Tag: Jolanta Budriūnienė

The Lithuanian Heritage School Teachers’ Visit

On August 2, 2019 a group of Lithuanian heritage school teachers visited the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. Teachers, who teach Lithuanian as a heritage language outside Lithuania, came to Lithuania to learn more about the new Lithuanian language teaching methods and share their own experience.

Teachers get acquainted with the traveling exhibition “Foreign Professional for Lithuania.”

Teachers from Egypt, United States of America, Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Russia, Estonia, and Belarus were welcomed by the director general of the National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Renaldas Gudauskas and the head of the library’s Documentary Heritage Research Department, Jolanta Budriūnienė.

A very rich one-day program was organized by the staff of the library’s Lithuanian Studies Unit. Valdonė Budreckaitė and Matas Baltrukevičius presented the traveling exhibition “Foreign Professionals for Lithuania” and the game “To Lithuania.” Dr. Ina Ėmužienė prepared a presentation about Lithuanian education in Lithuanian émigré radio programs. Prof. Dainius Vaitiekūnas, the head of the Lithuanian Studies Unit, shared his insights on the role of the media and the traces of intermediality in Lithuanian education.

The Baltic Diaspora Conference in Panevėžys

In May 2019, the Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Panevėžys County Public Library together with Vilnius University Faculty of Communication organized the 20th international conference dedicated to the Baltic diaspora documentary heritage from 1944 to 2018. This year, the annual event earmarked the Year of World Lithuanians.  

Jolanta Budriūnienė, head of the National Library of Lithuania Documentary Heritage Research Department, presented the paper in the conference

The organizers of the conference proposed more than ten subtopics, highlighting theoretical and methodological issues when dealing with the documentary heritage, cultural and scientific diaspora figures and their legacy, typology of publications and their repertoire, memory institutions and collections, archives, video and audio, as well as preservation, actualization, and digitization initiatives, new media, and the use of the diaspora documentary heritage for cultural communication.

The conference was carried out in two sections: “Archives, Collections and Obstacles in Getting Them (Back)” and “Cultural Press and Literary-Historical Reminiscences.” 25 presentations were presented at the event. For the first time, the conference expanded its geographic boundaries becoming international. Participants from Estonia and Latvia attended the conference.

A Film Director’s Visit at the National Library of Lithuania

An interview with Dr. Giedrė Milerytė-Japertienė

On January 17, Arvydas Reneckis, the director and producer of the American Lithuanian TV that ran in Chicago for 13 years, visited the National Library of Lithuania. Currently he works on a multi-part full-length documentary about Lithuanians and their history in the US. The guest was interested in the publications and manuscripts of American Lithuanians housed in the Library. During his visit, Reneckis filmed a few interviews for his new documentary. He interviewed Jolanta Budriūnienė, the head of the Documentary Heritage Research Department of the National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Alfonsas Eidintas, the ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania, Dr. Giedrė Milerytė-Japertienė, the head of the Lithuanian Studies Department, and Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė, senior researcher at the Lithuanian Department.

IFLA Satellite Meeting in Vilnius

National Library of Lithuania. Photo by Leonas Garbačauskas.

On 16-17 August, 2017, National Library of Lithuania will host the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Satellite Meeting. The participants will share their ideas on the challenge of multiple identities – multiethnicity in genealogy, local history and regional memory, as well as challenges and opportunities for libraries and other memory institutions. The presenters will discuss such topics as saving and promoting historical and cultural memories, supporting contacts and understanding between different local and regional communities and the role of libraries, museums and archives in participatory projects based on multi-ethnic and multi-generational collaboration.

Two representatives from Lithuanian Studies Department of National Library of Lithuania will present their papers. Senior researcher Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė will talk about oral history method as a very effective tool in researching local history and contributing to regional memory. Director of Documentary Heritage Research Department, Jolanta Budriūnienė, will discuss the role that documentary heritage of Lithuanian diaspora stored at the National Library of Lithuania plays.

Renovated National Library of Lithuania Seeks Cooperation with Lithuanians Abroad

Karile Vaitkute
Editor of The Lithuanian Museum Review

At the National Library of LIthuania, from left: Head of the Lithuanian Studies Department Jolanta Budriūnienė and The Lithuanian Museum Review Editor Karilė Vaitkutė.
At the National Library of Lithuania, from left:
Head of the Lithuanian Studies Department
Jolanta Budriūnienė and The Lithuanian
Museum Review Editor Karilė Vaitkutė.

After eight years of reconstruction the National Library of Lithuania was opened to the public. After the reconstruction, the Library will continue to be dedicated to the readers, but it will also host creative activities, projects and trainings. The
Library is going to work according to the model of the British Library.

In August of 2016 I had a chance to visit the renovated Lithuanian National
Library by an invitation from the Head of the Lithuanian Studies Department Jolanta Budriūnienė and the Department’s Chief Researcher Dalia Cidzikaitė. The Lithuanian Studies Department deals with collecting and showcasing books, periodicals and archival material published by Lithuanians abroad, including Lithuanian Americans. Mrs. Budriūnienė expressed a great interest in cooperation between the Lithuanian National Library and the Balzekas Museum which is one of the major centers of
Lithuanians in the US.

Chief Researcher Dalia Cidzikaitė at her work desk at the National Library of LIthuania
Chief Researcher Dalia Cidzikaitė at her work desk at the National
Library of LIthuania

At the moment, the Lithuanian National Library makes the publications of
Lithuanians abroad accesible to the public in the Library’s reading room. I was excited to see the latest issue of the Lithuanian Museum Review on the top shelf among other publicatios of emigre Lithuanians.Chief specialist Dalia Cidzikaitė showed me the holdings of the Lithuanian Studies Department. The archives hold books, periodicals and archival material including those that belonged to famous Lithuanians, such as Stasys Lozoraitis. Ms Cidzikaitė pointed out that books published by

Publications of emigre Lithuanians. The LIthuanian Museum Review magazine is on top shelf on the right.
Publications of emigre Lithuanians. The Lithuanian
Museum Review magazine is on top shelf on the right.

Americans of Lithuanian descent, such as their memoirs and/or fiction are very welcomed at the Lithuanian National Library. Those interested in donating are asked to contact Ms Cidzikaitė at dalia.
cidzikaite@gmail.com. The National Library has a variety of virtual exhibits
which might be of great interest to the readers. One such exhibit might be of particular interest as it deals with material published in foreign press during 1990, the year of restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

The Lithuanian Museum Review Jul – Sep 2016 Issue 255

 

A Third Seminar for Young Diaspora Researchers

Diaspora seminarThe Lithuanian Studies Research Department (former Lituanica Department) of the National Library of Lithuania hosted the third interdisciplinary seminar for young diaspora researchers on April 28, 2016. This year, the event took place at the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. Continue reading “A Third Seminar for Young Diaspora Researchers”