Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum

Country	England
Type	Research reference, community
Established	15 April 1971
Location	North Finchley
Access and use
Circulation	No lending services
Population served	Researchers, Belarusian community and anyone interested in Belarus
Other information
Director	Governed by the Board of Trustees
Staff	Supported by volunteers
Website	http://www.skaryna.org

The Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum (Belarusian: Беларуская бібліятэка і музей імя Францішка Скарыны) is a special library in north London, England. It's often called the Skaryna Library. This is the only library outside Belarus that collects only materials about Belarus.

It officially started as its own place in 1971. A charity group owns and runs it. This library has been very important for learning about Belarus in the United Kingdom and other countries since the mid-1900s. It helped people study Belarusian history, culture, and language.

The library is named after Francysk Skaryna. He was a famous Belarusian who was one of the first people to print books in Eastern Europe.

What's Inside: The Collections
What You Can Do Here
How the Library Started
Image gallery
See also

What's Inside: The Collections

The Library's Books

The library has a huge collection of books, with over 30,000 different ones! Most of these books are about Belarusian history, literature, language, religion, and art. Many are in the Belarusian language, but some are also in Russian, Polish, German, and French.

One of the most special parts is a collection of books published by Belarusians living outside Belarus after World War II. It's one of the biggest collections of its kind anywhere.

You can also find some very old books here, about 20 of them were printed before the year 1800. These include copies of the Statut of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was an important set of laws. There are also old New Testaments and prayer books. The library also has many old Belarusian writings saved on microfilms.

Since the 1950s, the library has collected nearly 200 different magazines and newspapers. These come from both Belarus and Belarusian communities around the world.

The library also has over 100 old maps, some from the 1500s! If you love music, you'll find a great collection of Belarusian music records. They have folk, rock, and classical music on LPs, cassettes, and CDs.

The Archive: Old Documents

The archive is like a special storage for old and important papers. It holds Church documents from the 1700s and 1800s. There are also papers from the time of the Belarusian Democratic Republic (1918).

You can also find collections of documents from Belarusian groups and famous people from all over the world. The archive has many old handwritten papers, some from the 1400s! There's also a large collection of photos, mostly showing Belarusian life in the UK and other countries.

The Museum: Special Objects

The museum is in one room of the library building. It has some amazing items! You can see examples of 18th-century Słuckija pajasy. These are beautiful belts woven with gold and silk thread. There's even a priest's special robe made from these belts.

The museum also has old coins from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. You can see temporary banknotes (money) that were printed in 1918. These were used in Belarusian towns when there was no central government. There are also postage stamps from Belarus from 1918–1922.

You can also see Belarusian religious art. Some very touching items include things that the poet Łarysa Hienijuš and a priest named Jazep Hiermanovic brought back from Soviet concentration camps. These items tell important stories.

Art Collection

The library and the Belarusian Catholic Mission also have a collection of paintings. These artworks are by famous Belarusian artists. Some of the artists include Boris Zaborov and Ivonka Survilla.

What You Can Do Here

The Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum is mainly a research library. This means people use it to study and learn. It's open to researchers and guests who want to visit or take a tour. If you're a researcher visiting from far away, the library can even help you with a place to stay and visa support.

The library also hosts many events. They have public talks and online events. They even have "Wikipedia edit-a-thons" where people work together to improve Wikipedia articles. There's also a book club for Belarusian readers. The library helps organize an annual conference about Belarusian studies.

How the Library Started

The library's story began in 1947 when the Belarusian Catholic Mission started in London. In 1948, the Mission moved to Marian House. A small but valuable collection of Belarusian books was kept there. These books were brought to England by a priest named Fr Česlaus Sipovič.

This small library became a place for students to study and meet. Many scholars interested in Belarusian culture used it. Over the next ten years, the book collection grew a lot. By 1957, it had many magazines and newspapers from Belarus and Belarusian communities abroad.

In 1958, the collection got a name: Bibliotheca Alboruthena. That same year, another priest, Leo Garoshka, moved from Paris. He brought his own private library, which had many rare books. When his books were added, it became the largest Belarusian library in Western Europe! People visiting and Belarusians from all over the world often gave books to the library.

By 1968, the library had over 6,500 books. More and more people in British universities wanted to study Belarus. So, it was decided to buy a whole building just for the library, its archive, and a small museum. In 1969, Ceslaus Sipovich, Auberon Herbert, and Paval Navara raised money to buy a building in North London.

The library officially opened on May 15, 1971. Fr Alexander Nadson became the librarian. The library was run by a group of governors and later by a board of trustees. These trustees included priests, community members, and British scholars interested in Belarus. Bishop Česlaus Sipovič was the first head of the board until he passed away in 1981.

The main goal of the library was to collect everything about Belarus. They wanted to make it easy for anyone interested in Belarus to access these materials. By 1991, the library had over 12,000 books and was growing every year. It received almost all new publications from Belarus and other countries that were about Belarus.

In 1990, the library started exchanging books with the Belarusian Academy of Sciences Library in Minsk. This helped them get rare old books from the 1920s and 1930s. Many people also gave books and collections to the library. Most books were in Belarusian, but many were also in Polish and Russian. They also collected many microfilms.

For many years, a professor named Adam Maldzis from Minsk helped the library get books and magazines from Belarus. The library also organized international events and conferences about Belarusian studies.

Around 2011, the library faced some challenges. But in 2014, the Board of Trustees met again to bring the institution back to life. They updated the library's goals. Now, besides collecting and saving Belarusian heritage and supporting studies, the library also aims to help the Belarusian community in Britain and encourage British people to learn about Belarus. In 2015, the library received a new charity registration, showing its important role in British society.

Since then, the library has started to organize and digitize its most valuable books. They also hold many events and work with other institutions in Belarus and other countries.

Image gallery

A plaque at the Library's entrance, showing it was opened in 1971.
Bishop Ceslaus Sipovich, one of the people who helped start the library.
Fr Alexander Nadson and Ivonka Survilla in 2010.
The reading room inside the library.
A book with the Library's special stamp.
Jazep Hermanovič's box for the Eucharist, used during his time in a USSR concentration camp. You can see it in the Museum.
Bishop Ceslaus Sipovich's engolpion (a special necklace) on display in the Museum.