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Libraries are not for burning: international librarianship and the recovery of the destroyed heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

András Riedlmayer*
Affiliation:
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, U.S.A., riedlmayer@fas.harvard.edu
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Abstract

In the past three years, the cultural heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina has suffered major destruction. The result is what a Council of Europe report has called ‘a cultural catastrophe’. Historical architecture (including 1,200 mosques, 150 churches, 4 synagogues and over 1,000 other monuments), works of art, as well as cultural institutions (including major museums, libraries, archives and manuscript collections) have been systematically targeted and destroyed. The losses include not only the works of art, but also crucial documentation that might aid in their reconstruction. Our Bosnian colleagues need the assistance of the international library community to help them recover and rebuild some of what has been lost and to rebuild the buildings and institutions that embody their country’s cultural heritage. Librarians outside Bosnia, through their institutions and professional organisations, can provide material and technical assistance, training, and documentation, to help undo the destruction of memory.

Type
Meeting Report
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1996

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