The International Friends developed in the 1990's to help support the idea of building a new Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a public research library with worldwide significance. Initial efforts were devoted to forming interest groups in several countries, resulting in Friends of the BA associations in Norway, France, Sweden, Greece, Mexico Italy, the UK, South Africa, and the United States. October 2008 saw the formalization of the organization into the International Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina -- IFBA

Today several hundred members of the International Friends support the BA through

• book and materials donations
• work with the annual international meetings
• support to staff in outreach efforts
• program presentations at international meetings
• monetary contributions to the Bibliotheca

Meetings of the International Friends are held annually at the Bibliotheca to hear updates on BA activities and support needs, to review progress on the group's goals, to plan upcoming support programs, to enjoy cultural entertainments, and to renew personal friendships which have grown through the years. Each national group may bring special materials to add to the library collections, deliver papers on scholarly topics, and present programs of international interest.

Links to information about the Friends of the BA and the individual national groups give more detail.