Emerald Egyptian initiative creates 'world's largest digital library'

Emerald Group Publishing has signed a four-year agreement to provide Egyptian citizens with access to Emerald content via the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) project, thereby creating what the two protagonists are describing as the largest digital library in the world.

The EKB acts as a repository for content from prominent publishing houses and has been created as a catalyst to develop the Egyptian learning community.

The initiative to create the EKB has been led by the Specialized Council for Education and Research, which is one of four councils formed following a decree by the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. All four councils will act independently, with the other three councils focusing on economic development; foreign policy and national security; and community development.  

The EKB will give all Egyptian citizens access to the Emerald eJournals Premier Collection, eBook series and Emerging Markets case studies collection. Egyptian citizens and researchers will also be able to access Emerald research from anywhere within the country on any form of device, including laptop and mobile. The EKB has been designed to develop scientific research, promote teaching methods and develop ways to attract new students to academia, consequently increasing the impact of scholarly research.

Tarek Shawki, secretary general at the Secretariat for Presidential Specialized Councils in Egypt and chairman of the Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Research, said: 'The Egyptian Knowledge Bank is the first of its kind and provides a fantastic opportunity to provide all Egyptian citizens with access to high quality scholarly research via the largest global digital library.  

'We are looking forward to working closely with Emerald Group Publishing to provide world class content nationally, which will inspire and encourage innovation amongst Egyptian citizens with an aim to advance society and provide a rewarding future for all.'

Shariq Mumtaz, Emerald's managing director for the Eastern Hemisphere, said: 'This is a prestigious agreement for Emerald as a business and a positive initiative for the people of Egypt.  

'Emerald is delighted to be working closely with the Specialized Council for Education and Research to help Egypt achieve its mission towards building a well-educated society and further developing the Egyptian Learning Community.  

'The next four years provide a great opportunity for Emerald to help the Egyptian Government achieve its long-term goals for its country in the age of science and information.

'The positive intentions behind the EKB fall very much in line with Emerald’s desire to increase the impact of scholarly research for the benefit of society globally.'