26.03.2019 – 28.04.2019

Visitors are welcome to explore the exhibition of the works by fifteen students of Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA) which is held at Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania until 28 April. The event is based on the open public exhibition of the works created by the students of the Department of Sculpture organised every winter where students of all levels present their work, all in one space. The selection of the artists and their works for this exhibition was not confined to such criteria as the same year of study, same underlying topic or artistic style. According to the exhibition architect, Gediminas G. Akstinas, different experiences and styles of the artists come together in an unexpected yet harmonious way once they are arranged in the same space.

On 23 and 24 of March, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania held a Francophone film festival which brought together dozens of people who love or are involved in the French language, French-speaking countries and their cultures. The festival saw the screening of as many as 9 films which represented different countries: Moldova, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. The representatives of the embassies of the francophone countries to Lithuania gave their welcome addresses and introduced the attendees to the films reflecting their countries. The Francophone Film Weekend is just one part of the broader National Library programme dedicated to celebrating International Francophonie Day. This day has been celebrated since 1990 and symbolises peace, unity and solidarity among the nations.

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania would like to invite you to Spring Exhibition 2019, which will present works of students from the Department of Sculpture at the Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA). The reference point for this exhibition is the annual open critique and review sessions of the Department of Sculpture, which allow audiences to see student works from all years in one space. Based on the model of those review sessions, the artworks on display at this exhibition are not limited by selection criteria such as year, theme or artistic direction. Curated with the students of the VAA Department of Sculpture, the Spring Exhibition 2019 provides an opportunity to see the works of fifteen authors that are distinctive for the consistent creative approach, ideas and aesthetic execution. In addition to this, the exhibition also shines a light on the collaboration between two educational institutions, revealing not only their ways of operating, but also what is fated to be unseen. In a certain sense, the situation of this exhibition is akin to a geological map, a diagram of a cross-section of the earth’s crust showing the uncovered geological layers and indicating what maybe lies beneath the surface.

German Historical Institute Warsaw and its branch office in Vilnius organize a conference “Everyday Life History and its Approaches to Writing the History of Twentieth-Century Europe”. The conference will take place at Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January), Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania holds the exhibition entitled “To Me There’s No Other Choice” organized by the Swedish Institute. It is dedicated to Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg who has been designated as a Righteous Among the Nations. In 1944, this Swedish diplomat worked in the Nazi-occupied Hungary and saved thousands of Hungarian Jews by distributing certificates of protection to Jews and providing shelter to them in the buildings which came under the Swedish jurisdiction. After the Red Army seized Budapest in 1945, Wallenberg was arrested by the KGB and subsequently disappeared, never to be heard from again. It is believed that he died in the KGB Moscow prison in 1947.

“It’s always an achievement to meet a fellow human being,” said one of the organizers, Karolis Vyšniauskas, at the opening of the podcast exhibition, probably the first of its kind in Lithuania, set in the dimly lit Exhibition Hall of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. He is a co-editor and host of Nanook, the team of media professionals creating new-generation Lithuanian journalism.

23.01.2019 – 17.03.2019

“Journalism, like no other profession, is special in the way it allows you to meet another person. A microphone changes the atmosphere between two strangers. They start talking,” said the organizers of the exhibition, the Nanook team of media professionals creating new-generation Lithuanian journalism.  They invite everyone interested in the socio-political situation and communication to visit the Exhibition Hall of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

Dear All,

It is through our joint efforts that we have succeeded in enhancing the visibility, voice and reputation of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania during this anniversary year. We have proved that we possess immense potential for change and growth. We have accomplished a great deal so far and achieved positive changes.

“I do not see any programme or strategy for protecting our spiritual oceans with its fauna and all the life in them,” said Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, Chairman of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas and former factual Head of State, at the international conference “The National Library’s Role in Cultural Diplomacy”. He suggested holding events on this broad and relevant topic at least once a month, if not every week.

A few dozens of new additions in English and Russian languages have arrived on the shelves of the Leisure Books To Borrow collection at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. Sapiens and Homo Deus by Y. N. Harari and Vegetarian by H. Kang are among the most talked-about books so far this year. Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey is a début collection of poetry by an Indian-born Canadian poet. This internationally acclaimed and New York Times best-selling book has stirred up a storm in social media and has been translated into 35 languages including Lithuanian. Legal thrillers by J. Nesbo and J. Grisham are perfect for those who like unexpected plot twists, while classic literature lovers will enjoy the works by R. Bradbury, V. Woolf, G. Orwell, M. Attwood, E. M. Remarque, H. Balzac, or V. Nabokov.

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania hosted a celebration of the 400-year anniversary of Grammar of the Slavic Language (Букварь языка славенска). According to the organiser of the event, the Belarusian embassy in Lithuania, 2018 marked an important event in the history of the work – the completion of its publication in facsimile as part of an international research and publication project.

While implementing one of its most important strategical objectives of being a reliable partner in developing access to knowledge and information, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania has signed an agreement with OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) for becoming a participant of the VIAF (Virtual International Authority File) system. The main goal of the VIAF system is to link authority records from national bibliographic agencies from across the globe into a shared public-access system for searching nationally or regionally approved forms of authority records that meet the needs of all global users for using records in desired language variations, character set, and spelling. VIAF participants include national libraries and other organizations in 38 countries responsible for the creation of national authority records since 1998.

Dear visitors, on the 23rd of November the National Library is closing at 3 p.m.

The exhibition of historical records “We want to be free, we will be free!” is dedicated to the formation of the State of Latvia. In exhibition, which is held at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, you can also explore Latvia’s neighbor countries Lithuania and Estonia, Poland and Finland, which were founded or reinstated after World War I and also celebrate their centenaries in 2017–2018.

We invite you to visit the National Library Judaica Research Centre's exhibition “Reflections in a Shattered Mirror” dedicated to the Centenary of the Restored State of Lithuania.

On 2 November, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden Maria Christina Lundqvist paid a visit to the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The guest was intrigued by the library’s Judaica collection as well as Vilna Collections Project implemented in cooperation with YIVO Institute in New York, both of which have received substantial coverage in the Lithuania and foreign media. The Ambassador visited the Reading Room and YIVO space at the Judaica Research Centre where she had the opportunity to explore the centre’s latest stand exhibition titled “Reflections in a Shattered Mirror”.

On 25–26 of October Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, participated in the international conference entitled “Imagine a National Library” held at the National Library of Estonia. The event was dedicated to the 100th year anniversary of the main library of Estonia. The following were the main topics discussed at the conference: the challenges of the digital age, libraries’ engagement with society, social role of libraries, the library as a physical and virtual space, current functions and future prospects of national libraries, national libraries and cultural heritage.

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to watch the visual essay by Swedish artist Ingela Johansson on Gotland Communiqué – a document, signed by Lithuanians from all over the world in Katthammarsvik, island of Gotland, in August 1989, on seeking their united, vital goal − Independence of Lithuania.