MELCOM INTERNATIONAL
Association Européenne des Bibliothécaires du Moyen-Orient / The European Association of Middle East Librarians
President : Arnoud Vrolijk
Secrétaire : Nathalie Rodriguez
Treasurer : Meline Nielsen
http:// www.uni-bamberg.de/unibib/melcom/home.html
27TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN ALEXANDRIA
May 23-25, 2005
SECOND CIRCULAR
Dear colleagues and friends,
This second circular holds all the available information to date, including information on accommodation, travel, and the activities prepared by colleagues in Alexandria. All this information is also available on the Alexandrina MELCOM Int. webpage as well as on the MELCOM Int. website
(http://manuscriptcenter.org/melcom/about.asp and
www.uni-bamberg.de/unibib/melcom/home.html)
You will receive this as an attached file to my e-mail, as well as below. Please do not hesitate to ask for a regular post if you need one.
You will find attached to this circular a pre-registration form: kindly return it completed by email no later than 15 April to Meline Nielsen
(m.nielsen@bham.ac.uk) and copied to Nathalie Rodriguez,
nrodrig@idf.ext.jussieu.fr.
Please think of issues you wish to raise at the MELCOM business meeting: if you send them in advance, our task will be facilitated. Please also consider the elections for Secretary and Treasurer as both Meline and I have completed three year periods as prescribed by our constitution.
Hoping to see you all in Alexandria and to hear from you soon.
Bien amicalement,
Nathalie Rodriguez
Chers collègues et amis,
Cette seconde circulaire contient une première ébauche du programme, et des informations sur l’hébergement, les transports et les activités préparées pour nous par nos collègues à Alexandrie. Ces informations (que je m'excuse de ne vous fournir qu'en anglais, le temps m'ayant manqué pour la traduction) sont également consultables sur le site de la Bibliotheca Alexandrina et sur celui du MELCOM International. (http://manuscriptcenter.org/melcom/about.asp et www.uni-bamberg.de/unibib/melcom/home.html)
Vous recevez tout cela en fichier attaché, aussi bien qu’à la suite de ces quelques lignes. N’hésitez pas à me demander une version papier par courrier si vous avez des difficultés à consulter l’un ou l’autre de ces documents)
Merci de renvoyer rapidement, rempli et avant le 15 avril, le formulaire de pré-inscription joint à cette circulaire, par email à Meline Nielsen (m.nielsen@bham.ac.uk) avec copie à Nathalie Rodriguez (nrodrig@idf.ext.jussieu.fr. Enfin, n'oubliez pas de noter les sujets que vous aimeriez aborder au cours de la session « MELCOM business » du mercredi après-midi : si vous les communiquez à l’avance, nous pourrons les inscrire à l’ordre du jour. Sachez déjà que les postes de trésorier et de secrétaire sont à pourvoir cette année, les mandats de Meline et de moi-même arrivant à échéance.
J‘espère vous voir tous bientôt à Alexandrie.
Bien amicalement,
Nathalie Rodriguez
Secretaire du Melcom International
Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire des Langues Orientales – 4, rue de Lille – 75007 Paris – France
Tél. : 33 1 44 77 95 05 – Fax : 33 1 44 77 87 30 – Mél : nrodrig@idf.ext.jussieu.fr
MORE NEWS ABOUT MELCOM 27
1. LOCAL CONVENER / ORGANISATEUR LOCAL :
Prof. Youssef Ziedan
Director of Manuscript Centre and Museum
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
P.O.B. 138
Alexandria
Egypt
ziedan@ziedan.com
The person in charge of all organization aspects is Wegdan Hussein, Senior English translator at the Academic Activities and Specialized Translation Section, Manuscript Centre. For technical reasons her contact details for the time being is Youssef ziedan [youssefziedan@yahoo.com]
2. PAPERS AND PROGRAMME
Papers will be presented in the following categories:
Acquisition policies and practices
Manuscript studies and rare material collection
Cataloguing policies and practices
Libraries and new technologies
The preliminary programme is attached. If you have offered a paper please check that your details are correct.
For some papers we have not received the abstracts yet. Please provide us with the abstracts as soon as possible, but on April 15 at the very latest. We not only want to provide the audience with this information, but we need some information on your papers and yourselves in advance for the benefit of the colleagues chairing the respective sessions. Please, give a precise title (some are still vague) and also specify the technical equipment needed. Internet access is available. It would be helpful if we knew in advance if you intend to make use of it and which internet browser you would like to use. If the Alexandrina does not receive your electronic presentations in advance it can not be guaranteed that your programmes will work.
Plase remember papers should not exceed 20 minutes. The organizers reserve the right to select among papers.
There will be a tour of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, with includes a Planetarium. Please indicate on the Registration Form if you will be attending these tours. The visit will include the options of visiting the main reading hall, exhibition galleries, the Antiquity Museum, and a number of specialized libraries: Children’s Library, Young People’s Library, Multimedia Library, Taha Hussein (Visually Impaired) Library, or one of the academic centres. You will be asked to make your choice on arrival.
3. CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE FEES
25 Euro/ $33 for regular participants
50 Euro/ $66 for commercial participants
23 Euro/ $30 for Conference Dinner at Tekka Grill
46 Euro/ $60 for optional excursion on Thursday
Apart from the conference fee all other expenditure is optional. Please indicate on the registration form which activities you wish to participate
in.
