Mar 1, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
France
We are all watching with concern and a feeling of helplessness as the military invasion of Ukraine takes place.
At our level, we can only express our solidarity with our colleagues and with all Ukrainians. We support and relay the press release of the European Federation of Library Associations
In response to the call from the Ukrainian Library Association, EBLIDA, NAPLE and the “Public Libraries 2030” program are urging libraries across Europe to mobilize for accurate information to be disseminated on the conflict as way to support democracy and freedom of expression.
Today, we can support freedom and peace with our tools and on our own scale, by disseminating verified information. We are able to help citizens understand the situation, the issues and the respective positions and defend access to information as a necessary condition for democracy.
The Livr’exil commission proposes – in the event that the situation leads colleagues to come and settle temporarily or not in France – to serve as an interface to help guide librarians who are forced into exile. The resources of the profession at European and French level can be mobilized to support any needs.
In the event that the situation leads colleagues to flee Ukraine and settle, temporarily or not, in France, the French “Livr’exil” commission is ready to serve as an interface to assist librarians who would like to pursue their professional activity. The professional resources at European and French level can be mobilized to support their needs.
Letter from the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers to encourage the purchase of Ukrainian books by libraries
Mar 1, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
The Netherlands
We zijn geschokt door de Russische inval in Oekraïne en hoe de situatie zich ontwikkelt. We leven mee met iedereen die de gevolgen ervaart van deze oorlog.Inhoudsblokken
Als Nederlandse bibliotheken maken we ons daarnaast grote zorgen over de gevolgen van de oorlog voor bibliotheken in, en het geschreven erfgoed van Oekraïne. We spreken onze steun uit voor onze collega’s daar.
De European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA), NAPLE en Public Libraries 2030 hebben zich namens alle aangesloten Europese Verenigingen van Openbare Bibliotheken uitgesproken tegen de Russische inval in Oekraïne.
Bibliotheken worden onder meer aangemoedigd om samen met hun gemeente(n) en NGO’s Oekraïense vluchtelingen lokaal zo goed mogelijk op te vangen, te ondersteunen en praktische hulp te bieden.
Wij steunen deze oproep en vragen Nederlandse openbare bibliotheken om lokale initiatieven actief met elkaar te delen.
VOB, SPN, FOBID en KB
Feb 28, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
International Organization
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken us all to the core. The COSEELIS Committee confirms our support for Ukraine and Ukrainians, those in the country and the diaspora and those who are currently seeking refuge elsewhere. The primary impact of such terrible events is always on the most vulnerable.
The library community has joined academics in condemning the invasion and in expressing support for Ukrainians and for Russians who do not want this war. You can see some of the main bodies’ statements here:
BASEES: http://basees.org/news/2022/2/24/basees-statement-on-russias-act-of-aggression-against-ukraine
ASEEES: https://www.aseees.org/advocacy/aseees-executive-committee-condemns-russias-military-assault-ukraine
CILIP: https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/597028/Statement-of-solidarity-with-librarians-archivists-and-information-professionals-in-Ukraine.htm [note that you can add your own name to this statement]
What can we in COSEELIS do as individuals and as library professionals? As individuals, we can write to our MPs to ask for sanctions to be upheld and for meaningful support for the Ukrainian people and refugees (through, for example, the waiving of visa requirements), we can sign relevant petitions, we can help inform others about the situation and call out fake news, and we can give financial and other support to charities working on the ground. The Cambridge University Ukrainian Society, among many others in the UK, has compiled a list of ways to help: https://cuusblog.wordpress.com/2022/02/26/how-you-can-support-ukraine-right-now/
As library professionals, we can also help in practical ways. There are initiatives such as this one to try to help the Ukrainian library and archive community protect and share their holdings: https://twitter.com/anna_kijas/status/1497736861128794112?cxt=HHwWgIC56azvg8kpAAAA We encourage COSEELIS mailing list members to share similar initiatives through the list. The Committee can compile a list of them on the COSEELIS blog.
We also realise that the war will have an inevitable impact on our suppliers in Ukraine, Russia, and probably Belarus. The impact on our readers is important, of course, but so is the impact on individuals and businesses we have all had long-standing relationships with. We are thinking about arranging a session for librarians to share our experiences and discuss the situation.
Finally but by no means least importantly, we express our deep sympathy for those in the UK Slavonic library community with family and friends in Ukraine.
Feb 28, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
United Kingdom
We the undersigned, representing the UK community of librarians, archivists and information professionals, wish to extend our solidarity and support for our professional colleagues in Ukraine during the current military action by Russia.
We are gravely concerned at the threat posed by this action to the safety of the Ukrainian people, their heritage and identity, as well as to the security of our professional colleagues.
Ukraine is a nation with a rich literary heritage and tradition. Its libraries and archives are home to great collections of works of literature, history and research, documenting the development of Ukrainian culture, identity and language. It is of vital importance to ensure that this body of knowledge, research and creativity is protected for future generations.
The integrity of the public record as well as the safety and intellectual freedom of the civilian population are pre-requisites of any Nation State that aspires to legitimacy or credibility within the international community.
Librarians, archivists and information professionals play a vital role in promoting reading, literacy and access to information for the citizens and communities they serve. It is essential that they are permitted to continue this work in safety and free from coercion or threat.
We encourage political leaders in the UK Government and international community to work together in order to restore peace and security for Ukraine as a member of the international community in good standing and subject to the international agreements and accords already set in place to guarantee this security, including compliance with the international obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, and its protocols.
