Following the special donation of 500 000 books offered in 2009 by BNF, Bibliotheca Alexandrina decided to create a specific entity, the Francophone library, to accomodate, administer and promote the collection. The donation correspond to 10 years of legal deposit in all the fields of French publishing from 1996 to 2006. Since the donation, Bibliotheca Alexandrina has become the fourth Francophone library in the world.
The team of francophone library is located in the level B1, in the large reading room to answers genaral and specific questions, give information and direct the public. This activities are associated with cultural action to arouse curiosity, to value the collection, and to encourage writen and oral expression in French : books exhibition, cultural events, seminars, book clubs, intercultural activities, writing workshops, storytelling…
Several activities for children aims at promoting the practice of reading for pleasure : the workshop « in the realm of tales » introduce storytelling to children from 10 to 12, the workshops « Vacalire » offers activities to the children from 6 to 9, during the school holydays. Regularly, the Francophone library also offers competition for primary pupils in the French speaking schools of Alexandria. For instance a selection of their drawings became illustration for a 2015 calendar. « La francomanie » is a series of workshops for adult, dealing with cultural diversity in the francophone countries.
The francophone library also plays a part in continuous training of french speaking librarians in Bibliothéca Alexandrina (librarianship or training in French libraries), and also of French speaking students and researchers (information science, cultural action in libraries, professional writing, communication and presentation technology). On a wider scale, the francophone library wishes to take part in the running of the national and international francophone network.
For more information :
Website : http://www.bibalex.org/fr/center/details/francophonelibrary
The Press :
- Francomanie : (Février et Mars 2015)
Elbashayeronline, Egypttoday, Wataninet, Akhabarak.net, Islammaghribi.
- Table Ronde : Regards croisés autour de la presse francophone égyptienne (Avril 2015)
Youm7, mastralarabia, watanine, dotmasr.