4. VISA REGULATIONS:
Non-Egyptian visitors arriving in Egypt are required to be in possession of a valid passport. Entry visas may be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic and Consular Missions Abroad or from the Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and Nationality Administration (TDINA). It is, however, possible for most tourists and visitors to obtain an entry visa at any of the Major Ports of Entry. Please check with your nearest Egyptian Consular mission for more details concerning visa regulations applying to your citizenship.
5. TRANSPORT
Getting around in Alexandria
Although a network of tramways and buses serves most areas in Alexandria, taxis are recommended as the easiest and not-so-expensive way to get around in Alexandria. City streets teem with black-and-yellow taxis ( ) that can be stopped anywhere by waving to the driver. Taxi fares range from 3 EGP for short hops to 30 EGP for the farthest destination, depending on traffic and traffic jams. A good online map of Alexandria is available at http://www.alex4all.com/tree/map/map1/indexmap.html
From the airport
All airports in Egypt have a taxi service to city centres, operated on a flat fee basis (ask your airlines or the information desk at the airport).
6. ACCOMMODATION
Here are a list of recommended hotels. Most of the hotels listed below are quite close to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and city centre. The closest hotels to the Conference venue are those located in the downtown area.
Helnan Palestine Hotel
Classification: *****
Location: Montazha Gardens
Telephone: +203 5473500 - +203 5474365
Fax: +203 5474768
Price: $77
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 25 minutes (by car)
Down Town 30 minutes (by car)
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Sheraton Hotel
Classification: ****
Location: Overlooks Montaza Gardens
Telephone: +203 5480550 - +203 5481220
Fax: +203 5401331
Price: $76
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 25 minutes (by car)
Down Town 30 minutes (by car)
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Sofitel Cecil Hotel
Classification: ****
Address: 16 Saad Zagloul Square, Alexandria
Location: Down Town (Ramel Station)
Telephone: +203 4806730 - +203 4877173
Fax: +203 4840368
Price: $80
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 5 minutes by car., 15 minutes on foot
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Le Metropole Hotel
Classification: ****
Address: 52 Saad Zaghloul St., Alexandria
Location: Down Town (Ramleh Station)
Telephone: +203 4861467 - +203 4867522
Fax: +203 4862040
Price: $60
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 5 minutes by car, 15 minutes on foot.
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Paradise Inn Windsor Palace
Classification: ****
Address: 17 El Shohada St., El Ramel Station, Alexandria.
Location: Down Town (Ramel Station)
E-mail: Resawin@paradiseinnegypt.com
Telephone: +203 4808700
Fax: +203 4809090
Price: $60
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 5 minutes by car., 15 minutes on foot
Down Town 5 minutes (on foot)
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Delta Hotel
Classification: ***
Address: 14 Champollion St. Mazarita, Alexandria.
Web: www.sp.tecmina.com/hoteldelta
E-mail: hoteldelta@tecmina.com
Telephone:+203 4865188
Fax: +203 4865630
Price: $65
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 8 minutes (on foot)
Down Town 15 minutes (on foot)
Alexandria Intl Airport 25 minutes (by car)
Kaoud Hotel:
Classification: ***
Address: 133. El Gueish St., Sporting
Telephone: +203 5443800
Fax: +203 5460737
Price: 105 Egyptian Pounds (equivalent to about 20 $)
Distance to the Hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina 10 minutes (by car)
Down Town 15 minutes (by car)
Alexandria Intl Airport 20 minutes (by car)
* The above rates are on bed-and-breakfast basis. Please confirm before booking.
7. MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Normally no immunizations are required or needed. Pharmacies are scattered around the city, and many are open 24 hours a day.
8. CURRENCY
The local currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP). 1 EGP = 100 Piasters. Banks are open in major hotels for 24 hrs. Credit cards are accepted and widely used. The exchange rate floats and changes daily. You can check the current rate on-line at http://www.xe.com/ucc.You do not need to change money prior to arrival as currency exchange offices and ATM machines are all over the city. Most currency exchange locations are open 7 days a week, but most banks are closed Friday and Saturday.
9. WEATHER & CLOTHING
May is the warmest month of the year in Egypt. The weather should be comfortably warm in the daytime (about 31 °C) and pleasantly cool in the evenings after sunset (about 15 °C). It is advised to pack cotton clothes and probably some warm clothes for chilly nights. A sweater is always a wise precaution.
10. SHOPPING
Shops are generally open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 22:00 hours. Alexandria offers an array of shopping malls (such as Carrefour, Green Plaza, Zahran Mall, Deeb Mall, etc) and oriental bazaars (centred in the downtown area). Please consult the website
http://www.alex4all.com/cat/shopping/malls .
11. FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information about Alexandria please consult the following websites: http://www.alexandriaegypt.com
http://www.alexandriaegypt.com/tourism/index.htm
http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/africa/egypt/alexandria.htm'
http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/alexandria/tourist/index.html
12. Optional Alexandria city Tour to Jewellery Museum, Montazah Gardens, Kaitbay Fort, Greco-Roman Museum, National Alexandria Museum. The cost of this is $60 per person, including lunch, transport and related fees.
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