ХI International Bibliological Conference

On April 16th–17th, the National Library hosted the ХI International Bibliological Conference “Book culture of Belarus of the XІ – early XX centuries”.

Since 1998, the book lectures have been among the major events uniting scientists and experts of different countries engaged in the study of Belarusian book culture.

The current conference is a good continuation of the existing tradition. It gathered scientists from Belarus, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. During two days there took place a plenary session, four lectures, two thematic blocks and a round table.

Since 1998, the book lectures have been among the major events uniting scientists and experts of different countries engaged in the study of Belarusian book culture.

The current conference is a good continuation of the existing tradition. It gathered scientists from Belarus, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. During two days there took place a plenary session, four lectures, two thematic blocks and a round table.

Most part of papers was dedicated to the activity and heritage of outstanding representative of Belarusian culture of the Renaissance – Francisk Skorina whose 525th birth anniversary is celebrated thus year. Papers were read within the bound of the plenary session and at the section ”The origins of Belarusian book printing”. Lecturers: Senior Researcher of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences (NAN) of Belarus, Associate Professor, Doctor of History Georgy Golenchenko, deputy director for research wor and publishing activity of the National Library of Belarus, Candidate of Culturology Alexander Susha, head of head of department of the Science and publishing centre “Nauka” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of History Dmitry Bakun, director of the NAN Central Scientific Library named after Y. Kolas, Candidate of History, Associate Professor Alexander Grusha and others.

A special thematic block of the conference was dedicated to the book heritage of the Radziwills who went down to the history of book culture as editors and authors, founders of printing houses and libraries. Papers on the history of the Radziwills’ library in Nesvizh and the creative heritage of Maria Dorota Radziwill de Castellane whose 175th birth anniversary is observed this year were read. Lecturers: head of the rare book department of the Central Scientific Library Alexander Stefanovichч, head of the early printed book department of the Presidential Library of Belarus Valery Gerasimov , head of museum activity section (the Bibliology department) of the National Library of Belarus Ttaiana Zakharova, Associate Professor of the Belarusian State University, Candidate of History Anatoly Steburako.

The thematic section “The Vilna printer Martin Kuhta: to the 140th birth anniversary” was dedicated to one of the most known printers of Belarusian books of the early ХХ century. Lecturers: reviewer of the newspaper Sovetskaya Byelorussia Victir Korbut, Senior Researcher of the Museum of Belarusian Book Printing at the National Historical and Cultural Reserve in Polotsk Vera Oshueva and others.

Lecturers at the round table “The Suprasl hand-written and printed heritage”: curator of the manuscript department of the National Library in Warsaw, Magister Andrzej Kaszlej («Nieznany Kodeks supraski»), Professor of the Belarusian Sate University, Doctor of Philology Alla Kozhinova and others. Within the bounds of the event, a presentation of the book by head of the chair of history at the Central and Eastern Europe University in Bialystok, Doctor Habilitat, Professor Antony Miranovich «Rękopisy supraskie w zbiorach krajowych i obcych».

Sections “The book heritage of Belarus of the XI–XVIIІ centuries”, “Documental monuments as a source of research of the history and culture of Belarus”, “Traditions of Belarusian book culture of the XІХ – the first half of the XХ centuries” united bibliographers, linguists, cultural experts and historians engaged in the study of Belarusian printed and hand-written book heritage of the XI – the first half of the XХ centuries.

Lecturers: researchers and specialists of the National Library of Belarus, The NAN Central Scientific Library named after Y. Kolas, the Presidential Library of Belarus, the Scientific and Pedagogical Library, the Belarusian Agricultural Library named after I.S. Lupinovich, the National Historical Museum of Belarus, the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve in Polotsk, the Brest Regional Museum of Local Lore, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, the Minsk State linguistic University, the Polotsk State University, the Belarusian Research Institute of Records Management and Archival Studies, the NAN Center of the Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature, the Belarusiaj State Academy of Music, the Institute of Culture of Belarus, the Belarusian State Technological University.

Summing up the conference, participants of the ХI International book lectures noted that the preservation and study of book monuments and collections should have been carried out in a close interaction. For this purpose it is necessary to continue the cooperation and the coordination of activity at national and international levels on revealing, description and publication of documentary complexes important to national and world cultures, to maintain the carrying out of international and republican science and practical conferences, joint publications in the field of research and preservations of the book heritage.