Ukraine’s temporary working group for the creation of the National Electronic Library has met to study Estonia’s experience in developing a national-level digital library. The meeting was attended by Rostyslav Karandieiev, First Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy, and representatives from Estonia, including Janne Andresso, Director General of the National Library of Estonia, and Kristel Weimann, Director of the Library Services Department.
Why Ukraine is Interested in a National Digital Library
In conditions of the destruction of cultural heritage, Ukraine wants to attract modern technologies to ensure free, fast, and unrestricted access to the heritage collected and stored in the collections of libraries, archives, and museums of Ukraine. The country plans to combine the efforts of the ICIP, the All-Ukrainian NGO Ukrainian Library Association, leading experts in the library, museum, and archival spheres, and attract the assistance of international partners such as UNESCO, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and foreign institutions to implement the National Digital Library.
Studying Estonia and Poland’s Experience
Ukraine is committed to learning from the experience of other countries that have already implemented a national digital library. Several members of the working group recently visited Warsaw to study the National Digital Library of Poland, and the processed material will be presented at a separate meeting of the working group. The deputy minister expressed gratitude to the management of the National Library of Estonia for sharing their achievements.
“I am grateful to the management of the National Library of Estonia for expressing their desire and allocating their time to familiarize the working group with their achievements. This information is extremely important for Ukraine. I hope for further fruitful cooperation,” said Rostyslav Karandieiev.
Ukraine is studying the best practices of other countries to ensure success in creating the National Digital Library. By combining the efforts of local experts and international partners, Ukraine hopes to ensure free, fast, and unrestricted access to the country’s documentary heritage.
