Members of the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on Cultural Affairs visit the National Library

On June 12^th the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania was visited by an official delegation of the Committee on Cultural Affairs of the Swedish Riksdag. Ambassador Ingen Buxton and colleagues of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Lithuania accompanied the guests.

The Director General of the National Library, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, presented the Library as a modern knowledge space with excellent infrastructure that hosts events of national importance and political activities, is visited by high-ranking foreign politicians, heads of state, and diplomats, and hosts a wide range of educational and creative activities. R. Gudauskas revealed how a library accessible to the people can become a great place for cultural awareness, a creative environment facilitating self-creation and self-expression for every member of society, and presented the role of the National Library as a parliamentary library.

During a short tour of the Library, the guests heard the most important facts about the history of the National Library and got acquainted with the spaces that are not accessible to the public.

The delegation was briefed on the most important aspects of the National Library’s activities. One of them is the successful implementation of the early reading promotion project “Book Start” based on international experience. Other activities of the National Reading Promotion Programme were also presented. The delegation also visited the Children’s Space, which was established under the initiative and support of the Embassy of Sweden in Lithuania.

The guests were introduced to the diverse activities of the workshop, its initiatives, and support for the struggling Ukraine. They were introduced to the most pressing issues of the Library’s developments and future perspectives, as well as ongoing projects.

Dr. Lara Lempertienė, Head of the Centre for Judaica Studies, presented the National Library’s Judaica Collection and the exhibition “Reflections in a Shattered Mirror”, dedicated to the Jewish community of Lithuania between the World Wars.

In 2015, Queen Silvia of Sweden visited the National Library. “The Queen’s choice to visit our Library was not accidental – Sweden is famous for its special attention to children’s literature, its promotion and dissemination, and cultural exchange. The closer relations with the Nordic country have been successfully developed, with staff periodically sharing experiences, achievements, and ideas”, said the Director General of the National Library.

After the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, it was Sweden that was the first country to establish international links, which led to a major breakthrough in publishing, translation, reading promotion, and libraries for children. The National Library and the Lithuanian section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) have had close links with Sweden in this field for almost 30 years.