A Visit to the United States

On July 13-18, 2023, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director General of the National Library of Lithuania, visited the United States of America. The main purpose of the visit was to participate in the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the flight of two Lithuanian American pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, across the Atlantic.

During his visit, Gudauskas opened an exhibition at the Čiurlionis Gallery in Chicago, took part in the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union flag and ceremonial march to the monument dedicated to Darius and Girėnas in one of the Chicago’s neighborhoods, Marquette Park. He also visited the editorial office of one of the oldest Lithuanian newspapers in the diaspora, “Draugas,” and the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, where he discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of cultural heritage.

The Director General also met with the Chairman of the Board of the Lithuanian Studies Center, Dr. Robertas Vitas. During the meeting, a renewed bilateral cooperation agreement was signed. The document will ensure further cooperation between the two institutions, including the digitization projects of the documentary archive, further research on the Lithuanian diaspora, and the dissemination of the content of Lithuanian cultural heritage in the USA.

The National Library of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Studies Center have been cooperating since 1990. At that time, the Library was particularly interested in supplementing its holdings with periodicals and books published in the Lithuanian diaspora. On more than one occasion, the library staff traveled to the Center to help catalogue the books. In 2002, the cooperation was consolidated by an agreement signed by the then Director of the Library, Dr. Vladas Bulavas, and the Director of Lithuanian Studies Center, Dr. Jonas Račkauskas.

Photo credit: National Library of Lithuania