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Re: [ARSCLIST] NYT: Online Library Wants It All, Every Book
>"One lesson of the
>original Library of Alexandria," he said, "is don't just
>have one copy."
Fire hits Alexandria library
A fire has broken out in Egypt's newly-opened Alexandria library, and 29
people have been rushed to local hospitals suffering from smoke inhalation.
The fire was blamed on a short circuit.
The extent of damage at Bibliotheca Alexandrina has yet to be determined,
but the fire appeared to be restricted to fourth-floor administrative
offices.
Sixteen fire engines rushed to the scene and put out the blaze in about 45
minutes. Fifteen ambulances were seen outside the evacuated library.
"We were evacuated to outside, then [the] fire department arrived. The smoke
[has] stopped now - everybody is safe, thank God," Leila Dewidar, head of
the library's grants division, said.
Student spectators
Fire contributed to the destruction of the original Alexandria library, one
of the world's great centres of learning in the ancient world.
As the library was evacuated, hundreds of students from nearby colleges
gathered to watch.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina is located in the middle of Alexandria's
newly-renovated seaside promenade.
It was formally opened in October 2002 with great fanfare.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak,
and about 3,000 dignitaries from around the world, including France's
President Jacques Chirac, and his Italian and Greek counterparts Carlo
Azeglio Ciampi and Costas Stefanopoulos.
The $230 million project - which attracted international financial and
logistical support - hopes to capture the spirit of the ancient Alexandria
library that was founded around 295 BC by Ptolemy I Soter.
The ancient library, which burned down in the 4th Century, was an
international intellectual centre.
The new library - which has room for 4 million volumes- contains about
240,000 books. It also contains a planetarium, a conference hall, five
research institutes, six galleries and three museums.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/2812765.stm