=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3608/paper21
|storemode=property
|title=Modern Challenges of the Activities of Document and Information Institutions
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3608/paper21.pdf
|volume=Vol-3608
|authors=Lesya Kovalska,Tetiana Yavorska,Hryhorii Kovalskyi,Sergiy Gnatyuk
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/scia2/KovalskaYKG23
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==Modern Challenges of the Activities of Document and Information Institutions==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3608/paper21.pdf
Modern Challenges of the Activities of Document and
Information Institutions
Lesia Kovalska 1, Tetiana Yavorska 2 , Hryhorii Kovalskyi 3 and Sergiy Gnatyuk 4
1
State University of Information and Communication Technologies, Solomyanska st. 7, Kyiv, 03110, Ukraine
2
Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, 600-richchia st. 21, Vinnytsia, 21050, Ukraine
3
State University of Infrastructure and Technologies, Kyrilivska st. 9, Kyiv, 04071, Ukraine
4
National Aviation University, Liubomyra Huzara ave. 1, Kyiv, 03058, Ukraine
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the specifics of the functioning of document and
information institutions of Ukraine, as the main component of the infrastructural component
of the document and communication environment of the state. The priority areas of activity of
document and information institutions in the conditions of war and constant security challenges
are analyzed. Recommendations are proposed for the formation of a well-thought-out policy
for the development of information and documentation institutions, which will contribute to
the unity of Ukrainian society and its optimal information provision today and in the post-war
period.
Keywords 1
Document and information institutions, archives, museums, libraries, russian-Ukrainian war,
document and information communication
1. Introduction
National memory and preservation of the historical past is implemented through the functioning of
document and information institutions of state memory (libraries, archives, museums), which interact
with each other and are aimed at internal and external communication to solve their main function.
Communicating consists in the implementation of communication processes in document and
information institutions, which must adapt to the conditions of digitalization, especially in the
conditions of war and constant security challenges. The task of libraries, archives and museums is to
rearrange their work in the information space and join the global information system.
Institutionality consists in the fact that document and information institutions are the main
component of the infrastructural component of the document and communication environment, since
documents are concentrated in their information space, new images of documents are created and their
documentary processing takes place. Archives, museums, libraries and other institutions of science and
culture preserve artifacts of the past, record the past on paper or other material media, and preserve the
present for the future. All material media could wear out and lose their original form. However, their
internal informativeness and cultural-historical value is preserved, which over the years is replenished
with vital information and saturated with event-related information. In the end, all this is the national
memory and historical and cultural value of the people, which establishes a connection with the past,
emphasizes endurance, establishes traditions and forms the roots for the development of future
generations, the formation of statehood.
SCIA-2023: 2nd International Workshop on Social Communication and Information Activity in Digital Humanities, November 9, 2023, Lviv,
Ukraine
EMAIL: lesya@gmail.com (L. Kovalska); t.yavorska@donnu.edu.uа (T. Yavorska); kgrigorii@gmail.com (H. Kovalskyi);
s.gnatyuk@nau.edu.ua (S. Gnatyuk)
ORCID: 0000-0002-1579-7708, (L. Kovalska); 0000-0002-6070-7425, (T. Yavorska);. 0000-0002-3352-4754, (H. Kovalskyi); 0000-0003-
4992-0564, (S. Gnatyuk)
©️ 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
Determining the main directions of the development of document and information institutions in the
conditions of widespread digitalization, tracing the transformations in their activities caused by russia's
armed aggression against Ukraine is the purpose of the article.
The research methodology is based on key modern interdisciplinary, socio-communicative and
systemic scientific approaches, and a set of general scientific methods, such as deduction, induction,
modeling, abstraction, structural construction, system analysis, synthesis, comparative statistical
method. To modernize document and information institutions in the conditions of modern challenges
of war, the article examines the general trends in the development of archival, museum and library
affairs in Ukraine, the specifics of the preservation of institutions of national memory and the
modernization of their activities. This study was conducted using methods of comparison,
generalization, structural and systemic analysis and synthesis of new knowledge. The modeling method
is used to develop a model for the creation and development of an algorithm for the activities of
institutions in emergency conditions.
A statistical method was used to illustrate the state of network document and information
communication. The content of the obtained data proves that the discourse of preservation and renewal
of forms of activity in the conditions of virtualization of the information space is one of the priorities
of their activity.
