The library currently contains around 8000 books in Arabic and English. The contents of the library may be categorized as follows:

• Basic references in human rights e.g. in women’s rights, child rights, refugee rights, the International Humanitarian Law, international institutions and human rights education.

• The international instruments on human rights.

• The legislations relevant to human rights in the Arab world.

• The reports issued by the organizations concerned with human rights e.g. the Arab Human Development Report in Arabic and English, the reports of Amnesty International and the Human Development reports in Egypt.

• The reports issued by some research and human rights institutions in the Arab world e.g. the reports of the Egyptian organization for Human Rights, the Arab Organization for Human Rights, the Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners and the Arab Strategic Report.

• The Arab periodicals on human rights e.g. Al Seyassa Al Dawleya, Ahwal Masreya, the Arab Future, Israeli Selections, Al Ahram Strategic File, Al Igtehad, Arab Affairs, Democracy, Strategic files.

• Foreign human rights periodicals
  (Foreign affairs; human rights quarterly; journal of democracy)

• Press archive including more than 125 press files documenting the developments of the situation of human rights since 1997. the archive includes basic files on human rights in Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco and Kuwait. It also tackles election in the Arab world, political reform in Egypt, the Islamic movements in Egypt and the Arab world. There are also files tackling political thought, women’s rights, child rights, public opinion, the freedom of the press and the media, the International Criminal Court, the NGOs and syndicates, political and civil rights, the Copts in Egypt and Islam and secularism.

• The CIHRS publications including: Human Rights Debates, intellectual Initiatives, Averroes Periodicals, human rights education, university proposals on human rights, female initiatives, joint publications in addition to the periodical publications:

  • Sawasia: a monthly newsletter tackling human rights movement in the Arab world, specialized in covering the activities and projects of CIHRS, related to the current human rights debates. It aims at raising the awareness of human rights in the Arab world among the academia, researchers, journalists, artists and intellectuals – being the readership of Sawasia. 66 issues of Sawasia are published.

  • Rwaq Arabi: seasonal intellectual periodical concerned with human rights in the Arab world. It provides rational interpretations of the Arab Islamic heritage from a human rights perspective. It works on developing an Arab attitude towards philosophy and human rights. 37 issues of the periodical were published.

  • Varying visions: a non periodical newsletter concerned with the Middle East affairs from a democratic progressive perspective. It is selections from the MERIP publications offered to Arab readers. 10 issues were published.

The library offers the following services:

• Search in databases.

• Recently added newsletter.

• Offering books for reading in a relevant hall.

• Copying documents:
  the information center offers copying services for low price for photocopying the books, periodicals and reports in the library, under the following conditions:

  • Photocopy the library references only.

  • The purpose of photocopying is research and personal use only.

  • Maximum amount of Xeroxing per time is 30 pages.

• Review some electronic references (available on CDs).

• Current awrnnes:
  including a file to what is relevant to the latest references. It is auto-updated and provides the user with the latest references on the search subject. This service is available on the internet and can be used through personal email.

• Answers to inquiries:
  the library receives many inquiries from the visitors or via telephone, fax or email. They receive prompt answers on the references they should consult, the available databases, websites and other libraries.

• Internal reading