Re: [ARSCLIST] NYT: Online Library Wants It All, Every Book

[Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>]

Why is this thread on the ARSC list?  It belongs elsewhere!

Steve Smolian

Subject: 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