Dagnija Baltiņa (National Library of Latvia)
The National Library of Latvia (NLL) has established itself as a leading platform for debate and research on memory politics, national identity, and statehood over the past two decades. This role has been reinforced through various initiatives, including the expansion of NLL’s publishing activities with scientific publications, such as the NLL Proceedings, which have been indexed in SCOPUS since 2022, along with monographs, published peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and exhibition catalogues. The NLL has also played a pivotal role in organizing interdisciplinary and international conferences, fostering a network of cooperation with research institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders engaged in research-related projects. Notably, the NLL has secured significant funding from the State Research Programme and EU-related funds, both as a leading partner and participant. The amendment of the Law on the NLL in 2020 further underscores its evolving role as an interdisciplinary data centre, a digital competence hub, and the entity responsible for producing the National Encyclopaedia. NLL has achieved this role by revitalising book sciences as a separate branch of social sciences and humanities. By bringing together a strong research team from various disciplines and involving library experts in research work, the NLL has been able to integrate book history studies in theoretical and cross-disciplinary framework, and to successfully compete in the scholarly landscape of humanities, both in the Baltics and beyond. Strategic planning and development of research hubs have allowed it to strengthen the link between book history and study of contemporary change. In this way, NLL has created an intellectual ecosystem that is specifically suited for memory studies because it promotes merging current and past affairs, as well as archival studies and interpretations grounded in modern theory.
In advancing new research directions, and proving the viability of research, especially in humanities, the NLL has proven its leadership role to boost conversations, exploration and audacity. Drawing on this national experience, this presentation will explore how national libraries can serve as laboratories of ideas and sanctuaries of thought, fostering strong democracies and nationhood.