In times of hardship, individuals turn to one another to overcome, to recover, and to rebuild. The places where communities meet, where they can access services, and come together to support one another are therefore important for building community resilience.
For the library profession, the importance of sharing information, serving their communities, and cooperating with colleagues from around the world are not minimised in times of crisis – they are strengthened.
IFLA stands in solidarity with our colleagues in Ukraine and joins the international community in an urgent call for a ceasefire. Our thoughts and sympathy are with the victims and our colleagues, the library and information workers in Ukraine, who with their communities are suffering from a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe.
Open Data Day is celebrated on 5 March each year and provides an opportunity for open data advocates and practitioners to mark successes and explore key questions. We talked to the Library Map of the World contributors about importance of publicly accessible, up-to-date and high-quality data about libraries.
IFLA stands in solidarity with our colleagues in Ukraine – condemns all violent actions and joins the international community in their statements on the situation.
In October 2015, Natalya Sharina, Director of the Library of Ukrainian literature in Moscow, was arrested and charged on suspicion of inciting hatred or animosity towards a social group. The justification? Allegedly holding banned books in the library she ran. IFLA President Donna Scheeder has written once again to the judge and prosecutor, calling for the case to be brought to an end.
IFLA believes that libraries and librarians have a key role in supporting human rights, including freedom of access to information and freedom of expression, and an attack on libraries or librarians is an attack on democracy and culture.
The National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine was in the center of the anti-government clashes in Kiev in January/February 2014.