Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 23 October (BelTA) – Global penetration of information technologies is impossible without libraries, Director of the National Library of Belarus Roman Motulsky told reporters at the international congress, Library as a Cultural Phenomenon, on 23 October, BelTA has learnt.

“Library as a social institution emerged several millennia ago. Over this time libraries have undergone a dramatic transformation. However, one thing remained the same: they are still used to meet information needs of the society and each user,” the Director of the National Library said.

Roman Motulsky noted that the means of satisfying people’s thirst for knowledge have been changing constantly. The mankind comes up with new ways and forms of compiling and delivering information. This indicates the development stage of the society and libraries, because libraries are an essential part of the society. “Being a social institution a library helps deliver information to the user. Sometimes users do not see it and are not aware of it, and they do not have to. The most important thing is the availability of information,” Roman Motulsky said.

The Library as a Cultural Phenomenon congress will be running in the Belarusian capital on 23-24 October. This year the congress is held in a new format and comprises two major events - a conference and an exhibition of digital information resources and services. The exposition features digital information resources, soft hardware for information search systems and services, digital collections and libraries.

The organizers of the congress are the Culture Ministry and the National Library of Belarus.