The Conference – Localising the Sustainable Development Goals through Baltic museums and libraries – has concluded
“Utilising the online Baltic-region Conference Localising the Sustainable Development Goals through Baltic museums and libraries as the vehicle, we wanted to remind museums and libraries that memory institutions are part of a much larger ecosystem and that the purpose of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is not to continue on as usual, but to encourage decisive and focused action that would increase positive effects and reduce negative ones. The event at the end of September confirmed the desire of Baltic museum and librarian associations to work together, to increase the understanding of sector professionals about the links between the SDGs and the work of museums and libraries, and to inspire new projects” states Inga Surgunte, one of the conference organisers.
An online conference for Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian museum and library staff – Localising the Sustainable Development Goals through Baltic museums and libraries – was held on 23 and 24 September 2021. The aim of the event was to reinforce the role of museums and libraries in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The conference presented lectures and practical workshops by local and international sector experts to provide knowledge, try out useful tools and network with colleagues in the Baltic States. On both days, the conference was viewed by more than 1 000 people.
The conference was organised by the Latvian Museum Association, the National Library of Latvia and the Latvian Librarians’ Association, in cooperation with the Estonian and Lithuanian Museum and Librarians’ Associations and the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO. This year marks thirty years since Latvia’s accession to international organisations – the UN and UNESCO – whose activities are aimed at ensuring global peace and security and promoting sustainable development by facilitating international cooperation to achieve these goals.
Useful conference materials
1. In order to promote the consolidation of the conference findings and the implementation of its ideas, as well as to promote cooperation and the exchange of experience, conference conclusions have been drafted. We invite you to use these, both in planning your daily activities and in inter-institutional and cross-sectoral cooperation!
2. Conference video – you can watch individual sections of the recording and choose subjects of interest to you are by using the table of contents in the description.
3. Conference participants – museum and library specialists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – have prepared opinion papers on the course of the conference and the findings it revealed.
Nākotne sākas šodien: Elīnas Kalniņas recenzija par tiešsaistes konferenci “Ilgtspējīgas attīstības mērķu lokalizēšana Baltijas valstu muzejos un bibliotēkās” (Museums LV / LV) /
The future begins today: Elīna Kalniņa’s review of the Localising the Sustainable Development Goals through Baltic museums and libraries online conference (Museums LV / ENG)
Ilgtspējas vakcīna. Pieejama ikvienam bibliotekāram / Baiba Īvāne (Libraries LV / LV) /
The Sustainability vaccine. Available to all librarians / Baiba Īvāne (Libraries LV / ENG)
Ask Your museum! Ask Your library! / Povilas Blaževičius (Museums LT / ENG)
Estonian libraries and sustainable development goals: what could they have in common? / Mihkel Volt (Libraries EE / ENG)
The project is being implemented with the financial support of the UNESCO Participation Programme.
Information prepared by:
Māra Jēkabsone
Latvian Librarians’ Association
NLL Library Development Centre
Inga Surgunte
Latvian Museum Association
National Library of Latvia