Discovering Post-Covid Social Indicators for Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria—Egypt

The true meaning of “Bibliotheca” or a library was recognized. Unfortunately, the criteria recognized to establish this type of project develop according to political and social variables and aspects whenever a library is constructed. The new Library of Alexandria “Bibliotheca of Alexandria” underscores the development of a theoretical concept for the construction of modern libraries, as it fulfils the key rules of socio-cultural, scientific, and educational integration at the city centre. In addition, the historical background of this building is a landmark and attractive property for many citizens and foreigners. But the problem is: do the standards created by this library meet the global social and political changes and limitations that have occurred since the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic? Unfortunately, limited construction work has recently been undertaken regarding the number of visitors and the minimum permissible internal space of the Universal Library that can be visited. In addition, social activities such as indoor galleries, conferences, and meetings are kept to a minimum. Therefore, researchers sought to find answers to the above questions based on the historical background of the Library of Alexandria by comparing social and functional developments within the library according to functional variables. This paper also addresses the historical plans of the Library of Alexandria and shows the impact of social and political priorities on the internal transformation of the library to date. In addition, through an ethnographic design approach consisting of observational and computational methods, this paper defines key social indicators that help current libraries adapt to the current “COVID 19” situation. These social indicators are defined by expert research. Expert surveys are conducted individually, either directly, or in zoom meetings. Finally, the authors briefly illustrate the strategies that libraries can adopt towards the COVID-19 epidemic. They also describe some scenarios for the near future and point out some needed requirements for the future to cope with pandemics.