As Russian attacks on Ukraine’s cultural heritage continue, Libraries Connected CEO Isobel Hunter will take part in the Lviv International Library Forum this week, joining library organisations from across Europe in a show of solidarity and support to Ukrainian colleagues.

The Lviv International Library Forum, hosted by libraries across the city in Western Ukraine, is one of the largest professional gatherings in Eastern Europe, bringing together library leaders, academics, publishers, authors and readers to discuss the future of libraries in a rapidly changing world.

Hunter will contribute virtually to a panel discussion exploring international collaboration between library services. The session will highlight the ongoing partnership between Libraries Connected and the Ukrainian library sector, which was established after the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The first joint initiative was a crowdfunding campaign that raised over £10,000 to purchase and deliver a mobile library stocked with 500 children’s books donated by BookTrust. The mobile unit was driven across Europe by UK library staff and handed over to Ukrainian partners in September last year. It now serves communities in the east of the country where libraries have been destroyed. The campaign inspired librarians in Estonia to donate their own mobile library.

The partnership has also led to a twinning scheme between UK and Ukrainian libraries. More than 20 UK library services are now paired with Ukrainian counterparts, enabling them to exchange skills, develop joint initiatives and celebrate their shared literary heritage.

To date well over 600 public libraries and 2,000 school libraries have been damaged or destroyed by Russian troops. Last year a Russian missile wiped out the country's main book printer, Factor Druk in Kharkiv.  Millions of Ukrainian books have been burned, with literary works by Ukrainian writers and textbooks on Ukrainian history particularly targeted.

Isobel Hunter said:

"It’s an honour to join library organisations from across Europe in showing solidarity and support for our Ukrainian colleagues. We’ve learned so much through our work with Ukrainian libraries and hope it will inspire similar partnerships across the world. Libraries are places of hope and resilience, and we’re proud to support the library community in Ukraine as it continues to thrive in the face of adversity."