Monday, 23 May

08.45-10.00

Registration

10.00-11.00

11.00-11.15

Coffee 

11.15-13.00

Session 1 (4 papers): Libraries in the Arab World and International Cooperation

* Mariette Abdel-Hay (Université Saint-Esprit, Kaslik, Lebanon), The USEK Library

* René-Vincent Guérin du Grandlaunay (IDEO, Cairo), La bibliothèque de l'Institut dominicain d'Etudes orientales du Caire

* Anita Keizers (NVIC, Cairo), The Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC) : an international library

* Jirina Ruzova, Jiri Luhan & Frantisek Ondras (Univerzita Karlova, Prague), Cooperation between the Czech Institute of Technology and Egyptian university libraries

13.00-14.30

Lunch

14.30-17.00

Session 2 (5 papers): Manuscript Collections

* Olga Vasilyeva (National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg), From the banks of the Nile to the banks of the Neva : Millenary Egyptian manuscripts in the National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg

* Olga Yastrebova (National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg), Persian documents in the collections of the National Library of Russia

* Nathalie Rodriguez (Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire des Langues Orientales, Paris) & Marie-Geneviève Guesdon (Bibliothèque Nationale, Manuscrits Orientaux, Paris), Les manuscrits arabes, turcs et persans à la Bibliothèque des Langues Orientales 

15.45-16.00

Tea

* Ilya V. Zaytsev (All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow), Franz von Erdmann (1793-1863) : the career of a German orientalist in Russia

* Nikolaj Serikoff (Wellcome Library, London), The Wellcome Collection of Islamic calligraphy: why is it beautiful?

Tuesday, 24 May

10.00-11.00

Session 3 (2 papers): Manuscripts and the Digital Library

* Charles Melville (University of Cambridge), Cataloguing illustrated Persian manuscripts: the Shahnama Project

* Columba Stewart (The Hill Museum & Library, St. John’s University, Collegeville MN, USA), The Hill Museum & Library’s preservation work in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East : digital preservation of manuscripts and digital access to them

11.00-11.15

Coffee

11.15-12.30

Session 4 (3 papers): Information Technology; Electronic publishing 

* Tarek Ouerfelli (Institut Supérieur de Documentation de Tunis), L'intégration des technologies de l'information et de la Communication dans les bibliothèques : évolution des services et besoins en formation

* Houeida Charara (Notre Dame University, Kesraouan, Lebanon), Technologies and libraries : RFID vs. barcodes

* Anja van Hoek (Brill Publishers, Leiden), The launch of the 3rd edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam: scope, content, possibilities and new features 

12.30-14.00

Lunch

14.00-15.45

Session 5 (4 papers): Cataloguing policies and practices; Acquisition of Printed Books

* Iman Khairy (Bibliotheca Alexandrina), Authority control at Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Arabic personal names from the Classical period

* Ramy El-Gamel, (Bibliotheca Alexandrina), Heritage terminology and its Discontents : problems of translating Arabic turath terminology

* Anne Cathelineau-Junqua (Université Paris III, Bibliothèque Orient-Monde Arabe), Le catalogage multi-écriture dans le Sudoc : perspective et évolution

* Ahmed Abu Zayed (Exeter University Library), Acquiring official publications from the Arab World : obstacles & opportunities

20.00

Conference dinner

Wednesday, 25 May

10.00-11.15 

Session 6 (3 papers): Individual manuscripts

* Andrew Peacock (British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara), Al-Anawi’s Anis al-qulub : an unpublished Saljuq manuscript

* Cihan Okuyucu (Fatih Üniversitesi, Istanbul), Kelami Rumi and his newly discovered book: Ravza

* Firuza Abdullaeva (Faculty of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg State University), autographs of Jami in the St. Petersburg University Library

11.15-11.30

Coffee

11.30-12.45

Session 7 (3 papers): History of Orientalism; History of printing

* Aida Nosseir (American University in Cairo), The Orientalists’ efforts in documenting and publishing the Arab Heritage

* Meline Nielsen (University of Birmingham), Illuminating Faith: Art and culture from the Middle East: an exhibition of the University’s Mingana manuscripts, and the Museum’s Palestinian dress, jewellery, ceramics and metalwork held in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

* Roberta Dougherty (The American University in Cairo), Music, women, and leisure : piano sheet-music and the amateur musician in early 20th-century Egypt

12.45-14.15

Lunch

14.15-16.00

Melcom International annual assembly. Report from the Board. Elections for the Board (secretariat, treasury). Next year’s conference

16.00-16.15

Tea

16.15-17.00

Visit to the Planetarium of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina 

17.00-18.30

Guided tour of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

19.00

Reception at the Swedish Institute in Alexandria (courtesy of Dr. Jan Henningsson, director)

Thursday, 26 May

Excursion: Alexandria City Tour