Directors of European national libraries visit the BN
Between June 16 and 18, 2024, the National Library of Poland hosted the annual meeting of the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL). The meeting was attended by 62 people, including 33 directors of national libraries from all over Europe, from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan.
At the meeting, the national librarians discussed a range of topics, including the threats facing national libraries and how to counter them and the policy of legal deposits in an electronic age. Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director General of the National Library of Poland, spoke on the project to build a nationwide library network in Poland, which was met with great interest and admiration – particularly the fact that a large number of libraries of different types use a single catalogue and the library system run by the BN, and the fact that the cataloguing of new works is carried out within 24 hours. In a separate presentation, Sir Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library, outlined the causes, course and consequences of the massive cyber-attack on the British Library's servers and digital services.
Participants enjoyed a tour of the new reading rooms at the National Library, led by Deputy Director Julia Konopka-Żołnierczuk, and of the exhibition of treasures from the National Library in the Palace of the Commonwealth, led by Dr Tomasz Makowski.
On the Saturday evening, a number of the visitors attended the opening of the exhibition Cultural Genocide: Ukraine's Struggle to Preserve History and Identity.
CENL (Conference of European National Librarians) brings together 46 national libraries from 45 European countries. Members of CENL are the national librarians of the member states of the Council of Europe. Since 1987, CENL has worked to reinforce the special role of Europe's national libraries and enable them to achieve their common goals.
