The MPL
building is located in a distinguished place overlooking
the Nile
river in Giza,
not far from Cairo
University's
main campus, and the Faculties of Applied Arts,
Fine Arts, Art Education, and Kindergarten; as
well as the National
Research
Center,
the National
Information
& Documentation
Center
(NIDOC),
and the Opera
House;
along with a large number of museums, and public
and private schools of different educational stages
The
building is composed of three stories over a ground
area of 600 square meters. It
is surrounded by a flourishing garden over an
area of 2000 square meters. Originally,
the building is a distinctive villa of a special
architectural type that has been rearranged to
fit and fulfill the function of a library in terms
of availability of appropriate hall areas, efficient
aeration and air-conditioning, quality of natural
lighting sources, appropriate furniture both in
appearance and functionality, as well as the availability
of a cafeteria, which serves soft drinks and fast
food.
The
library floors include the following library divisions,
units, and facilities:
Ground
Floor: The
first floor of the library includes the
following facilities:
The
Security Office: Located at the main
gate of the library (outside entrance),
next to which the main bulletin boards
are fixed.
Membership
Desk: In front of the main entrance
to the library
Circulation
Desk: Next to the membership desk, in
front of the library main entrance
Photocopying
Unit: Located to the right of the library
main entrance
Telephone
Unit: To the right of the library main
entrance
Library
staff working area: Located behind the
membership and circulation desks, this
area is for library staff use only.
It includes the following facilities:
Office
for the staff of the Information Systems
Department
Center
for the information network equipment
and machinery
Technical
processing office for the Adults Division
Technical
processing office for the Children Division
Accounting
division's office
Office
of the Manager, Information Systems
Department
Storeroom
for the new information materials
Office
of the Head of the Acquisitions Unit
Office
of the Head of Depositories
First
Floor The
Adults Division occupies most of the first
floor's area. It includes the following
units::
The Division's main entrance:
Includes the information and assistance
desk, the online searching equipment
(Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
and users services units), and the Media
Hall.
The entrance area is also used to arrange
various arts exhibits
Books
Main Hall: This hall houses the collection
of library holdings of books, reference
works, and government publications.
These holdings are displayed on open
shelves and arranged according to
Dewey Decimal Classification System.
، The
place is equipped with seats, reading
tables, and reading corners; as well
as the computer terminals used for the
Electronic
(E-) points,and the audio
visual equipment..
Audiovisual
Unit: Contains the library collection
of audiovisual (A/V) materials, which
include videocassette recordings (VCRs),
audiocassettes, The unit provides printed
subject catalogs for quick information
about its holdings. This
information is also available through
the library OPAC
system. This
service is provided free of charge by
advance reservation on a daily basis.
Multimedia
Unit (CD-ROM's):
The library has a number of PC's
that may be used to view its multimedia
collection of compact discs (CD-ROM's).
This
service is provided free of charge by
advance reservation on a daily basis.
Internet
Unit: Library users can have access
to the Internet through a number of
computer terminals that are connected
to this international network. There
is an hourly charge for this service
equal to two Egyptian
pounds. Usage
of the service is in priority order
of reservation. It is limited to a one-hour
period, and in accordance to the relevant
library policy. The user may be granted
additional reservation periods in case
there are no pending reservations from
other users. It is worth noting that
a large number of website and Internet
user guides are available in the unit,
along with a specialized library staff
for assistance.
Periodicals
Unit and the Cafeteria: The library
displays in this unit a select group
of newspapers, and weekly and monthly
magazines of interest to the general
public, in Arabic,
English,
French,
and German
languages. Located
in the same area is a cafeteria, which
serves library visitors with a variety
of soft drinks and fast food.
Second
Floor: The
second floor is dedicated to the Children
& Youth Division, with the exception of
a small area, which is reserved for the
management offices (i.e. the offices of
the Chairman of the Board,
the Library Director,
the Deputy Library Director, Technical
Services Director, and the management's
Executive Secretariat). Books
of the Children Library are arranged in
the form of "Interest Collections," using
a number of subject
headings، The
Division includes the following units:
Children
Unit for the age group from 3-6 years.
Books
in this unit are identified by a green
color.
Juvenile
Unit for the age group from 7-10 years.
Books
in this unit are identified by a yellow
color.
Youth
Unit for the age group from 11-15 years.
Books
in this unit are identified by a red
color.
Audiovisual
and Multimedia Unit: Contains a number
of VCR and computer equipment, which
are used to playback and view the VCR
and CD-ROM
collection held by the Division.
The
Green Corner: This corner is equipped
with a number of PCs that are use to
view the special environmental collection
on CD-ROM's.
The Green Corner's collection has been
made available along with the rest of
the Division's multimedia collection.
Activity
Room: This area is used to present the
various cultural and entertainment activities,
and arrange the technical workshops
that are dedicated to the children and
juvenile users category. These programs
include: VCR showings, puppet shows,
story telling, puzzle games, coloring
activities, handicraft work, and so
forth.
Third
Floor The
third floor includes the following facilities:
Seminars
& Lectures Room: The cultural seminars,
lectures and relevant meetings are held
in this room.
The
Terrace area (Roof): Receptions and
special events organized by the library
take place in this open area, which
is facing the Nile.
Office
of the Public Relations Division.
Office
of the Financial & Administrative Affairs
Department.
