Ukraine and Libraries

Overview

Ukraine and Libraries

On June 15, 2022, the San Jose State University School of Information hosted a symposium regarding the conditions of services of Ukrainian Libraries during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Following the event, Dr. Ulia Gosart, Dr. Anthony Chow, and Dr. Sue Alman have been raising funds to continue supporting the efforts of librarians in Ukraine. The GoFundMe fundraiser was created in collaboration with Liudmyla Diadyk to purchase and ship a high-end scanner for the Cherkasy library, which would allow librarians to preserve Ukrainian cultural artifacts to be included in the first National Digital Library of Ukraine. The GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-ukrainian-libraries

2023 Events

Rural Libraries of Ukraine during the Ongoing War
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time

The San José State University School of Information hosted its symposium on rural libraries in Ukraine. You can read more about the symposium keynote speakers here. The video of the symposium is available below.

Past Symposia

Ukrainian Libraries during the Wartime: A Year in Review
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time

The SJSU School of Information hosted a free online symposium on Ukrainian Libraries. Topics that were discussed include: Development of the First National Digital Library of Ukraine, Survey of the State of Public Libraries in the Country, Works of Cherkasy Regional Libraries Networks in Supporting Victory, and Helping Libraries to Protect Cultural Heritage.

For more on this event, see our recap here.

Transcript here (PDF, DOC).

Ukrainian Libraries during the Ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War

On June 15, 2022, the SJSU iSchool hosted a symposium titled, “Ukrainian Libraries in the Ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War” (Transcript: PDF, DOC). The symposium began with opening remarks from Oksana Boiarynova, representative of the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA), followed by several presenters who spoke on the status of libraries in the Kharkiv, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine.

Library and Information Science Best Practices

Best Practices from “Ukrainian Libraries in the Ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War“:

  • Amplify Ukrainian voices and perspectives. 
  • Seek out ways to work with individual libraries and librarians in order to help respond to community needs. 
  • Continue to critically re-assess our roles as information professionals and library stewards in the contemporary world.

Community Profiles

Dr. Ulia Gosart

“In the Cherkasy region and my hometown, Cherkasy, public libraries are working toward victory. Local women are coming to the library to assemble food packages for the army, create camouflage nets, and make balaclava helmets. Some libraries in Ukraine – like the Lesya Ukrainka Public Library in Kiev – are sending Ukrainian books to countries where refugees are located, such as Poland.”

– Dr. Ulia Gosart: Assistant Professor at SJSU School of Information

“Throughout the COVID pandemic, I was reminded of the value of libraries in serving their communities in times of crisis, especially in rural areas…After attending the Ukraine Libraries symposium, I contacted my professor, Dr. Alman, who put me in touch with Dr. Gosart who was very warm and welcoming. Dr. Gosart’s strong relationship with libraries in Ukraine, Cherkasy in particular, makes our work even more rewarding as it directly helps the libraries support their communities in both the short- and long-term. As a faculty leader and mentor Dr. Gosart is open to student ideas and interests and is a joy to work with on these initiatives. I look forward to our continued work to support the Ukrainian libraries during and after this war.”

– Jennifer Hayes: SJSU iSchool MLIS Student

Professional Associations

Ukraine Library Relief Fund

Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine

Bibliography

Ukrainian Libraries During Wartime

External News Reports

Videos