The library, archive and information professional community in the UK will work with our colleagues around the world to offer whatever support and solidarity we can to our professional colleagues in Ukraine.
Signatories
Alison Tarrant, CEO, School Library Association
Professor Alison Baverstock, Founder and Director of Reading Force
Ann Rossiter, Chief Executive, SCONUL
Amina Shah, Chief Executive, National Library of Scotland
Andrew Griffiths, CEO, Federation for Informatics Professionals in Health and Care
David C Prosser, Executive Director, RLUK
Heather Marshall, Chair of CILIP in Scotland Trustee Board, Senior Librarian, Glasgow Caledonian University
Isobel Hunter MBE, Chief Executive, Libraries Connected
Jeremy Jenkins, Chair, Art Libraries Society UK & Ireland
John Chambers, Chief Executive, Archives and Records Association
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive, The National Literacy Trust
Katharine Hogg, President, IAML (UK & Ireland)
Karen Napier MBE, CEO, The Reading Agency
Kate Robinson, President of CILIP and University Librarian, University of Bath
Liz Jolly, Chief Librarian, British Library
Lou Peck, Chair of CILIP Cymru Wales and CEO, The International Bunch
Lucy Crompton-Reid, Chief Executive, Wikimedia UK
Matthew Littleford, Chair, The Reading Agency
Nick Poole, Chief Executive, CILIP
Pedr Ap Llwyd, Chief Executive and Librarian, National Library of Wales
Richard Ovenden OBE, Bodley’s Librarian, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Sarah Mahurter, Chair, CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group
Sue Lacey Bryant, Chair, CILIP
Sign our joint Statement of Solidarity with colleagues in Ukraine
It can seem like a small thing in the face of such horrific circumstances but we know from prior experience that messages of solidarity are very important to colleagues who find themselves in theatres of conflict or disaster zones around the world.
We invite you to add your name to our joint Statement of Solidarity please click here. You may keep your job title and organisation private, although it will be used for individual verification.
Thank you for your support.
Feb 28, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
International Organization
IPA response to Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association
IPA Secretary General, José Borghino response to the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association
Dear Oleksandr,
Thank you for your open letter of 24 February. I am deeply saddened by what has happened in Ukraine and I pray that you, your family, your friends and all our publishing colleagues from the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association have been able to find relative safety. I have been in touch with your son, Andrew, who tells me that you and your wife are safe for the moment but that food is becoming scarce and that you sleep in air-raid shelters most nights.
In responding to you, I am relaying your call for support to all of IPA’s members, and I know that there are many already looking to find ways to support you.
We condemn this criminal Russian invasion in the strongest possible terms. The IPA was founded with the intention of supporting peace. Our first President, Georges Masson, stated at our inaugural Congress in 1896 that ‘the first International Publishers Congress … is one of many gatherings whose purpose is to multiply peaceful relations between nations, in encouraging the visible tendency of peoples to join more and more through a community of interests.’ Nothing in the intervening 125 years has changed that stance.
Our current President, Bodour Al Qasimi, also asked me to share the following statement on behalf of the IPA: ‘The IPA stands in solidarity with publishers in peril all around the world and, especially at this moment, with our member in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association. We are following developments and discussing how IPA can be of most assistance to our member. In times of peace, books have a powerful uniting force. In times of conflict, books are even more important in fostering hope, supporting reconciliation, and cementing peace.’
All our Ukrainian colleagues are in our thoughts, and I hope that peace will be restored very soon. I look forward to spending time with you all in Kyiv, at the Book Arsenal Festival or visiting Mikhail Bulgakov’s house. We send you our hopes, solidarity and love.
Yours sincerely,
José Borghino
Feb 28, 2022 | Statements/Appeals
Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
The morning of 24 February brought the shocking news of Russia starting a massive attack against Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have been sacrificing their lives and heroically defend their country against the aggression of the Russian Federation. The communities of the national libraries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia resolutely condemn the attacks on Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the aspiration of the Ukrainian people to live in a free, independent and democratic Ukrainian state, guided by European fundamental values. We support the desire for freedom of Ukrainian citizens and invite all libraries in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Europe and around the world to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to contribute to Ukraine’s victory in every possible way, i.e. providing financial donations and moral support. Our help is crucial for a free and independent Ukraine.
We appeal to international organizations representing and uniting libraries and scientific organizations: CENL (Conference of European National Libraries), EBLIDA (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations), IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), CDNL (Conference of Directors of National Libraries), LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries), NAPLE (National Authorities on Public Libraries in Europe), Public Libraries 2030, SPARC Europe and ALA (American Library Association) to immediately and explicitly condemn the aggression of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. We also call to suspend the membership of the Russian Federation in all international library organizations.
We all share common goals and values, and we commit to continue creating an inclusive information and cultural space that is free from misinformation, lies, hatred and war, and open to all. Let us use all tools at our disposal to win the information warfare. Libraries mean freedom. Libraries are the gateway to the future.
We all must and can contribute to strengthen democracy. All responsible people must understand that if we do not stop Russia’s impertinent aggression in Ukraine, everyone would find themselves in the face of calamity.
The slogan of the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov For Your Freedom and Ours! is more relevant than ever.
Janne Andresoo, Director General of the National Library of Estonia
Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania
Andris Vilks, Director of the National Library of Latvia
