Ismail Serageldin, Librarian of Alexandria declared himself very pleased with the results of the experimental opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which attracted about 6-7000 visitors every day. Serageldin said that he found the public, mostly young persons, remarkably well behaved, and that they seemed to enjoy their visit. He said that the open stack system was an exercise in freedom and that the breadth of material available at the Library was the best defense against xenophobia, obscurantism and extremism of any kind.