Minnesota Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandria

Our Mission

To promote awareness of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) as an international center of cultural exchanges and meetings.

To gather intellectuals in the fields of science, arts, and the humanities as envisioned by Alexander the Great and Ptolemy I in 300 BC.

To attend, support, and contribute to the Friends of the BA annual meetings in Alexandria, Egypt, and other BA International meetings.

To contribute to various BA programs by donating books and art collections and by soliciting monetary funds from individuals and institutions.

Donations

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina welcomes monetary donations to help maintain its operation. The original library of Alexandria was founded in 288 BCE by Ptolemy (Soter). This library became a major repository of thought of the ancient world and a resource to its users. Subsequent upheavals within the Roman Empire resulted in its gradual neglect and ultimate destruction in 400 CE.

The new library opened in October 2002 near its original site. It is an important resource not just for the number of manuscripts or books it has accumulated, but as a center for visitors and patrons to access digital information and the internet.

For more information, visit the website of the BA at www.bibalex.org.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.

Your donations are tax-deductible. Any checks or donations should be made to the

Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Foundation, and must be sent to:

Rhonda R. Shearer

62 Greene Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10012

Tel: (212) 925-8812

Ms. Shearer, in turn, will acknowledge your donation in a letter to be used for your tax deduction.

If you are a Minnesota resident and interested in joining the Minnesota Friends of the BA, please call or email Dr. Aida Khalafalla. (Contact information below)

Contact

Aida Khalafalla

Address: 2551 37th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406

Mobile: (612) 298-8720

Email: aidakhalafalla@hotmail.com

Accomplishments to Date of Minnesota Friends of the BA

The following shipment arrived at the BA:

A Thomson Reuters Law Library
A Memorial Library to honor the Barton Family
Two pallets of Merck's Medical Manuals to be distributed to doctors and medical students in Egypt.

During an event in Limassol, Cyprus, Dr. Khalafalla briefly met with the Ambassador of China and was given the following books to donate to the BA:

A Glimpse of China, by Jim Bo
Locata, A Sward Stories by Liu Jun and Bruce Hums
A Bridgehead in Eurasia, by Ma Juan
A Successful Practice by Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet, by People's Republic of China Foreign Language Press

The Chinese Ambassador donated five DVDs to the BA as well.

Dr. Sanchez, who previously donated $42,000 of Middle Eastern documents, negotiated another shipment with Lamia, all expenses paid.

On March 3rd of 2018, the Minnesota Friends of the BA hosted an event to honor Dr. Helene Peters for her contribution as an active honorary member of the group. Dr. Peters is quite familiar with the BA, as she visited 11 years ago and was given a tour by Dr. Wastawy. She joined the group 10 years ago and has continued to give monetary donations through the years.

Attended an invitation from the Consulate of Egypt in Chicago to celebrate Egypt's Independence Day.

Dr. Mary Demaine donated her Library of Archaeological Books to the BA, and two large boxes arrived in Alexandria in September 2016.

Dr. Aida Khalafalla personally donated $2,000 for the "Shakespeare's 400 Forever and a Day" 2016 celebrations at the BA. She also donated money for upgrading the braille printer at the Taha Hussein Library.

The Minnesota Friends of the BA hosted BA General Director Dr. Ismail Serageldin and His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Tawfik, the ambassador of Egypt to the U.S., in a two-day event, with overwhelming attendance from the Minnesota community. A business meeting with top Minnesota-based companies, such as Cargill, 3M, Medtronic, and Caribou, afforded Ambassador Tawfik the opportunity to discuss ongoing trade and new future ventures with Minnesota. Dr. Serageldin also attended the business meeting and offered important insights.

The dinner event on August 7th was a great success; Dr. Serageldin received a standing ovation from an appreciative audience. Professor Rosalie Caneo Amer, University of California-San Diego, presented information on the worldwide Friends of the BA. Minnesota Friends member Wendy Hess presented gifts of appreciation to the two honored guests: the book Minnesota: Hail to Thee by University of Minnesota Professor and author Karyl Ann Marling, and handmade copper bookmarks with an image of the state bird, the loon.

Diane Katsiaficas, a MN Friend of the BA and University of Minnesota art professor, and Jeff Rathermel, executive director of Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA), co-taught a book arts workshop at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for 13 enthusiastic Egyptian artists. Alexandria University art and design faculty and Cairo graphic design professionals also participated. The BA's Gamal Hosni helped organize the workshop.

This fall, Rathermel and Katsiaficas will lead a group of Minnesota artists in developing collaborative works with participating Egyptian artists for an exhibition at the University of Minnesota in February 2016.

Donations

On August 2, 2010, a shipment of approximately 15,000 books--a large quantity of children's books valued at $286,000, was sent to the BA. Dr. Patrick Plonski, executive director of Books for Africa, collaborated in the venture.

A shipment of 22,000 law books from the Thompson Reuters law library reached the BA on April 10, 2012. The shipment, valued at $286,000, was coordinated by Dr. Plonski and Ms. Hadeel Abdel Hady, legal strategic advisor for PLLC, Washington, D.C.

A shipment of 22,000 library books--containing few duplicates and valued at $242,000, was shipped in April 2014, in partnership with Books for Africa.

To date, some 59,000 books, valued at approximately $814,000, have been shipped in 340-foot containers to the BA.

A Middle East library was established within the BA through the donation of the personal library of Dr. James Sanchez of Seattle. The donation included two sets of 86-volume Middle East abstracts and indexes; the total current value of the 172 volumes is estimated at $49,882. Dr. Aïda Khalafalla coordinated the gift.

A work of art by the late Dr. Willem Kolf (often called the "inventor of life") was donated to the BA by Dr. Aida Khalafalla. Dr. Khalafalla purchased the artwork at a Salt Lake City American Heart Association event to raise money for cardiac research. Dr. Kolf (1911–2009) is credited with inventing both the artificial kidney (the birth of kidney dialysis) and the first total artificial heart.

Monetary Donations from:
Dr. Khalafalla, MN, Friends of the BA chair
Dr. Hélène Peters, MN, Friends of the BA honorary member
Renée Malloy, La Liaison Francaise de Minneapolis-St. Paul
Anne Phillips, University of Minnesota Libraries
Prof. Julie Hill, University of California, San Diego

In Washington, D.C., Dr. Khalafalla met with author Karen Legett Abouraya, of the Baltimore Friends, and Erica Stern.

Dr. Khalafalla attended a reception at the French Embassy and met with His Excellency Mr. Francois Delattre, French ambassador to the United States; she thanked him for France’s generous contribution to the BA.

Dr. Khalafalla celebrated the BA’s 10th anniversary at a gala in Mexico City, February 14, 2013. The gracious Ms. Gloria De Silvia, chair of the Mexican Friends, was host of the event. Also in attendance were California Friends Chair Rosalie Amer, and several ambassadors, including the Egyptian ambassador to Mexico.

Welcome!

Our Mission

Steering Committee

Donations

Contact

Accomplishments to Date of Minnesota Friends of the BA

Donations

Other Accomplishments

Welcome!

Our Mission

Steering Committee

Donations

Contact

Accomplishments to Date of Minnesota Friends of the BA

Donations

Other Accomplishments

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