Methods of formal logic (deduction and induction) were used to identify institutions of documentary
and information activity. The subject-object area of the research necessitated the use of a socio-
communication approach. This made it possible to design memory institutions as a complex information
system, which is part of the information space and, therefore, intended for building a strategy for
managing national memory, considering the potential of its recent transformations.
2. Literature Review
We must state that nowadays more and more scientific publications devoted to the problem of
organizing the activities and functioning of document and information institutions in the wartime period
require further deepening of the study of the object-subject component, the specification of new forms
of interaction and the achievement of the main task - satisfying the information requests of users and
forming collective whole around the national memory of the people.
The works of I. Matyash, Ya. Kalakura [2; 3] can be named among the studies that highlight the
issue of improvement and transformation of institutions in the document and information sphere of
activity in response to the demands of time and satisfaction of user requests. The issue of archival
development and its updating is presented in the article by V. Bezdrabko, L. Kovalska and others [4].
Separate publications of an informational and analytical nature become a supplement to the modern
coverage of the problems of memory institutions [5-11]. Theoreticians and practitioners of
librarianship – A. Rzheuskyi, N. Kunanets, N. Dobrovolska, S. Serdyuk, S. Gerasimova, T. Yavorska
[1] and others. in their scientific publications, they examine the current directions of library activity in
the conditions of martial law, their adaptation to the challenges and needs of wartime, emphasize that
libraries not only remain cultural and informational centers, but also become a territory of security and
psychological support for citizens.
Today, the issues of modernization of the activities of the institutions of national memory and
documentary and informational communication require comprehensive coverage and registration in a
new status with the support of the world community and the Ukrainian state, which became the subject
of study in the proposed article.
3. Basic points statement
In the conditions of war and russian aggression, the need for spiritual unity and the formation of
historical and cultural support for Ukrainians is especially felt. There is a functional rethinking of state
institutions of national memory, the specification of tasks and the desire to preserve the historical and
cultural heritage and broadcast the memorial value. This direction of work of institutions is formalized
into a separate course of struggle, it becomes a strategic need and direction of work of the state.
The main factors forming historical memory
Historical Belonging to a Beliefs and values of
representations of the person a person
person
Belonging to a Attitude towards
Personal experience certain religious, language, national
and family stories national community culture, traditions
Information from the Belonging to a Moral standards
Internet, books, films certain generation
Events that cause
A person's place of
strong emotions residence, social Worldview, political
(Holodomor, World War beliefs
environment
II, Revolution of
Dignity)
Figure 1: The main factors forming historical memory
Regarding the areas of work of archives, museums and libraries in the modern realities of war, the
question of developing and implementing new forms of work, satisfying users' requests for information,
developing cooperation between users and national memory storage institutions is obvious. Library,
archival and museum activities of Ukraine in the conditions of brutal and prolonged russian armed
aggression are possible with the involvement of information technologies, means of social
communication and preservation of documentary heritage in digital format. The latest digital
technologies in library and archival work, in information and cultural activities are a requirement of the
time and a proven means of preserving the national identity of Ukraine [1].
Preservation of historical and cultural heritage recorded in the material form of types and
manifestations of public memory determines the commonality of the main social function and social
mission of archives, libraries and museums, which are called to guarantee the continuity of state, public
and private life both at the level of individual peoples and nations, and on a global, worldwide level. At
the same time, archives, libraries and museums have excellent social functions [2]. Archives, as one of
the attributes of statehood, by preserving authentic documents, ensure the legal needs of the state and
social demands of society, provide documentary evidence of legal rights and social guarantees to
citizens, satisfy the needs of historical science, and in the work of museums and libraries as institutions
of broadcasting of historical memory, cultural ones prevail - educational and scientific and cognitive
functions.
The concept of "memory institutions" can be interpreted as institutions (archives, libraries,
museums) of various forms of ownership, which contribute to the realization of the main function of
social memory, which consists in the translation of the experience and ideas accumulated by mankind
in time and space and are intended for storage its documented (in different ways) and embodied in
objects / artefacts images [3].
Museums are a separate institution of national memory and an institution of formation and
preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the state. In their versatility, museums are very
specific institutions that preserve the memory of humanity, protecting the material carriers of this
memory in a tangible form. The ability of people to read the information stored in these memory carriers
is today manifested in its use for the development of society in the form of the construction of national
memory.
The specificity of the construction of cultural memory through the creation of images of the past
reflects the needs of the present, the basis of which is the preservation / change of the established order.
