Between April 17 and 21, the Rudomino’s All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature (Moscow) and the Maiakovsky’s Central city public library (St. Petersburg) hosted full–time training for young librarians as part of the international forum "Library Dialogue of the CIS Countries". The theme for 2023 is "Librarians are the Ambassadors of Culture".
The program was attended by young librarians from 7 CIS countries (from the national libraries of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) and 15 regions of Russia. The National library of Belarus was represented by Sviatlana Kazhamiaka, head of the Book exhibition organization section of the Gallery and exhibition activity department, and Viktoryja Zygmantovich, methodologist of the Corporate interaction department.
Lectures, presentations, master classes and round tables were held in libraries and museums of Moscow and St. Petersburg as part of the extensive program of the forum. The main topics of the forum were: the role of libraries in community, their activities to preserve and enhance cultural heritage in the context of globalization, opportunities for cooperation and participation of libraries of the CIS countries in international programs and professional associations.
The discussion's participants talked about the function of libraries in preserving historical memory and teaching the next generation to take responsibility for it. The electronic tool "Libraries are the Witnesses of Victory", developed by the Library of Foreign Literature in collaboration with a number of libraries in the CIS nations, was presented during the interactive lecture-workshop "People make history". The Republic of Belarus was represented by three stories of outstanding people who had met the Victory when they worked in the State Library of the BSSR named after V. I. Lenin. Sviatlana Kazhamiaka presented the author's biography of Igar Zholudzew, a notable Soviet librarian, head of the Foreign literature and international book exchange department.
The key event of the library dialogue was the 6th International forum "Changing Libraries' Future". During the forum, the attendees discussed the content of the document "Trend Report IFLA 2022" in relation to the activities and needs of libraries in the CIS countries and its main sections: "Inspire", "Involve", "Support" and "Unite".
The outcomes of the global creative competition "Threads of Culture-2023" on the subject of the cultural and historical heritage of the CIS countries were summarised at the conclusion of the forum. The tournament, which is being organised for the second year, aims to establish itself as a global forum for dialogue, knowledge sharing, the promotion of mindful travel, and the exposure of the distinctiveness of the cultural legacies and geographic regions of the CIS countries. Its nominees were 30 young "Librarians–ambassadors of culture". NLB’s delegates presented to the jury an essay about a book monument of the Enlightenment era-Nikolai Gusowsky's Latin-language poem "Song about the Bison" and an essay about the intangible cultural object "Budslavsky Fest". The names of the three winners as well as the winners in each category were decided. One of them, "Nation holidays", mentioned Victoryja Zygmantovich's work on Budslav pilgrimage.
Publications created under the "World Bilingual Library of Modern Literature" project activity were donated by the Library of Foreign Literature to the National Library of Belarus. These publications—almanacs, comics, and translated works—were made possible by imaginative competitions and initiatives aimed at fostering and assisting the careers of young contemporary writers, translators, editors, and cultural leaders.
The National Library of Belarus is grateful for the chance to take part in such a momentous occasion for the library community and is looking forward to collaborating with other organisations on similar educational projects in the future.
The article is provided by the Corporate interaction and the Gallery and exhibition activity departments.
