On 2 April, President Edgars Rinkēvičs paid a visit to the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, which celebrates its 500th anniversary this year. The library is responsible for preserving Latvia's unique cultural and historical heritage, providing a study environment for students, and stimulating a source of new interdisciplinary research.
During the visit, the President of Latvia had the opportunity to tour the library's "golden collection", which includes a reading room for manuscripts and rare books, the exhibition of ancient printed works and manuscripts "Bibliotheca Rigensis 500", the exhibition of Latvian and Ukrainian artists "Dedication to Bibliotheca Rigensis 500", and the Misiņš Library.
The President of Latvia met with the Director of the Library Venta Kocere and library staff to discuss the future development of the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, the progress with the digitization of the collections, as well as the strengthening of the role of the academic library in the study and research process. "The uniqueness of the Academic Library of the University of Latvia lies in the fact that the Latvian state and the institution it founded – the University of Latvia – are 500 years younger than the library itself. Therefore, these 500 years represent not only a symbolic anniversary number but also a great responsibility towards future generations to continue the ongoing work to preserve and promote the oldest and most complete repository of Latvian literature in the world," said President Edgars Rinkēvičs after the visit.
