Projects placed on hold
Over the last few years, various sites have been proposed for the National Library: a 5-hectare plot on the University campus in Zografou, the Plessa army barracks on Mesogion Avenue (opposite the Sotiria Hospital) and another plot in Goudi. But they were rejected for reasons including distance from the city center, lack of communication with the responsible ministries and the areas’ overall unfeasibility. The problems started to pile up. After many delays, tenders and works incorporated in EPEAEK I and II were started: – The purchase of a building with a surface area of 10,000 square meters. – The digitization and archiving of a selected number of manuscripts codices and facsimiles (about 400) to preserve and develop the collection. – A study on the upgrading of the Microfilming and Automation Center. – Staff training. – The conversion of the general alphabetical catalog for the collections into electronic format. By August 2007, a fully automated system for cataloging the National Library’s material will have been completed. – An international tender to be lodged in April for the binding of newspapers and magazines. – Recording the Greek National Bibliography of 1989-2000 on CD-ROM. These are projects and programs that are just a part of the necessary infrastructure required by the National Library and which should not be under discussion in the 21st century.
