The CIS libraries’ preserving cultural heritage: Regulations and documents

Abstract

The author speculates on the international cooperation in preservation of the world and national cultural heritage and book monuments. She argues that the CIS libraries make the global and national cultural heritage as they perform the memorial, information and educational activities. International, regional and national regulation documents along with the information technologies and multimedia make the basis for preservation and accessibility of cultural monuments. The UNESCO and CIS conventions determine the general principles, approaches and rules of international cooperation in the cultural monuments preservation and management. Preservation and Conservation and Memory of the World programs are intended, above all, to educate staff, to develop standards, guides and methods. The essential conditions to preserve book monuments are specified: implementation of new technologies, hard- and software, cooperation with foreign libraries, museums and archives. The activities of the Eurasian Library Assembly Preservation and Conservation section is reviewed, as well as the model law on book monuments developed within the framework of the CIS Library Code.