American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Cairo, Egypt

ARCE was founded in 1948 to support research in all areas of the history and culture of Egypt. The Marilyn M. and William Kelly Simpson Library of the American Research Center in Egypt, established in 1978 and significantly expanded in space and holdings from the mid-1990s on, plays an important role in strengthening the cooperation between American and Egyptian scholars. Through a recent agreement with the American University in Cairo, AUC graduate students have access to the ARCE library and ARCE staff and fellows in turn may use the AUC library. Graduate students from all universities in Egypt also access the library and ARCE is proud of the number of Egyptian graduate students taking advantage of that opportunity.

The library currently houses over 16,000 items, which include a number of private collections that have been acquired over the years. These donations include materials from Dr. Ahmed Fakhry, Charles Kuentz, Dr. Gamal Mokhtar, Dr. El-Sayyid El-Baz El-Arini, and Dr. Alexander Badawy. Also of note are the original materials of the savaging of Abu Simbel monuments from 1963-1968, and the Martha Roy collection of Coptic Music. Acquisitions also include rare sets of archeological reports, monograph series, and catalogues related to Egypt's past. Particularly important new additions to the library are the final reports from the Egyptian Antiquities Development Project (ADP) and the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP) project directors and principal investigators on restoration and conservation of Egyptian antiquities. ARCE is the only library that holds these reports. The materials in Arabic include journals, indices, and catalogues of Egyptian library collections and the Egyptian museum. Of special note is the Photostat collection of Ibn Sina's (Avicenna) works in Arabic. Priorities for holdings development include the modern history and social cultures of Egypt and the Middle East as well as works on restoration and conservation of antiquities are a priority for future acquisitions.