Employees of the Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI) have created two catalogues of Ukrainian books (children’s and adult literature) and the catalogue usage guide, as well as made a list of distributors, able to provide those books.
The catalogues include the latest and most topical book titles for children and adults, published by Ukrainian publishers. Thus, the catalogues are a very convenient and efficient tool for quick replenishment of libraries abroad.
We believe that by distributing catalogues of Ukrainian books among the international library community we can help Ukrainians abroad get access to books in Ukrainian. It has been scientifically proven that reading in one’s native tongue reduces stress for those forced to leave for other countries, which is why we are not only supporting our book publishing industry but also giving the feeling of home to those, who are far away.
Ukrainian publishers were engaged in the creation of the catalogues developed by the UBI.
Please, note that the catalogues are being regularly updated, so you should follow the latest publications and check out their availability in the catalogue.
Thank you in advance for distributing the UBI’s catalogues and Ukrainian books abroad.
Ukrainian books in each library all over the world!
Libraries are places of welcome and exchange of ideas, they work in favor of civil growth and “they are indispensable agents for promoting peace, democracy and the spiritual well-being of the minds of men and women” (Unesco Manifesto on libraries).
Freedom of expression, universal access to knowledge, culture and information are the values that unite libraries all over the world and allow us to work together, in the national and international institutions that we have given ourselves, regardless of the regimes and ideologies of the States of origin.
The University Library Center intends to give its contribution to support Ukrainian culture and deepen the theme of the conflict by enhancing its physical and digital collections, acquiring new printed volumes and new e-book titles on the MLOL- Media Library Online platform concerning history. , language, literature and in a broader sense the Ukrainian and Russian cultures.
We continue to promote a culture of dialogue and peace, for Ukraine and everywhere in the world.
We hope that these letters will receive a positive answer. Meanwhile, please do diffuse this information as widely as possible and send us details about libraries which may possibly be interested in implementing a programme of exchange.
Today, when Ukraine is fighting against Russian aggression and millions of Ukrainians are forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries, we thank all governments and peoples of those countries for support.
We know how much work your governments and your libraries are doing with Ukrainian refugees. We are very grateful to you for that.
Many of you have asked us for advice on how and where to buy books in Ukrainian. We know that in some countries active cooperation has begun with the Ukrainian Book Institute and some Ukrainian publishers and libraries, and books in Ukrainian are already being published and delivered to you.
Perhaps, in addition to printed books, you also offer readers electronic ones in your libraries through specific electronic platforms. Please send us information with which aggregators or publishers in your country your libraries are collaborating for purchase or ebook subscription. In our opinion, it will be good if there will also be books in Ukrainian on these platforms.
We want to help Ukrainian publishers do that.
Therefore, please provide us with the following information:
Ebook platform name and url;
the name of the company that owns this platform and the url;
contact person in the company (name, e-mail, tel.).
The National Széchényi Library (NSZL) of Hungary became actively involved in alleviating the difficulties caused by the humanitarian disaster in the aftermath of the war. On 9 March 2022, a fundraising campaign was launched among the staff, and from 16 March onwards, readers and local residents could also participate. As a result of the fundraising, sixty-seven boxes of non-perishable food, sanitary products and bottled mineral water were delivered to the national coordination centre of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid.
Since 21 February 2022, the NSZL has been continuously collecting news about the Russian–Ukrainian conflict and the war as part of its web archiving tasks. Considering that the war may threaten the availability and even the survival of the digital culture in or related to the Hungarian language in Transcarpathian region, the National Library has made the archiving of this web content a priority, with greater depth, scope and frequency than before. The number of websites backed up now stands at 1,370 sites. Some of the collected content will be made publicly available, depending on legal possibilities, while the rest will be available for consultation and research within the NSZL network. In all cases, the metadata is public. The web harvesting undertaken so far is complemented by relevant content from other online sources, primarily social media.
The staff of the Hungarian Library Institute and the National Library of Foreign Literature operated by the NSZL are in constant contact with Hungarian librarians in Transcarpathia. Based on the information received from them and other sources, a weekly update on the situation of libraries in Ukraine is released and is publicly accessible at the following link.
The national library, together with the Móra Publishing House, the Nova Hvylja Association, the Petőfi Cultural Agency and the Alföldi Printing House, released 1,500 copies of the Ukrainian translation of the Hungarian folk tale collectionRibizli a világ végén[Ribizli at the End of the World], which have been distributed to refugee children with the help of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Human Capacities, government offices and various humanitarian organisations. The book launch took place on 11 April in the form of a rich cultural event, with the participation of Dr. Zoltán Fürjes, Deputy State Secretary for Church and National Relations of the Prime Minister’s Office, and in the presence of refugee families.
