First, UNESCO will collaborate with the world famous pen marker “Montegrappa” towards the development of a very special limited edition of commemorative fountain pens celebrating the revival of the Ancient Bibliotheca Alexandrina. These valuable pens are octagonal in shape, and the barrel and top of the cap are engraved with the symbols of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and UNESCO respectively.
In the framework of its struggle for the defence of manuscripts and rare books, UNESCO was also requested by both the Egyptian and Italian governments to help creating a “manuscript museum” with various components such as a state-of-the-art manuscript museum or a state-of-the-art manuscript restoration laboratory.
Then, as the Bibliotheca is aimed at being a link between past and future, UNESCO is implementing two projects in the field of Information and communication technologies (ICTs). The first one is the production of a multi-media DVD documentary title documenting the milestones associated with the revival of the ancient Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The vision underlying the digital documentary entails a mix of movie-like elements combined with a comprehensive documentary for serving as a useful desk reference about the Bibliotheca. Furthermore, UNESCO will provide a continuous support to the library’s management in the area of networking infrastructure and towards the selection and installation of a library information system.
Last, in the framework of its activities dedicated to disadvantaged groups, UNESCO will implement a special project involving the establishment of a special section within the library for the visually impaired. Using specialized hardware and software components, UNESCO has performed the necessary research work to explore the possible solutions suitable for implementation within an Arabic speaking environment for the blind.