This year Panev\u0117\u017eys County Gabriel\u0117 Petkevi\u010dait\u0117-Bit\u0117 Public Library is turning an important page in its history. It is 100 years since it opened its doors to visitors and became the first state library in Panev\u0117\u017eys. One of the oldest cultural institutions in the city greets the honorable date with the slogan \u201cCherishing the Past. Creating the Future\u201d and invites visitors to observe this anniversary together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at the magnificent ensemble of the buildings of the current library, it is hard to believe that the newly established library, then called the Panev\u0117\u017eys branch of the Central State Bookstore, started its activities in the apartment of the first head of the library El\u017ebieta Jodinskait\u0117. Preparatory work took place here \u2013 books were collected and inventoried. After receiving the allowance for renting an apartment from the city and county municipalities, the library was officially opened to visitors on the 1st<\/sup> of September, 1922. The initial fund of the library consisted of 1,397 books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “During the 100 years, a lot has happened: the library had 11 directors, 6 times the institution changed its name, 8 times \u2013 subordination, several times it moved or modernized the premises, the presidents of the state visited the library, honorable awards were received, etc. Looking back, individual events seem to intertwine into a single chain, leading the library from a small book place in the private apartment to one of the most prominent cultural institutions in Panev\u0117\u017eys region, \u201dsays Greta K\u0117velaitien\u0117, Head of the Cultural Heritage Research and Digitization Department at Bit\u0117 Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the library is proud not only of the largest universal fund in the North-Eastern region of Lithuania, but also of a wide range of activities: from innovations in educational activities to international reading promoting initiatives or digitization and dissemination of documentary heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “With each big and small work we\u00a0cherish the past and create the future\u00a0of the region we live in. The centennial library is an open, inspiring and constantly replenished repository of knowledge and creativity of the Lithuanian nation. It is full of a wide range literature, manuscripts attesting to the lives and achievements of prominent personalities, virtual access to cultural heritage sites and the latest information. Today, with the increasing flow of disinformation and false news, the library is actively strengthening the foundations of the state: it teaches and encourages citizens to use reliable sources of information, develops the vigilance and critical thinking of civil society, \u201dsays Jurgita Bugaili\u0161kien\u0117, the library’s director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “As we enter the new century of the library, we will not stop making progress. We will continue to create traditions that unite and strengthen the community, gather knowledge and ideas, support initiatives, take care of citizens’ information literacy, and promote creativity. Let the activities implemented by the library contribute to the successful future of each visitor, each of you in the free world, \u201d wishes J.Bugaili\u0161kien\u0117, the head of the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJubilee plans and aspirations for the future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n