Archiving Ukrainian Library Destruction
Regional Youth Library Chernigiv
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to complete destruction of over 200 libraries, and that number continues to grow. Of the libraries that are open, some offer residents employment assistance, literacy workshops, humanitarian aid and clothing; some have been converted to bomb shelters. Librarians help community members find accurate information as well as recognize propaganda and fake news. The information component of the Russia-Ukraine war has turned the work of librarians into a critical defense mission.
This archive project commenced in 2022 with the intent to document destroyed Ukrainian libraries by collecting evidence of crimes against libraries under the leadership of the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA). In 2023, 14 images and supportive information was shared with our team, who then developed a digital platform to archive these materials. We use Omeka, an open-source platform that functions well in Ukraine, to curate the digital collection.
Images and descriptions continue to be sent to us from Ukraine colleagues. Our team is working to organize this information in English and Ukrainian. We organize its metadata using Dublin Core Standards. This information is gathered on Omeka and displayed by geographic region, both as individual records and as part of narrative displays that show the states of each destroyed and damaged library.
The archive is not open to the public for security reasons, but can be accessed by invitation for librarians who wish to help or volunteer.
If you are interested in volunteering or joining our team, please contact Ulia Gosart: ulia.gosart@sjsu.edu
Korolenko Central Public Library