Gera diena!

Dear Lithuanian colleagues! Dear friends!

I want to congratulate you on Lithuanian Library Week on behalf of the Ukrainian library community!

Everyone knows that libraries are educational spaces where librarians every day teach and help everyone to get new knowledge and skills, and improve critical thinking.

Everyone knows that libraries are places of safety and freedom where everyone gets free access to information and the internet, support and assistance in solving life challenges.

Everyone knows that libraries are powerful places where people find themselves. Every day librarians instill a love to book, mother tongue and Motherland.

You, Lithuanian librarians, every day make stronger your people and your state.

On February 24, we all woke up in another world. And I'm not just talking about Ukraine. People in every country woke up in another world.

Russia has started a full-scale war not only with Ukraine but with the whole civilized world. All civilized people are horrified by the barbarism of the Russian military in Ukraine.

War crimes, crimes against humanity and the genocide of Ukrainians are that "рускій мір" brought to our land.

Today Ukraine is fighting not only for our independence and for the future of our children. Today, Ukraine is fighting for the future of Europe and the future of the world.

You and I know these aren’t pathetic words, but the truth.

Now Ukrainian librarians, together with all the Ukrainian people are fighting against Russian aggression.

Each of the Ukrainian librarians brings our victory closer with his / her work!

We are infinitely grateful to you for your support in this difficult time for Ukraine!

We are grateful to the people and the Government of Lithuania. We are grateful to Lithuanian librarians especially. Your support is very valuable.

The first letter of support which I received on February 24 was from the President of your library association. Yolita Steponaitienė, thank you!

In the first days of the war, the National Library of Lithuania supported us. Thank you, doctor Renaldas Gudauskas!

Both the National Library of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Library Association supported our Appeal to IFLA – to exclude all Russian institutions from IFLA members.

Our statement “Ban all relations with Russian librarians, libraries, and library associations” was signed by a lot of Lithuanian librarians.

You have supported us financially.

Your country accepts Ukrainian refugees, and you, librarians, are doing everything possible to make it easier for Ukrainians to adapt and live in your country.

Friends, we are sincerely grateful to you for this. We feel your support, your friendly shoulder. This friend will not fail and will not leave in calamity.

I’m so sorry I can`t be with you now. But I am happy to say these words of thanks to you.

At the beginning of April, we had to hold a conference on strategic management in the Library of Kyiv Polytechnic. We will definitely hold this conference and many other conferences after our Victory. I invite all of you to Ukraine. And we, Ukrainian librarians, will definitely come to you for your conferences.

This will be after our Victory. And we will definitely win! And I know that this Victory will be our common Victory. The Victory of truth over lies, the Victory of light over darkness, the Victory of good over evil!

The librarian community is a great force!

Ačiū!

Дякую вам!

With love from Ukraine,

Oksana Brui,

Ukrainian Librarian

Library Director of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and

President of the Ukrainian Library Association