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The Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) is an intergovernmental organisation that brings together civil society organisations, institutions, governments, and change-makers from across the Euro-Mediterranean region. By exchanging knowledge and experiences, they build meaningful networks that transform dialogue into action, creating a ripple effect that empowers individuals and communities, spreading positive change across the region.

As Secretary of CERL, I was invited to take part in a policy debate on “Inclusive Libraries: Fostering intercultural dialogue and social cohesion in the Euro-Med region” which was hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, Egypt), on 9-10 Dec. 2024. This policy debate was organized in collaboration with the European External Action Service of the European Union and with the support of the Directorate General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.

Photo 1: Bibliotheca Alexandrina – exterior

Photo 2: Bibliotheca Alexandrina – interior

The policy debate consisted of four sessions: 1) Libraries and culture: Catalysts for knowledge creation and preservation 2) Libraries and societies: Building community engagement for enhanced social cohesion 3) Libraries and knowledge: Empowering youth and educating communities 4) Libraries and cross-border communication: Fostering cooperation in the Euro-Med region.

I took part in the first session, together with Heba Sayed (Director, Strategic Planning, Assessment & Business Development, The American University in Cairo), Piro Misha (Director, National Library of Albania), and Marzia Piccininno (Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali, Rome).

The main questions addressed were ‘How can libraries in the Euro-Med region effectively balance their roles as preservers of cultural heritage and incubators of innovation?’ ‘How can these models be replicated or scaled across the Euro-Med region to foster a broader culture of intellectual curiosity?’ ‘What role do libraries play in promoting local cultural identities in a globalized world?’ ‘How can libraries ensure local narratives remain accessible and relevant to younger generations?’ ‘How can libraries partner with other cultural and research-oriented institutions to enhance their knowledge-preservation and innovation efforts?’ ‘What successful examples exist of collaborative projects, for example, between libraries and museums, archives, or universities?’

As CERL colleagues will imagine, I took the opportunity to stress the foundational importance of fully cataloguing our heritage collections, as a means to build international collaboration on shared heritage (very much CERL’s strength) and to discover interesting stories for outreach activities. Simply put, we need to know the content of our collections to be able to base on them collaborative international research which in turn will advance scholarship and will enable local and global outreach.

The most rewarding experience has been to get to know our Egyptian colleagues: Ahmed A. Zayed, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Dina Youssef, Head of the Library Sector at BA, Heba Sayed (as above), Marwa El-Wakil, Head of the Academic Research Sector at BA, Marwa Gharabawy, Director of Specialized Libraries Services at BA, Riham Abdelhamid, supervisor of Sustainable Development Studies, Youth Capacity Building, and African Relations Support Programme at BA.

Heba El Rafey, Acting Head of External Relations and Media Sector, found a couple of Venetian incunabula in their digital collections (one is ISTC im00012000 where their copy is not yet listed in ISTC); Ahmed Mansour, Director of the Writing and Scripts Center, introduced me to Bulaq press materials in the special exhibition area of the BA.

Photo 3: The 1^st issue of El-Waqa’e Al-Masriya, the first Egyptian newspaper
established by Muhammad Ali Pasha in Cairo in 1828 and printed by the Bulaq Press

Other international organisations included Public Libraries 2030, Lund and Linnaeus Universities in Sweden, Instituto Cervantes in Milan, European University Institute in Florence, EBLIDA, IFLA, and the European Cultural Foundation.

Photo 4: ALF Policy debate: group photograph

Emad Saleh, Professor and Head of the Department of Libraries and Information at Helwan University (Cairo), and former Director of Dar-El-Kotob (the Egyptian National Library in Cairo) organized for me a visit to its wonderful Museum. Emad, the current Director, and other members of staff introduced me to the impressive, and exceedingly well presented, collection of manuscripts and printed material, what a treat!

Photo 5: Dar-El-Kotob Museum exhibition

Photo 6: Avicenna, Libri quinque canonis medicinae. Romae: In typographia Medicea, 1593

Uncovering and sharing the riches of our intertwined book heritage, communicating the historical and cultural context which enabled the production and the circulation of manuscripts and printed books across the Mediterranean and Europe (and beyond) begins with their systematic survey (i.e. cataloguing). As we identify topics of research which can be pursued collaboratively, to begin with the dissemination of Greek and Arabic scientific knowledge by 15th-century European printers, we also have to identify and fill the cataloguing gaps in our respective collections, to ensure comprehensive and sound results. CERL and its member libraries are ready and keen to participate in the actions which will stem from this highly engaging and stimulating ALF policy debate at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Photo: Part of a manuscript Qur’an, Istanbul 1767