On 26 January 2022, on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of de iure recognition of the Republic of Latvia, the Ambassador of Latvia to the Republic of Korea, Āris Vīgants, met with the Director of the National Assembly Library of Korea, Dr. Lee Myungwoo, to hand over a donation from the National Library of Latvia featuring valuable books about Latvia, its history and culture.
Parties discussed the possibilities for future cooperation, shared views on the developments in library services in Latvia and Korea, as well as rising trend of digitalization in libraries. The visit concluded with a librarian-led tour of the Library and presentation of the Constitution of Latvia showcased in the Korean language and available for readers.
The donation of books is an initiative by the National Library of Latvia dedicated to the 100th anniversary of de iure recognition of the Republic of Latvia and aimed at contributing quality materials about Latvia to expand collections in the libraries of its cooperation partners abroad. The project has been developed in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Latvian State Centennial Office at the Ministry of Culture.
The special collection of books have been sent to 38 Latvian Embassies and 83 universities and national, academic and public libraries. It includes publications looking back at landmark events during the centennial celebrations of Latvia’s statehood, including the catalogue of an exhibition, “Latvia’s Century” – a large-scale joint contribution by Latvian museums to the 100th anniversary of the Latvian state.
The recipients of the donation include the library of the Busan National University.