As a means of representing national memory in Ukraine, among cultural institutions, we single out
museums and archives, in which the Ukrainian people preserve their memories of the past. In Ukraine,
museums and archives are an important link among institutions that work with national memory,
national identity, and are the link between the culture of Ukraine and the cultures of the world.
It must be considered that memory and history are controversial in their nature and means of
reflecting the past. History is a tool for learning about the past, and memory is a tool for realizing one's
own present (P. Nora). Such a feature of memory reflected in material form generates national
memory [9].
With the beginning of hostilities and large-scale russian aggression in Ukraine, museums received a
new important function of their institutionality in the form of memorialization of the memory of the
modern war.
3.1. Rethinking the functionality and purpose of documentary and
informational institutions
The rethinking of the functionality of museum, library and archival institutions in the conditions of
war already has its first results. New projects and initiatives are being implemented. They have different
manifestations and involve various forms and types of their work. Among them, the following
components have already been outlined today.
The first direction is local initiatives in the form of expeditions to de-occupied territories and combat
zones to collect artifacts left after the retreat of russian troops. Museum workers collect oral histories.
Museum collections are constantly being replenished, which is an indispensable condition for their fund
importance in the field of culture.
The next direction of activity is large thorough government programs aimed at creating memorials,
places of remembrance, developing the basics of the memorialization process. In settlements that have
become the scene of active hostilities, residents will not want to see around them reminders of the
horrors of war crimes. All informatively valuable artifacts of past events gradually turn into symbols of
the past, form a picture of the past, make up history. Iconic sights, buildings and structures that have
been bombarded must either be left in place or moved to specialized locations. The fact that such
evidence of war must be preserved is indisputable.
The needs of museum visitors are changing. In the conditions of war, the museum is entrusted with
responsible educational functions, the development of educational work. Similar practices can be taken
from the experience of the work and development of museum business in European countries, which
are undergoing changes and adapting to the needs of the modern visitor. Thus, at the end of the 18th
century, a public museum appeared. Its heyday fell in the 19th century and was inextricably linked with
the development of the idea of a national state, the formation of national identity and the concept of a
citizen as a conscious participant in the life of the people. The opportunity to be freely in the space of
the museum, previously available only to the chosen ones, and frankly consider the unique objects
exhibited there seemed to give visitors a higher status Most of the great European museums that
appeared in the 19th century were created with a similar purpose. Arthur Danto notes that similar
motives are behind the propensity to build museums in newly independent nations [9].
The institutional mission of the museum, starting from the 19th century, set the goal of demonstrating
history as a process of development that ended in success, emphasizing the exclusivity and peculiarities
of the national trajectory. The exhibited objects are a unique cultural value and serve as an expression
of national identity. The creation of a museum as such is closely related to the idea of the existence of
one's own national history, as well as identity - homogeneous, with deep roots and tradition, different
from other peoples. The method of organization and demonstration of the museum collection paid the
main attention to the presented artifacts, the signatures rather provided information about the name and
origin of the objects than interpreted their meaning. Objects, not texts, were the source of knowledge.
Traditionally, this approach to the organization of artifacts involved the use of a linear chronology
and a sequential division into separate periods. The past opens to the visitor's view already divided into
separate segments, historical facts appear as known, completed, described and ready for perception. It
does not penetrate modernity and does not affect it, hermetically preserved in museum rooms This
model does not provide a place for a personal point of view, the importance of events and historical
figures arises from their belonging to history. The very fact of presenting history in a museum is an
impetus to honor and remember it. The aesthetic value or performative power of the object is not
decisive, the power of artifacts arises from their discursive environment and the authority of the
historian, curator, expert [9].
The emergence of narrative museums in the 1990s, the first of which is the Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington, was a revolutionary phenomenon in museum business in the context of
historical expositions. A narrative museum offers not only a collection of interconnected artifacts, but
also gives visitors a certain vision, an interpretation of the events on display, uses the exhibition to
create a specific narrative, in which the placement of objects in a chosen historical context aims to
facilitate the understanding of its meaning. Narration is an attempt to create a visual story and is
constructed using a combination of various visual, audio and textual means. The visitor does not see
isolated individual historical facts but can follow the successive development and deepening of the
narrative. Demonstration of the past in this way affects the viewer both intellectually and emotionally,
promotes the assimilation of new knowledge and feels an emotional connection with the presented
topic. An important element is the use of interactive elements that involve guests in direct participation,
allow them to influence the development of the narrative by their own choices or receive information
according to their own preferences. Narrative museums, as noted by Anna Zembinska-Vitek, are
currently the canon of historical representation in the USA and Western Europe [9].
