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.  

30.07.2018 – 30.09.2018

On the 9th of March, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania will host the meeting of the Prime Ministers’ Council of the Baltic Council of Ministers, the meeting of the prime ministers of the Baltic states and Poland as well as the official opening of the international exhibition “To Be Banned: Baltic Books 1918–1940”. 

The Minister of Justice of Moldova Prof. Dr. Alexander Tenase and the members of his delegation paid an official visit to the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The Minister A. Tenase was a long-time Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Moldova and previously taught constitutional law at Moldova State University.  The Professor kindly agreed to give an open lecture to the law students of Lithuania.

On the 26th of February, the Institute for Jewish Research (YIVO) in cooperation with the Centre for Jewish History opened an exhibition curiously titled “Jews in Space” at its headquarters in New York. It presents not only treatises on astronomy of Rabbis, ancient calendars and sky maps but also sheds light as to how Jewish astronauts celebrate Sabbath while in orbit.  We are happy to add that the exhibition also displays a copy of the 18th c. astronomy manuscript containing three-dimensional calendar tables which is kept at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

This year’s first international issue of the business magazine JŪRA•MOPE•SEA is focused on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ways to prepare for the advent of artificial intelligence. On this occasion the magazine’s editors have published an exclusive interview with Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, the director of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

The latest issue of The Baltic Times features a discussion between Rokas Tracevskis, senior researcher of external information field at Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Parliamentary Information Unit of the Strategic Development Department, and Ignas Stankovičius, head of the national library’s Parliamentary Information Unit of the Strategic Development Department. The expert on security policy shares his insights on threats to Lithuania’s security, hybrid war (which includes the ongoing information war currently waged by Russia as its crucial element), the experience of the January 13 events, the start of the formation of the Lithuanian military structures in 1991 and even his vision for Lithuania after twenty or even hundred years.

On the 1st of February 2018, the National Library opened an YIVO room with a view to strengthen the cooperation with the Institute for Jewish Research (YIVO) based in New York (United States), to improve the research of the Judaica documentary heritage and to implement the YIVO Vilnius project aimed at creating a digital library preserving the historical memory of East European Jews as well as to ensure its continuity. This room will accommodate activities related to the coordination of the project tasks and focused on more efficient dissemination of the Jewish documentary heritage stored at the National Library.

The reconstructed interior spaces of Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania continue to receive praise from the architectural community. The library’s interior created by the architecture studio 2XJ has recently been included among the world’s top five public projects at the prestigious 2017 awards held in China.

Dearest community members of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania,

The Judaica Research Centre of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to attend a series of lectures by two speakers from St. Petersburg which will explore Jewish cultural heritage and its uniqueness. This time we will approach this topic by focusing on tangible and even personal cultural heritage: pictures from a unique expedition and family relics passed down from generation to generation.