The Scientific Council of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is an advisory body, the purpose of which is to advise the Director General of the National Library on strategic issues of management, research and development. The Research Council also helps to address other operational issues and contributes to the implementation of the main objectives of the National Library. After the end of the term of office of the representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Vilnius University, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO, and the Lithuanian Research Libraries Association for the period of 2018–2021, the new Council was formed. It includes:

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania has renewed strategies for the publication and promotion of its research journals. The process includes revision of the conceptual framework for the publishing of the journal Parliamentary Studies and the research journal Relevant Tomorrow, which is now under development; formation of new international editorial boards; and substantial updating of the Website of Parliamentary Studies. The first issue of the National Library’s new product, the peer-reviewed electronic bilingual research journal Relevant Tomorrow, is already on its way to the readers.

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the Director-General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas will be awarded the Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania in recognition of his merits to the Republic of Lithuania and promoting Lithuania internationally.

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is providing remote services. They encompass plenty of possibilities for the reading and learning people by providing interactive learning programmes, remote learning, lessons in history and heritage, etc. The National Library‘s virtual platform supports not only learning and self education but also leisure activities and we strongly recommend to use it.

The exhibition illustrates the wide variety of media that has existed in the diaspora since 1990. Presented in seven sections, it invites visitors to learn about both print media and electronic publications in Europe, USA, South America, Canada and Australia. A separate section is dedicated to publications that were repatriated to Lithuania, and another to radio and television programming that was important to the diaspora. Finally, the section “Communication on the Internet” is an overview of virtual forms of contact and information.

On January 27th marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we invite you to watch the documentary “Black Honey”. 

On 6^th January, the Speaker of the Parliament Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen met with the Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas.

Dear All,

At the junction of the old and the new year, we traditionally think over the expiring twelve-month period. In 2020, we lived and acted under the conditions of the global pandemic. There have been complicated situations, risky solutions, unfulfilled expectations, but we succeeded to stick together, persist and anchor ourselves within these “decomposing forms”.

After receiving support from the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania obtained a hundred and thirty unique printed and manuscript documents.

On 15 December this year, Director-General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas was elected as member of the Executive Committee of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the period of 2021–2024. On 16 December, Director-General Renaldas Gudauskas, who is representing memory institutions, participated at the first meeting. 

Acting Minister of Culture Dr.  Mindaugas Kvietkauskas awarded this year's Ministry of Culture awards to workers and creators, who were most deserving across various areas of culture and art. When congratulating the laureates, the Minister said that today those who are honored and rewarded are the ones responsible for tirelessly creating and nurturing Lithuanian culture. Head of Judaica research centre of the Department of documentary heritage research of the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library, Dr. Lara Lempertienė was awarded the prize for scientific research for bibliothecography, bibliography, book science research and practical activities in libraries.

On 23 November, there was a remote discussion dedicated to “Tsen Lider. Ten poems. Dešimt eilėraščių” by Avrom Sutzkever. This book was published this year by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and the Jewish Research Institute in New York (YIVO).

Curator of the exhibition „Shenot Eliyahu/Elijah’s Years: The impact of Vilna Gaon on Lithuanian Jewish Culture”, Head of the Judaica Department of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania dr. Lara Lempertienė invites you to a virtual tour, where you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the unique exhibits of the exhibition.

In 2017, a cache of Jewish materials was discovered in the  Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The discovery included a manuscript of  „Tsen Lider“ („Ten Poems“), a collection written and compiled by Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever while living in the Vilna Ghetto. This unique manuscript includes variants of later published poems and preserves Sutzkever's original spelling and punctuation. Sutzkever's manuscript, along with the other materials found in 2017, are being digitized as part of the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections Project.

The evening of 20 October saw the opening of the exhibition of publications and documents culminating the Year of the Vilna Gaon “Shenot Eliyahu / Elijah’s Years: the Impact of the Vilna Gaon on the Lithuanian Jewish Culture”. During the formal opening ceremony, the word shalom resounded time and again under the National Library’s vaults, a Hebrew word for wishing peace of mind and safety.

“The Torah herself spoke: I am the wisdom that has found refuge in the soul of Elijah, and through him I have become known throughout the world,” — this fragment of the epitaph, carved in the tombstone of Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, perfectly reveals the significance of this sage, better known as the Vilna Gaon, not only to the Jewish culture of Lithuania, but also to the whole world. Therefore, commemorating the year of Vilna Gaon and Lithuanian Jewish history, announced by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania prepared an exhibition, “Shenot Eliyahu/Elijah’s Years: The impact of Vilna Gaon on Lithuanina Jewish Culture” consisting of publications and documents.

In marking the significant role of the Jews of Lithuania and the vast influence of their diverse activities and culture during the entire history of the State of Lithuania from the middle of the 13th Century to the present day, the Seimas of Lithuania has declared 2020 the Year of the Vilna Gaon and of the History of the Jews of Lithuania.

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites visitors to the exhibition, displaying the works of the library workers.

On 17–20 August, Lithuania hosted the seminar of the national libraries of the Baltic countries LiLaEst2020, which took place in the Molėtai Region. This seminar is a biennial gathering of library professional from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania was represented by a team of the Library’s staff under the supervision of the Director General Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas.

The National Library of Lithuania congratulates its partner, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, upon the landmark event: the launching the first exhibition of its YIVO Bruce and Francesca Cernia Slovin Online Museum:  Beba Epstein: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Girl.