Today's transformation in the representation of museum material relates to general changes in
historiography and humanities. Microhistory, historical anthropology, oral history are in the focus of
attention. In the exhibition space, there is a place for empathy and other emotions, which were
previously considered a sign of unprofessionalism. A reflexive approach changes the perspective on the
authority of the expert, who is no longer the personification of objective knowledge. A critique of the
privileged perspective, evolutionary order, and grand narratives emerges. New theories open new
perspectives: feminist, postcolonial, gender, and so on. In general, the museum business of Ukraine
today is going through another stage of transformation and development, based on the needs of the time
and requests of users-visitors.
3.2. The need to preserve the documentary and informational resource of
Ukraine
Based on the norms of the Law of Ukraine "On Museums and Museum Business", museum business
is a special type of scientific and cultural-educational activity, which includes the collection, protection
and use by museums of cultural values and objects of cultural heritage of Ukraine, including their
conservation, restoration, museification, scientific study, exhibition and popularization. It is a powerful
institution for the formation of national memory and the development of historical research [6].
The destruction of museums and the theft of collections by the russian aggressor today shows that
russia is purposefully destroying cultural institutions, everything that works for the formation of
Ukrainian identity. There are many tasks related to preservation of funds, emphasis on topics and
problems, updating of research work. To date, it has been established that in addition to the destruction
of Ukrainian museums, the russians are looting museum exhibits. russian troops looted or damaged
many museums, libraries and archives of Ukraine (mostly in Kherson, Mariupol and Melitopol). The
Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine (MCIP) continues to record damage to cultural
infrastructure in Ukraine as a result of russian aggression. Thus, as of June 2023, 1,520 objects of
cultural infrastructure suffered damage, not including cultural heritage monuments. Almost a third of
them are destroyed (541 objects).
In June 2023, the total number of affected objects of cultural infrastructure increased by 91 units,
the main part of which falls on the Kherson region (47 units or 52%) [4]. In general, cultural
infrastructure received the greatest losses and damages in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv,
Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Club institutions, libraries, museums, theaters, philharmonic
societies, art education institutions (art schools and colleges) in the territory of 216 territorial
communities of the regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv were damaged and destroyed.
Percentage of the total amount of damage to document and information
institutions
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 2: Losses of document and information institutions during the period of large-scale invasion
In total, the following were affected: club facilities – 701; libraries – 571; museums and galleries –
82; theaters and philharmonics – 25; art education institutions – 115 [4].
In Ukraine, the martyrological list of cultural heritage losses is updated every day. Assessing the
damage to Ukrainian collections, experts from the New York Times noted that this is the largest theft
of art objects since the Second World War. Therefore, the recording of the losses is necessary for the
subsequent assistance of the international expert environment to the return of the lost to Ukrainian
museums.
Already at the beginning of March 2022, the public organization "Staff for the Rescue of the Cultural
Heritage of Ukraine" was created, the main goal of which is a preventive initiative. The headquarters
secures museum collections from loss, conducts rescue operations and records crimes against cultural
heritage. In April 2023, the headquarters held a conference at which it reported on expeditions to the
regions that suffered the greatest destruction. Today, it is the first and most effective structure that deals
with issues of cultural heritage and actively helps the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of
Ukraine in recording crimes and restoring memory institutions. Currently, a register of lost and
damaged cultural institutions is being maintained, compensation estimates are being determined, and
calls are being made to donors to support restoration works. Ministry sets up Art Sanct Task Force to
track trade in art stolen by russian looters [4].
Here it is appropriate to note the Ukrainian media, which are actively involved in the work to prevent
the loss of cultural heritage. Posts and comments on social networks demonstrate an active level of
discussion of the problem of loss of national memory. Such losses of cultural institutions are perceived
as a personal tragedy. Today, institutions receive a new meaning, that it is not just a building, not just
an abstract "cultural heritage", it is the heart of our existence and self-identification. The war and losses
strengthened and contributed to this understanding of the museum, library, and archive.
Focusing citizens' attention on museum losses is of great strategic importance, since documenting
crimes in the field of museology reinforces the creation of an ugly image of the enemy, his lack of
culture. But here we should also talk about the legal field, the information of evidence of crimes will
contribute to prosecution and the return of lost museum collections. However, these important aspects
of unity in the face of terrible losses unfairly relegate to the background the role of museums as cultural
entities during wartime, institutions of unity and self-identification.
