Support for archives and libraries is in line with the focus of the government to invest in its knowledge-intensive services, education and research.
The adoption of the law of 17 August 2018 on archiving marked an important step in that regard as “[i]t establishes better information and archive management at national level, which is essential for maintaining Luxembourg’s collective memory and for the proper functioning of the public administration and the democratic system. It also enables the National Archives of Luxembourg (ANLux) to fulfil their mission in an efficient manner and to guarantee the preservation of and access to the national archival heritage.”[1]
The expansion of the National Archives is also one of the priorities of the governmental coalition in that field[2]: on July 23, 2020, the Parliament adopted the bill on the construction and equipment of a new building for the National Archives and the development of the surrounding area. The new building, which should be completed in 2024, will bring together the administration as well as all the repositories of the National Archives on a single site, which is currently not the case. The new structure will also allow for more storage capacities under improved professional and technical conditions, thus meeting the requirements of modern archiving. Its location in Esch-Belval will allow synergies with the University of Luxembourg and the various research centres located there.[3]
The missions of the National Literature Center (CNL), also called Luxembourgish literature archive, encompass the conservation, research, appreciation and transmission of literature in Luxembourg. The CNL thus “collect[s] items relevant to Luxembourgish literature from 1815 onwards”, ranging from authors’ manuscripts, letters, digital files and personal objects to historical documents and records of the influence of Luxembourgish literature, but also “fulfills a duty of conservation, analysis and transmission of Luxembourg’s multilingual literary heritage”. [4]
A web archive site has been launched in 2020 by the National Library of Luxembourg to serve as an information platform and access point for archives related to all of the documents published in Luxembourg in digital format. The National Library will similarly collect and preserve in the long-term all sites with the domain name “.lu” and other targeted sites put online by residents of Luxembourg.
Since its origins in the 19th century, the National Library of Luxembourg (BnL) is the biggest public library in the country, as well as the main scientific and study library. A multifunctional library, it sees itself as a key player in the knowledge society and as a place of cultural encounter. Furthermore, the BnL coordinates bibnet.lu, the national network of Luxembourg libraries that it established in 1985 and that currently has 90 members, including academic/university and research libraries, school libraries, public and specialized libraries. Bibnet.lu proposes a joint network catalogue that combines the resources of all the member libraries, making them easily accessible to the public.[5]
Co-created with the University of Luxembourg, the BnL also coordinates the Luxembourg Consortium. The purpose of the Consortium is the acquisition and management of electronic publications. Its offer is essential for the development of the knowledge-based society, serving academia, research, state officials and the general public through a national accessibility policy. The BnL centralizes administration, software management, access and negotiation of licenses. Since January 1, 2009, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) are also part of it.
The ebooks.lu programme, produced by 11 public libraries in collaboration with the BnL and the Higher Council of Public Libraries is acquiring and managing the digital publications, the public consultation of which has been growing, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. Since 2020, the offer has been supplemented by audio books. In summer 2020, the read-y program has been launched as a result of a collaboration between the BnL and the ministry of Education’s “Service de Coordination de la Recherche et de l’Innovation pédagogiques et technologiques”. Books purchased in this context are also accessible on ebooks.lu.[6]
An important governmental investment in libraries consists in the recent construction of a new landmark building for the National Library. Inaugurated in 2019, it also houses the “Bicherbus” (book bus) that serves more than 100 Luxembourgish municipalities[7], providing access to literature and culture, especially in areas of the country which do not have a public library in the immediate vicinity.
In terms of promotion and support of libraries, the current government has foreseen the pooling of resources and deepening of collaboration among large libraries. A revision and simplification of the law on public libraries us currently in preparation.[8]
The Luxembourg Learning Center (LLC), University library in Belval, supports the development of informational skills as well as research excellence throughout the research lifecycle: from documentary research services, to dissemination, access and research visibility.[9]
The interests of the professions and sectors linked to archives and libraries in Luxembourg are supported by a couple of associations and structures, in particular ALBAD (Association Luxembourgeoise des Bibliothécaires, Archivistes et Documentalistes), VLA (Veräin vun de Lëtzebuerger Archivisten), ULBP (Union Luxembourgeoise Des Bibliotheques Publiques), jonk BAD (Bibliothéikswiesen-, Archivistik- an Dokumentatiouns-Studenten), the Council of Archives (with an advisory mission for all matters relating to archives[10]), and the Higher Council of Public Libraries (advisory body of the ministry of Culture for, among others, the exchange of information related to the activities of public libraries as well as the coordination of cultural activities promoting reading and knowledge). In addition, there are actions in favour of the development of documentary research skills.[11]
Luxembourg is also an engaged European player in the archives and libraries field, being represented notably in EBILDA/European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations. In addition, FëBLux asbl, a non-governmental non-profit organisation, has been acting since 2009 as a fundraising organisation for public libraries in Luxembourg, aiming to raise funds to help organizations contributing to the promotion of public libraries in Europe.
[1] https://gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites/toutes_actualites/communiques/2018/09-septembre/03-loi-archivage.html
[2] Les partis de la coalition DP, LSAP et déi gréng (2018) Accord de coalition 2018-2023, p. 87.
[3] https://anlux.public.lu/fr/actualites/2020/nouveau-batiment-belval-vote.html; Accessed 15 November 2021.
[4] https://cnl.public.lu/en/cnl/mission.html
[5] https://www.bibnet.lu/blog/?page_id=8446; Accessed 15 November 2021.
[6] Rapport d’activité du Ministère de la Culture 2020, p. 125. Accessible at: https://data.public.lu/fr/datasets/rapports-dactivite-du-ministere-de-la-culture/#_
[7]https://wwwfr.uni.lu/etudiants/informations_utiles_de_a_a_z/bibliotheque_universitaire_luxembourg_learning_centre_llc; Accessed 15 November 2021.
[8] Les partis de la coalition DP, LSAP et déi gréng (2018) Accord de coalition 2018-2023, p. 89.
[9]https://wwwfr.uni.lu/etudiants/informations_utiles_de_a_a_z/bibliotheque_universitaire_luxembourg_learning_centre_llc; Accessed 15 November 2021.
[10] Rapport d’activité du Ministère de la Culture 2020, p. 126. Accessible at: https://data.public.lu/fr/datasets/rapports-dactivite-du-ministere-de-la-culture/#_
[11] https://gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites/toutes_actualites/communiques/2020/12-decembre/09-storn-culture.html; Accessed 29 November 2021.
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