Appeal from the Presidium of the Ukrainian Library Association

I forward an appeal of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Library Association and express my deepest sympathy with our brave colleagues in Ukraine. The letter is such a strong and moving statement on the importance of libraries in times of crisis, as well as in peace. I send warm greetings from IAML to the library community in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with you!

Translation into English (made by a Ukrainian friend of mine):

The appeal of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Library Association to the Library Community of Ukraine dated February 23, 2022

Dear members of the library community!

We are at the forefront of the fight against fakes, misinformation, and cyber threats!

Libraries are educational spaces where everyone has the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills. Librarians teach and help hundreds of thousands of people every day to master the skills to live in the digital world and have safe cyberspace for themselves and their loved ones. Every day, librarians work so that people, communities, and society can distinguish true information from lies and resist informational and psychological manipulation.

Libraries are places of security and freedom, where everyone who needs it will have free access to information, the Internet, psychological support, and help in solving their life problems.

Libraries are places of power where people find themselves. In daily communication, librarians do their best to make everyone who comes to the library love books, love their language, love Ukraine.

Libraries are a strategic weapon of the state in the hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation for many years! The relevance of libraries in overcoming the challenges facing people, the community, and society in Ukraine has become apparent during the last eight years of Russian aggression.