Another aspect of the subjectivity of museums is their appearance. Again, in peacetime this is a
common practice, moreover, preparation for the opening of a museum can take more than one year -
however, in wartime, the appearance of a new museum acquires new symbolic weight. The appearance
of new museums, which professionally and amateurishly affirm Ukrainian culture, speak about its
future, is a phenomenon that symbolizes our resistance and tenacity to life.
Discussions about the role of the modern museum, its tasks and goals are a separate factor that works
for the subjectivity of museums in a country at war. Now is a historically important moment of
rethinking the role of museums, their expositions, which in many museums, in particular local history
museums, have not undergone significant changes over the past thirty or more years. It is worth
highlighting among several initiatives:
preserving the team and traditions creation of discussion platforms
Figure 3: The main areas of work of document and information institutions in the conditions of war
Speaking about the subjectivity of museums during the war, the exhibition of this war must be
considered as a separate and most important topic. Its peculiarity is that museums create an image of
war directly during hostilities. This is a big challenge that involves certain risks, such as the problem of
distancing from an event that has not yet ended, the difficulty in exposing tragic and traumatic events,
haste and amateurism. Before the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian museums already had considerable
experience in exhibiting the russian-Ukrainian war. Among the interesting practices today, we can talk
about three notable examples:
creation of thematic museums about the russian-ukrainian war, which is ongoing
and has a significant impact on the people and their future
the task of shaping the image of war in museums does not concern a specific
museum, but is more aimed at trends
the emergence of leaders of coverage and exposition of events, which become the
centers of future projects of memorialization of tragic events and traumatic places
from the beginning of the russian-ukrainian war
Figure 4: Development directions of document and information institutions
We observe similar shifts and re-emphasis in the field of archival activity. To preserve the existing
funds and replenish them with new documents, it is important to highlight such main areas of work as
the digitization and collection of evidence of the russian-Ukrainian war. Digitization has become a
powerful safeguard in the preservation of archival documents that confirmed the events in the
temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, settlements that suffered man-made disasters, shelling and
destruction.
Among the initiatives, the "war archive" stands out, designed to collect and preserve evidence of
events in Ukraine. The need for archiving during russia's full-scale war in Ukraine is due not only to
the recording of facts about these historical events. It is also about documenting war crimes to punish
the perpetrators, fighting disinformation, preserving historical memory and promoting Ukrainian
narratives about the course of the war. After the start of the full-scale russian invasion, the team of the
NGO "Docudays" created the "War Archive" to record materials about the events of the russian-
Ukrainian war. The task of archivists is to collect and preserve evidence about contemporary events
and crimes of the aggressor [10]. French historian, researcher of historical memory Pierre Nora called
archives "imperatives of the modern era", which determine the relationship of modern generations with
the past and become points of support for our memory.
3.3. Transformations in the activities of libraries in the conditions of russian
aggression
It is obvious that russia's armed aggression against Ukraine has brought about changes in the
activities of document and information institutions, in particular in the functioning of libraries. One of
the most important tasks in the first days of the war was the preservation of library funds, the
arrangement and transfer of ancient publications, rare and valuable books, old prints, and local history
documents to a safe place. After all, almost every day, news feeds and communication channels of
society are filled with information about the loss of cultural property, including priceless relics of
archeology, history, and art. The boundless hatred of the russians for everything Ukrainian is
astounding. Libraries, for that matter, like museums, are very easy prey for invaders. The first thing the
invaders did after occupying the territory was to take valuable museum exhibits to russia and destroy
Ukrainian books. Understanding the risks of losing document resources, libraries tried to protect their
most valuable funds based on their possibilities.
So far unresolved problems related to the de-russification of library document resources, renewal of
library funds, cleaning them of documents with anti-Ukrainian content were activated. After all,
according to experts in the field, the funds of Ukrainian book collections may contain from 45 to 60%
of russian-language documents (including books, periodicals, audiovisual and electronic editions).
At the level of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, a consultative and
advisory body was created - a special Council for the development of the library sphere, the main task
of which was to develop proposals and mechanisms for removing propaganda literature from library
funds and replacing it with high-quality Ukrainian-language literature and books from Ukrainian
publishing houses.
In accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, libraries
of Ukraine have started work on updating library funds. First, publications whose content is aimed at
leveling or liquidating the independence of Ukraine, promoting national intolerance and violence,
inciting inter-ethnic, racial and religious enmity by russian authors and publishers were removed from
the open access of user service departments. Already at the end of 2022, libraries reported on the
quantitative indicators of this process. So, for example, 674,120 russian publications were removed
from the libraries of the Cherkasy region during the year.
