, executive director of the DLF. "We are a fast-moving consortium of very active academic digital libraries and the addition of this remarkable Egyptian library will enrich our collaborative work and inform our world view of digital library endeavors. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is already working closely with DLF member institutions: it is a contributing member of the Million Books Library led by Carnegie Mellon, and Yale has just announced new funding for collaboration with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to digitize early 20th century journals." Michael Keller, University Librarian at Stanford University and President of the DLF's Board of Trustees, adds, "The Bibliotheca Alexandrina's digital library initiatives extend the leading edge of digital librarianship by the creation of new professionals, by experimentation, by portal development, and by the addition of content, which includes the digitization of 15,000 Arabic books annually, the development of the Digital Library of the History of Egypt, and the scanning of numerous image collections." "The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is proud to be a member of the DLF" says Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the institution. "My colleagues and I look forward to working with the DLF in laying out the foundations for the digital library revolution of the new century and to find ways in which this will benefit all of humanity." # # # The Digital Library Federation, founded in 1995, is a partnership organization of academic libraries and related organizations that are pioneering the use of electronic-information technologies to extend their collections and services. Through its strategic partners, the DLF provides leadership for libraries by identifying standards and "best practices" for digital collections and network access; coordinating research and development in the libraries' use of technology; and incubating projects and services that libraries need but cannot develop individually. http://www.diglib.org/ Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), the new Library of Alexandria, was inaugurated in 2002 to recapture the spirit of the ancient Library of Alexandria, a center of world learning from 300 BC to 400 AD. The new Library and its affiliated research centers are devoted to using the newest technology to preserve the past and to promote access to the products of the human intellect. It is committed to work with partners all over the world, and is a center for inter-cultural dialogue, learning and understanding. http://www.bibalex.org/ David Seaman Executive Director, Digital Library Federation 1755 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036 tel: 202-939-4762; fax: 202-939-4765 e-mail: [log in to unmask] web: http://www.diglib.org/