The Bibliotheca Alexandrina aims to be a center of excellence in the production and dissemination of knowledge and to be a place of dialogue, learning and understanding between cultures and peoples. It comprises a Main Library (open to the general public as well as researchers), 9 specialized libraries (among a depository library of the UN and affiliated organizations, including UNESCO), 13 academic research centers, 4 museums and 15 permanent exhibitions. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina operates in 3 languages: Arabic, English and French, and it receives about 1.5 million visitors a year. It is a general public library with a special focus on education, library science, history of writing and scripts, the history of Alexandria, the history of Egypt, the history of science, the ethics of science, gender, water and environment. Geographically, it focuses on Alexandria, Egypt, the Arab World, the Mediterranean region and Africa. It also hosts the IFLA Center for Arabic Speaking Libraries and a specialized collection of printed and electronic resources about literacy in the Arab World.