It is important to note that starting from February 2022, the libraries of Ukraine reoriented their
activities in accordance with the needs of communities and internally displaced Ukrainians, becoming
humanitarian headquarters, volunteer and consultation centers. Libraries weave camouflage nets, make
trench candles, sew flags, linen, bedding, collect humanitarian aid for affected regions, funds for the
Armed Forces, books for colleagues from de-occupied regions. A significant number of libraries have
become true centers of psychological support for citizens. In the conditions of martial law, they remain
almost the only publicly accessible, free public space of support. After russia's strikes on Ukraine's
power system facilities, which caused power outages, "points of invincibility" were organized in a
number of Ukrainian libraries, where people could get warm, charge their gadgets, etc.
Opposition to manipulative information technologies, fakes in the information space, which
contributes to strengthening the national information sovereignty of the state, has become an important
component of the modern information activities of libraries. Therefore, one of the main professional
priorities in the activities of libraries today is the organization of access to reliable sources of
information, organized, structured and, most importantly, verified information. In the conditions of
information confrontation, which is accompanied by the spread of information of a manipulative nature,
misinformation and unreliable information, libraries, through their communication channels, help to
resist negative informational influence, counteract manipulative and informational influences, and carry
out constant work to increase the level of media literacy of users.
Promotion of digital literacy of the population, elimination of digital inequality, effective use of
information and communication technologies is also an important task of libraries during the war. Yes,
libraries conduct trainings, online training on information and cyber security. The following libraries
are active in this direction:
V. Otamanovsky Vinnytsia Regional Universal Scientific Library;
Zaporizhzhia Regional Universal Scientific Library;
Centralized library system for adults in Lviv (Public Libraries of Lviv);
Ternopil Regional Library for Youth;
Centralized library system of Khmelnytskyi city community.
According to the results of the study "Public libraries of Ukraine in the conditions of russian armed
aggression", conducted by the National Library of Ukraine named after Yaroslav the Wise, the armed
conflict has a negative effect on the library industry of Ukraine. This is the destruction and damage of
library buildings, the destruction of library funds by the aggressor, the suspension of the activities of
institutions and the limitation of library services in the front-line territories, etc.
The consequences of a full-scale invasion for the library industry are as follows:
As of May The reduction of the network of public libraries continues. No fewer
2023 than 2,361 libraries were shut down or "suspended" in a year of full-scale
war
1.The staffing of the industry is deteriorating. At least 975 people were
dismissed. A total of at least 3,004 employees did not work for various
reasons (unpaid leave, layoff, suspension of employment contracts).
The destruction of the material and technical base of libraries and the
loss of library funds continues. 89 library buildings were completely
destroyed, 298 buildings were heavily damaged and in need of major
repairs, and 304 libraries were/are housed in buildings that were slightly
damaged and in need of repair.
Figure 5: Consequences of a full-scale invasion for the library industry
As of May 2023, more than 600 libraries were damaged because of hostilities and occupation. After
the russians blew up the Kakhovskaya dam, 10 libraries of the Kherson region were flooded. 89
destroyed library buildings or premises in which they were located. The largest number, 30, is in the
Kharkiv region. The estimated number of losses caused to public libraries is estimated at no less than
UAH 66.6 million [11].
As we can see, in the conditions of a full-scale war, the activities of libraries are determined by the
specifics of the state of war in the country. How museums and library archives maintain an information
order, focused on the implementation of priority areas of work:
protection of information space: fight against disinformation, fakes and cyber threats;
measures aimed at the formation of Ukrainian identity;
actualization, updating of document resources;
volunteer activity;
assistance to internally displaced persons.
To bring the victory closer, libraries carry out socio-cultural activities, provide library and
information services and consultative and methodological assistance to real and remote users.
Currently, the problems of preserving information resources, increasing the efficiency of library and
information service, its compliance with modern challenges, and developing a clear algorithm for the
activities of institutions in accordance with aggressive challenges and threats are actualized.
4. Our approach
The main theses, which are the basis of the formation of a well-thought-out policy for the
development of information and documentation institutions in the field of culture, can be reflected as
follows.
The information and documentation heritage are a separate target for the putin regime and will
remain under attack until it capitulates and ceases its hybrid aggression, both armed and propaganda.
