In line with the directives of Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, to enhance the skills of researchers and faculty members in handling digital knowledge resources, Dr. Hesham Said, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, attended the training workshop organized by the Faculty of Education, Alexandria University, under the title “How to Benefit from the Activities of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) and Access Databases and Knowledge Resources.”

The workshop was attended by Dr. Hassan Abdeen, Dean of the Faculty of Education; Dr. El-Sayeda Mahmoud Ibrahim, Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Research; Dr. Salem Abdel Razek, Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development; Dr. Mohamed Anwar Farag, former Dean of the Faculty; Dr. Alaa Jaafar, Director of the Digital Library Unit; Dr. Walid Ali, representative of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank; and Dr. Hassan Ashary, representative of the Supreme Council of Universities, along with a number of faculty members, researchers, and students.

In his speech, Dr. Hesham Said welcomed the attendees, emphasizing that this workshop represents an important annual meeting for the Digital Library Unit and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank — a pioneering national project that stands as one of the main pillars supporting scientific research and innovation in higher education institutions. He pointed out that the Alexandria University Digital Library is one of the leading projects aimed at modernizing and digitizing university libraries, greatly enriching scientific research by providing advanced digital services and access to up-to-date global resources, enabling researchers to obtain high-quality references and studies easily.

He added that the project contributed to establishing a unified catalog and digital repository for university theses, facilitating research accessibility and exchange among universities, improving research quality, detecting plagiarism, and promoting academic integrity. He also referred to the main challenges facing the use of digital libraries, stressing the importance of investing in infrastructure, intensifying training programs, and updating regulations to ensure optimal use of digital library resources.

For his part, Dr. Hassan Abdeen, Dean of the Faculty, urged attendees to benefit from the workshop, explaining that its goal is to familiarize participants with the main databases provided by the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, their optimal usage, and the scientific journals, e-books, and academic curricula they include across various disciplines.

Dr. El-Sayeda Mahmoud Ibrahim emphasized that the Egyptian Knowledge Bank is one of the largest digital libraries in the world, providing verified scientific resources and comprehensive databases that support scientific research and contribute to advancing the educational process in Egyptian universities.

Dr. Alaa Jaafar noted that the workshop coincides with the World Open Science Day (November 10) declared by UNESCO, highlighting Egypt’s leading role in promoting the culture of open science through the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, which is considered one of the most significant national projects for making knowledge accessible.

The workshop also included a detailed presentation by Dr. Walid Ali and Dr. Hassan Ashary on how to create and manage user accounts on the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, use academic search engines, obtain impact factor reports, check citations, and utilize research tools, software, and international databases available to researchers through the EKB.