Vilnius University Library

Vilnius University Library (VUL) is located in Vilnius, in southeastern Lithuania, the second largest city in the Baltic states. It was founded in 1570, so the library is almost 450 years old. VUL owns 5.4 million documents on shelves measuring 166 kilometres (103 miles) long. Among its treasures are some of the oldest manuscripts, early printed books, and engravings in Lithuania and Eastern Europe. VUL has 20 branch libraries that are located in different faculties and centers of Vilnius University. In 1993, the library acquired a computerized catalog. In 1999, an ambitious digitization project began to better preserve its collections of old books and manuscripts, making them available to researchers on CDs.

The philosophy, mission, and values of VUL are stated on its website:

• Established back in 1570, closely intertwined with the history of Vilnius University, Lithuania and Europe, during the long centuries Vilnius University Library has been fostering academic culture and traditions at the same time fearlessly facing challenges and introducing innovative solutions.
• Mission: In line with the mission of Vilnius University, to create an inviting environment that supports information search, studies, research, and cultural learning.

Our values:

TRADITIONS

• We foster the values of the University
• We are proud of the rich cultural heritage held in our library, we protect it and make it accessible to the public
• Building on the experience of earlier generations, we continue to establish new traditions

RESPONSIBILITY

• We are professionals striving for quality
• We encourage professional and personal growth of employees
• We honour our commitments and keep our promises
• Each and every one of us is an ambassador of our organization

PARTNERSHIP

• Our partnership with users and colleagues is based on trust and respect
• In providing our services we enhance the interaction between scientific research, studies and business
• In striving to achieve common goals we share our experience and knowledge

OPENNESS

• We value the freedom to express our attitudes, thoughts and ideas
• We create an open environment for studies, research, work and communication
• Our activities are based on transparent interaction with others

DYNAMISM

• We strive to anticipate and meet the changing needs of our users and even exceed their expectations
• We introduce innovative solutions and flexibility into our work
• We face challenges by taking creative and efficient decisions

Since 2009, the Director General of VUL has been Dr. Irena Krivienė. A philologist and librarian, Dr. Krivienė is a graduate of Vilnius University, where she has taught in the Faculty of German. Her professional experience at the library began as early as 1976. Among her other responsibilities have been serving as member of the Lithuanian National Committee and International Advisory Committee (IAC) for the UNESCO World Memory Program. When she was named library director, she stated:

This responsibility is first and foremost a great honor to lead the oldest Lithuanian library, which has the largest scientific and cultural heritage in Lithuania. VU Library is the largest library in the University of Lithuania. Therefore, this library should be able to provide quality information, as is required for scientific, and other, studies at Vilnius University. I understand that this is a huge responsibility, and it was difficult for me to decide to accept the rector’s proposal.

The library’s Rare Book Department owns over 160,000 items, some of them dating back to the 1400s.  It is one of the most significant collections in Eastern Europe. Among the collection’s treasures are over 300 books printed before the year 1500 and over 5000 books published in the 1500s. There are around 20,000 volumes published in the 1600s, including many important scientific and cultural works, and approximately 45,000 from the 1700s, including books from collections in private estates, religious organizations, and libraries of noted book collectors of past centuries.

The Rare Book Department also possesses 45 books printed by the much-esteemed Venetian publisher Aldo Manutius and his family, from the 1500s. It has over 400 copies of books printed by the Dutch publishers Elzevier from the end of the 1500s to the beginning of the 1800s, widely admired for their beauty. Other highlights include 675 copies of books published by Antwerp printer Christophe Plantin and his family in the 1500s.

Thousands of maps

The library’s collection of cartography, the study and practice of making maps, is one of its leading features, with about 10,000 items and about 700 atlases printed before the year 1900. This collection is based on the personal collection of Joachim Lelewel (1786 –1861) a historian, geographer, and bibliographer who studied at the Imperial University of Vilna, where he became a lecturer in history. Lelewel wrote many books, on such subject as the geography of the Arab people, and on geography in the Middle Ages. In his books, he personally engraved the reproductions of maps, to be sure that they were accurate. A room at VUL is named in honor of this energetic and adventurous researcher, commemorating his donation of over 5000 items from his personal library to VUL.

Among other highly valued collections is a donation of 90 items from the personal collection of the scientist and Franciscan monk Jurgis Pabrėža (1771–1849), a renowned botanist and investigator of the plants of Lithuania. A student of history, medicine, botany, chemistry, law, and theology at Vilnius University, he collected historical, ethnographic, and botanical materials while traveling the country, giving sermons as a priest. He wrote about 50 works on botany, some of which were only published long after his death.

Among the charming features of the Rare Book Department is a collection of over 350 miniature books, less than 100 millimeters, or four inches, high.

The Manuscript Department owns 265,000 documents, divided into 301 archival collections, written in Lithuanian, Latin, Polish, Chancery Slavonic, Russian, German, English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Swedish and other languages.

Thailand and Lithuania

In 2017, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė visited Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand to discuss strengthening bilateral relations as well as cooperation in economics, business, innovations and tourism. Protecting the rights, social security, and education of women and children were also discussed.  President Grybauskaitė pointed out that Thailand is the most significant investor in Lithuania from the ASEAN community. Potential collaborations on scientific lasers, biotechnology, and renewable energy are future possibilities. Currently, a Thai-owned factory that manufactures plastic granules is operating in Klaipėda, the third largest city in Lithuania, located on the Baltic Sea coast. In 2016, about 10,000 Lithuanian tourists visited Thailand. The President and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn also spoke about the fact that the Lithuanian language, like Thai language, was influenced by Sanskrit.

Artistic collaborations

In November, The Nation reported that the contemporary dance ensemble 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre led by choreographer Jitti Chompee has employed dancers from Lithuania on recent projects. Born in Bangkok, Khun Jitti graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, also studying classical ballet and modern dance in the Kingdom and overseas. He founded 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre in 2010, and a year later, was awarded a prize as outstanding young choreographer by the Goethe Institut Thailand.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)