The sphere of cultural and historical heritage did not become defenseless, it demonstrated its
resistance and ultimately the ability to shape its own agenda. Workers in the cultural sphere, volunteers,
soldiers, local communities, thousands of caring people show their civic responsibility, and in many
cases, true heroism in protecting the culture and historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine.
The solidarity of the whole world, international assistance in saving and preserving the culture of
Ukraine during the war is unprecedented in intensity and scale. In responding to the actions of the
aggressor's army, Ukraine is guided by world experience laid down in the norms of international law,
namely the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
of 1954, the First and Second Protocols to it.
The realities of a full-scale war testify to the ineffectiveness of those provisions of the Hague
Convention, which refer to the obligations of the contracting parties to refrain from any hostile acts in
relation to cultural values, looting, their illegal appropriation, acts of vandalism, etc. However, it is
precisely these legal norms that make it possible to classify such actions of russians as crimes,
accordingly, this imposes an obligation on both Ukraine and the international community to make
efforts to investigate each such recorded crime and bear responsibility for it.
The experience of solidarity and partnership gained by Ukraine and the world community, both
within the national cultural community and at the international level. The most important lesson of this
experience is that algorithms, instructions, and action plans are very necessary, but they will never
anticipate all possible challenges and situations. Therefore, everything depends on people – motivated,
professional, ready to make operational decisions, participate in their implementation and be
responsible for it, people who, at the level of their own competences and capabilities, consider it their
duty to respond to other people's troubles and problems.
The fact remains that the activity of preservation and protection of cultural heritage should be
controlled and coordinated by the state. However, this control and coordination will never be effective
without proper and maximally open communication with all subjects of the process – managers and
employees of information and documentation institutions, members of professional public
organizations, volunteers, representatives of local self-government bodies, central, military and law
enforcement authorities. This communication cannot be fragmented and one-sided but must work as an
effective system that ensures communication at all levels and contributes to the adoption of the most
effective operational decisions.
Valuable is the experience of responding to emergency situations, and the dynamics of technological
progress, opportunities and challenges of globalization and glocalization, the existing world system of
protection and preservation of cultural heritage in crisis conditions.
In general, the modernized international Doctrine of preservation of national and world historical
and cultural heritage should include the following stages:
functioning in non-crisis
conditions and crisis response stabilization and
preparation for a crisis recovery
Figure 6. Stages of preservation of national and world historical and cultural heritage
Among the thematic priorities of the doctrine, four groups can be distinguished, within which it is
worth defining a list of components, tasks, and principles, which are fundamental, but not exhaustive
(Resolution based on the results of the International Forum on the Security of Cultural Heritage "War
in Ukraine: Battle for Culture", which took place on February 8-9, 2023).
I. Objects of cultural heritage: architectural, historical and archaeological monuments; museum
collections, archives and libraries; museum objects and works of art, etc.; knowledge and traditions,
historical memory, oral folk art, crafts, national cuisine, art centers and schools, etc.:
unified storage and accounting system;
the evacuation algorithm of movable objects of cultural heritage, the formation of strategic
stocks of the necessary materials and equipment for evacuation and the network of equipped storage
facilities;
digitization of 100% of units of the Museum Fund of Ukraine, the National Archive Fund,
immovable monuments (primarily accounting documentation), the library fund of Ukraine;
centralized accumulation and preservation of digitized data with a system of information
protection measures, an approved procedure for verification of digital content. Compliance of
databases with European standards, ensuring the transfer / recoding of data into databases according
to the new standard;
a single online register of the state part of the documentary historical and cultural fund of
Ukraine;
creation of a national catalog of immovable monuments with online access and digitization data
(scans, photos, 3D models, video and audio materials, etc.);
unified instructions regarding processes and requirements for digitization, creation of
databases, metadata schemes in various areas;
systematic documentation of losses, damages and risks – creation of reports, universal
protocols, available tools; formation of a single register of losses;
preserving damaged objects, stabilizing them, preventing unauthorized repair/demolition,
preparing for their restoration;
a systematic policy for tracing and returning cultural values exported and stolen both in this
war and in the past;
timely massification, memorialization and popularization of significant events, objects and
phenomena of the modern war.
