Network for the Protection of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage

In March 2022 the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media has set up the Network for the Protection of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage, which collects and coordinates information on the cultural situation and the local stakeholders, as well as on the existing requests for, and offers of, assistance. The network's funding from the BKM (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media) expired in December 2022 and was not extended. In August 2023 the Federal Foreign Office provided funding to protect Ukrainian cultural assets during 2023. No statements have yet been made regarding the provision of funding for 2024.

In the library sector, the German National Library and the Berlin State Library are still acting as joint contacts for Ukrainian libraries seeking assistance and German libraries offering help. We are maintaining dialogue with stakeholders in aid for Ukraine as part of our endeavours to link requests with donations and thus to protect Ukrainian cultural assets from the dangers and devastation of war as far as possible.

We kindly ask you to forward to the Berlin State Library specific requests for help that receive your institution directly from Ukrainian libraries.

You can register your institution’s specific support measures with the German National Library.

Current requests for help from Ukrainian cultural institutions

Here you can find current requests for help from Ukrainian cultural institutions for which materials are being collected. Please send your offers relating to the materials list to
kulturgutschutzukraine@dnb.de. Additional information regarding transport and logistics will be sent to you with the response email.

Request for help for Ukrainian libraries

Acid-free cardboard packaging materials for safe storage of library materials.

Request for help from public libraries in Ukraine to provide internet-enabled second-hand PCs or laptops

These will be used to help refugees in Ukraine maintain contact with their families, look for work, and continue their vocational training or academic studies.

Libraries in Ukraine seek help with digital protection for cultural assets

Scanners and servers for digital safeguarding of collections of books and manuscripts.

If you would like to make a financial donation to purchase materials for this purpose, please contact Blue Shield Germany.

What else libraries can do to help

Around the world, librarians, archivists, academics and programmers are working together to secure digital content and data from Ukrainian cultural-heritage institutions. If you wish to help, please register with SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage online).

Further information is available here if you wish to provide financial support for Ukrainian librarians in need https://ula.org.ua/novyny-ta-podii/novyny/5002-financial-assistance-to-ukrainian-librarians

For additional ways to help, please visit the website of the German Library Association dbv.

Voices from Ukraine

The recording of the virtual meeting of Eastern Europe librarians from the USA and Canada with colleagues from Ukraine is available on YouTube.

Voices from Ukraine: Ukrainian librarians in the struggle against Russian invasion!

Activities of the German National Library // Діяльність Німецької національної бібліотеки

Діяльність Німецької національної бібліотеки

As a national library, we maintain professional dialogue with colleagues in many cultural institutions around the world. Our Ukrainian colleagues are assured of our unfailing solidarity in the war against Putin's armies.

Unfortunately, there are currently no scholarships available for refugees from Ukraine.

We have been looking through our collections for Ukrainian traces. The catalogue of the German National Library lists more than 3.400 titles which were either written in Ukrainian or translated from Ukrainian.

To the catalogue

It goes without saying that we have also found Russian and Belarusian traces.
Hopes for a swift end to the war were not realised in 2022. However, we have not lost hope that people will soon be able to live and work together in peace, freedom and democracy.