15,000 pounds of books

Building an Egyptian ag library         

[OCT. 11, 2006]  URBANA -- An Egyptian university will begin building an agricultural library with 15,000 pounds of books and journals shipped from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, courtesy of a joint U of I-Purdue University project.

"The U of I is the lead university for a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded project in Egypt called Agricultural Exports and Rural Incomes," explained Sara Egan, assistant to the project's director, Burt Swanson, U of I professor emeritus of rural development. "One of the project's components is to strengthen universities in Upper Egypt, where Fayoum University is located."

Fayoum University requested assistance in improving its library, and the U of I and Purdue faculty responded with the book drive.

Egan said the shipment included about 8,000 books and journals that "will help build the cornerstone of the Fayoum University Library collection."

Fayoum University was originally a branch campus of Cairo University. When it became independent a year ago, it began efforts to build its own library.

[University of Illinois Extension news release]