Category: Naujienos

Birth anniversaries of artistic director Jonas Jurašas and his wife, writer and playwright Aušra Marija Sluckaitė-Jurašienė are commemorated this [2011] year.

You are welcome to visit the virtual exhibition “Living with theatre…”, prepared by Lituanica Department especially for this occasion. The exhibition presents articles, published by theatre specialists, documentary video and audio material. All this help to reveal various work and creation of the artists, paying special attention to theatrical activities in emigration lasted for almost two decades.

Prominent worker of the National Library, former Head of Lituanica Department Silvija Marija Vėlavičienė passed away on September 5, 2011.

So little time left till issuing of her book “In Search of Lost Time”… The book, witnessing her very important work in book science, librarianship and culture during four decades devoted to the National Library.

Silvija Marija Vėlavičienė was born in May 19, 1941, Kaunas. She studied Lithuanian language and literature in History-Philology faculty of Vilnius University in 1958–1963. Since 1964 she worked as a bibliographer in the State Republican Library (now Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania), since 1987 she was the Head of Lithuanian Studies Department. Later (2001–2008) Silvija Marija Vėlavičienė headed the Lituanica Department of the National Library.

S. M. Vėlavičienė received the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (in 1997), the Commemorative Medal of 13 January (in 2002), Martynas Mažvydas award for contribution  to Lithuanian language, writing history and book art (in 2008).

All colleagues of Silvija Marija Vėlavičienė will miss her professional view, sincere advices, optimism, inspirational love for work. We lost a good friend, and family lost beloved mother, wife, grandmother and sister…

Certificate signifying that Lithuanian DP press collection of 1945–1952 has been inscribed in the Lithuanian National Register of UNESCO programme „Memory of the World“ as an object of documentary heritage of national significance was presented to director general of the National Library Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas during the ceremony in the office of Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO on June 28.
Prints of this collection stored in archives of Lituanica Department reflect complicated historical period after the World War II revealing situation of Lithuanians – displaced persons (DP) in WWII refugee camps in Germany.

The collection is started to form in 1990, after Lithuania regained its independence. At this time many foreign Lithuanian organizations and individuals sent to the National Library publications and periodicals issued in emigration in 1945–1990 and unobtainable in Lithuaniain Soviet times.

Collection stored in Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is a part of the Lithuanian National Archival Fund of Published Documents, comprehensively reflecting Lithuanian DP publishing in 1945–1952.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania brought from Italy a big number of documents, books and personal things donated to Lithuania after death of Daniela Lozoraitis, the widow of diplomat Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.

144 boxes (containing about 6,000 books) replenished the Lozoraitis Collection in holdings of Lituanica Department of the National Library. The collection was donated to the National Library by ambassador Kazys Lozoraitis in 2007.

Part of newly received collection includes publications from politics, history, law studies to works of Classics of World Literature (in Italian, French, German, English), art albums, creation of Lithuanian emigrants. There are a lot of autographed books – honor paid to ambassador Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. during period of his work in the Lithuanian embassy in Washington and his visit in Lithuania during the presidential election. Many books are marked with the autograph of Vincenta Lozoraitienė, what indicated that book belonged to the family library. Others have stamps of the Lithuanian embassy in Italy, consulate in Sao Paulo – the books were a part of diplomatic institutions of the Independent Lithuania.

It is significant that return of this part of the collection, giving more opportunities for researchers of historical, cultural and political sciences, fulfill desire of ambassador Kazys Lozoraitis to concentrate and preserve in one collection the library that had been collected for long decades.

The new virtual exhibition „Portraits of exodus artists: Stepas Zobarskas“, dedicated to 100 years birth anniversary of Lithuanian emigration writer, translator, editor Stepas Zobarskas, is prepared in the National Library.

The exhibition presents manuscripts, printed documents and photos exposing facts of life and work of well-known cultural figure. Diverse activity of Stepas Zobarskas is reviewed in articles, prepared especially for this occasion. You can listen radio-recordings where Stepas Zobarskas himself speaks about two decades of activity of publishing house Manyland.