An important year approaches for the National Library’s community: the library will soon mark its 100th year anniversary.  In preparation to commemorate its centenary in 2019, today the library publicly introduced its new representation video.  The video was screened today to the entire library community during the lunch break. 

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to participate in the lecture hosted by Vasiliki Eleftheriou, Architect Engineer, Director of the Acropolis Restoration Service, Hellenic Ministry of Culture & Sports.The lecture will present the architecture and the construction of the monuments, especially of the Parthenon, the damages and their causes, and will focus on the principles, the methodology and the results of the current restoration.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Congress and General Assembly that took place in August 24–30 in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur closed with the motto “Inform, Reform, Transform”.  The conference brought together more than 3,500 delegates from over 110 countries and saw over 250 open sessions and seminars with more than 600 speakers and announcements.  IFLA President Glòria Pérez-Salmeró’s address summed up the highlights of this year’s conference: “We are the beginning of a movement... We are building a better world. Not only with nice words but through concrete steps to build a stronger, more inclusive ILFA. A trusted voice, a strong voice, a reference point for us all.” During the conference in Kuala Lumpur, the leading organization that brings together representatives of the library field presented a new organizational strategy which will ensure its sustainable development, a new IFLA governance structure and changes in the library field. 

Lithuania will host European Jewish Culture Days during the first week of autumn.   For this occasion, the Judaica Research Centre of Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to visit the exhibition “Lighting Memory” dedicated to the poet Avrom Sutskever (Abraham Sutzkever).  The author of the first published memoir of Vilnius ghetto and participant of anti-Nazi Resistance contributed to the flourishing of Jewish Vilnius and provided testimony of its destruction by immortalizing it in our memory.

After the historic forum of the Israeli and Baltic prime ministers which took place at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania on 24 August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the library on Sunday, 26 August, for yet another, slightly more emotional meeting – an introduction to the Judaica Research Centre of the National Library’s Documentary Heritage Research Department (DHRD) and its unique collection of Jewish books and manuscripts. This stop had not been included in the official itinerary of the visit and was organised at the personal request of the prime minister, who proudly calls himself a litvak and is exceptionally interested in the past and present of the Jewish community of Lithuania and Vilnius. Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah were accompanied to the Judaica Research Centre by the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania, Amir Maimon, the Lithuanian ambassador to Israel, Edminas Bagdonas, the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, Linas Linkevičius, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Faina Kuklianski, and journalists from both Israel and Lithuania.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his historic visit to Lithuania. Today, after a meeting with President Dalia Grybauskaitė at the Presidential Palace, the Israeli prime minister and members of his delegation arrived at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania for an informal meeting with the three prime ministers of the Baltic states.

The Locarno Festival, one of the most famous film festivals in the world, was held in Switzerland between 1–11 August 2018. The following Lithuanian films were included in the festival programme: Acid Forest (Rūgštus miškas), a documentary by director Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Caucasus (Kaukazas) by director Laurynas Bareiša, and Trote (Risčia, director Xacio Baño), a Spain-Lithuania production.  The event also included a presentation of other projects representing Lithuanian culture. A well-known Swiss gallery owner and art collector Arminio Sciolli organized an event entitled “10 Days in Lithuania” in Locarno at the beginning of August. It was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Vilnius collaborating with National Library of Lithuania will present photographic exhibition, where is shown the unforgettable contribution of people to the restoration of a magnificent monument.

Prof. Kęstutis Vasiliūnas, in partnership with the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, has announced the opening of the 8th International Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius which revolves around the topic “Memento Mori”.  This year the exhibition has invited artists to reflect not only on the theme of impending death but also on life.

Have you ever thought what role people play in large restoration projects? Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Vilnius collaborating with National Library of Lithuania will present photographic exhibition, where is shown the unforgettable contribution of people to the restoration of a magnificent monument.

On 10–13 July an international gathering of the representatives of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian national libraries, LiLaEst 2018, was held in the Niedras campsite in Dobele district, Latvia, which was dedicated both to commemorating the 100 years of independence of the three countries and to marking the 50th anniversary of their friendship. The first LiLaEst gathering was held in 1968 in Lielupe, Latvia.

The “8th International Artist's Book Triennial Vilnius 2018” is a continuous international educational project. The exhibitions held as part of this project are among the most important “Artist's Books” exhibitions both in Europe and globally. The triennial is relevant for both its participants and visitors for several reasons: primarily due to the particularly high level of quality of exhibits and also due to the increasing popularity of the “artist's book” as an interdisciplinary art which can be pursued by all kinds of artists, students and even children.

Please be informed that from July 1st to August 31st the National Library will switch to summer opening hours.

On 20 June, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library was visited by a delegation from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Every year, the delegation takes part in an international tour programme, officially known as the Lithuania & Poland Study Tour: exclusively for YIVO. Heading this initiative is Trinity College (USA) professor and good friend of the Judaica Research Centre, Samuel Kassow, who read a presentation on TheUniqueness of Jewish Vilnius during the opening of the centre in 2017.

On 20 June, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania hosted a meeting-discussion, initiated by the National Library’s branch of the Lithuanian Librarians’ Association (LLA), aimed at discussing the report on the IFLA Global Vision project.

At the initiative of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently Chairman of the Council of Women World Leaders, the international Women Political Leaders Summit was held on June 6–8.  In close cooperation with the organisers of the forum, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invited the public to participate in the meaningful public events organised as part of this initiative, including discussions, film screenings and practical workshops. In the discussions, leading women and representatives of the fields of business, academia and civil society discussed how to encourage the participation of women in politics, ensure equal economic opportunity and stop abuse against women.

On the 22nd of May, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania hosted an international conference titled “Library for Publisher, and Publisher for Library 2”.  In his welcome address, the National Library’s Director General Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas shared his excitement about the event and pointed out that it was one of the rare library events dedicated to discussions on intellectual products created by the National Library  and strengthening ties with publishers.

The Ministry of Culture allocated EUR 10,000 to the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania for continued promotion of access to the digital content of the YIVO Vilnius project.

On 17 April, the exhibition titled “Across the Ocean: The Age of Friendship between Lithuania and the United States of America” was opened at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The exhibition dedicated to the centennial celebration of the restoration of Lithuanian statehood was created by the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania in partnership with a team of historians brought together by the Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library-Museum.

Best wishes to all of you whose hard work, words and thoughts help make our National Library, Lithuania and the world a better place. This special holiday offers us an opportunity to slow down our fast pace of life. May this be a time for you and your family to reunite with kindness in your heart, to exchange wishes of good health, peace, and harmony, and may the Miracle of Resurrection inspire you all.