ІІ. Specialists are museum, library and archive workers, cultural workers, restorers, preservationists,
heads of cultural institutions, specialized officials of all levels, public experts, researchers, bearers of
knowledge and traditions, etc.:
measures for systematic targeted support and protection of cultural workers in war conditions,
especially displaced persons and persons from occupied / de-occupied territories;
balance of responsibilities and delegated powers for heads and employees of institutions, action
protocols;
practical and realistic up-to-date instructions for actions in case of emergency situations, the
need for evacuation;
ensuring the development of personnel and institutional capacities, exchange of experience at
the regional, national and international levels;
a policy aimed at increasing the status in society and decent remuneration of workers in the
cultural sphere and the monument protection industry, which would make these institutions
competitive in attracting highly qualified and motivated personnel;
provision of quality education in the field of cultural heritage preservation, introduction of new
specialties in institutions of higher education, activation of informal education in this field;
creation of professional networks of specialists for communication, exchange of experience,
partnership, interaction.
ІІІ. Institutions - the state system of preservation, protection, promotion and development of cultural
heritage: the vertical of the central state government, cultural units in local self-government bodies,
cultural institutions (museums, archives, libraries, theaters, cultural centers), restoration and
preservation institutions, public organizations, unions, associations, etc.:
development of a national strategy for the preservation of cultural heritage in emergency
situations;
creation and activation of the national response system to emergency situations in the field of
culture;
determination of the ratio of centralization / decentralization regarding responsibility and
resources in the matter of security of the cultural sphere;
agreed and legalized emergency response system; introduction of instructions, methodical
materials and protocols that take into account the experience of limited time, resources, personnel,
communication capabilities and are based on international standards, etc.;
documenting attacks on cultural heritage, especially those that are potential war crimes and
committed against cultural heritage protected by international conventions;
reform of the museum, monument protection and restoration industries;
determination of the mechanism of coordination and interaction of all relevant parties and
institutions at the horizontal and vertical levels;
intensification of civil-military cooperation;
creation of special units in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the preservation of cultural heritage
(similar to CPP units););
a complex of informational and educational activities for military personnel with the aim of
preparing for response and securing cultural heritage objects in the territory of military operations;
preparing for post-war recovery and ensuring the stability of the cultural ecosystem of Ukraine.
ІV. The international system of cultural heritage protection is a system of governmental and non-
governmental organizations, institutions, as well as norms of international law:
actualization of the concept of the international system of protection of cultural heritage,
deterrence of crimes against culture and response to them;
coordination of actions to preserve cultural heritage and support culture;
a centralized and systematic approach to the assessment of cultural heritage damage and billing
for reparations;
creation and systematic updating of the catalog of stolen objects, similar to the Red List of the
Cultural Heritage of Ukraine of ISOM, distribution of information about it at customs, auctions, in
the Interpol network in order to prevent illegal trade in cultural values or their appropriation;
application of all legal instruments to protect cultural heritage and prevent its trade or illegal
export during wartime;
introduction of a clear plan for the restitution of cultural values of Ukraine;
coordination of efforts to document crimes against culture and help bring perpetrators to justice
in international courts;
expansion of sanctions against the aggressor and the inevitability of state responsibility for war
crimes against culture;
improvement of national legislation on the protection of cultural heritage, bringing it into line
with international norms and practices;
establishment and activation of the National Blue Shield Committee (Blue Shield Ukraine);
intensification of international partnership in the field of research, training and information
exchange, as well as actions to preserve cultural heritage in wartime conditions;
strengthening support for the Ukrainian cultural ecosystem, including the needs of the culture
and cultural heritage sectors in the range of humanitarian support for Ukraine.
The combined efforts of document and information institutions of Ukraine, mass media, public
institutions will contribute to the unity of Ukrainian society and its optimal information provision today
and in the post-war period.
5. Conclusions
Therefore, in the conditions of globalization, special attention is drawn to the local, regional, and
national, so document scholars, social communication specialists as creators of memory should be
aware that national memory is primarily related to cultural identity.
During the large-scale war, document and information institutions of Ukraine experienced
significant cataclysms. Their destruction, murder, looting of museum exhibits, library funds - this is
only a small list of losses suffered by the museum community, libraries, archives and the entire
Ukrainian society. New museums and new expositions are opening, proving in this way its resilience
and vitality. There was a rethinking of the role and place of archives, museums and libraries in wartime
conditions. This enables the revitalization of the archival and museum spheres and opens the vision of
their transformations. In the conditions of the russian-Ukrainian war, it became clear how important
document and information institutions are in shaping the image of the war. The russian-Ukrainian war
and the future Victory of Ukraine will be the most important topics for memorialization in the coming
decades. Today, these document and information institutions of national memory are actively trying to
develop it even in the conditions of an unfinished war, offering new projects and programs of scientific
research work, competing for primacy in covering the war, in developing new topics and finding new
strategies for its representation.
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