Director of the National Library of Poland spoke at the International Seminar at the National Library of Thailand
On Wednesday, 25 March 2026, the celebrations marking the 120th anniversary of the National Library of Thailand began under the theme “The National Library of Thailand – Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development”. The main highlight of the programme was an international academic seminar. Among the participants was dr Tomasz Makowski, Director of the National Library and Chair of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL).
In his speech, the Director of the National Library focused primarily on the mission of national libraries. He emphasized that they are places of memory, heritage and national identity, while at the same time remaining institutions open to all citizens, not only to elites or researchers. His address also had a symbolic dimension: he congratulated the National Library of Thailand on its 120th anniversary and stressed that, despite their different traditions, national libraries are united by a shared responsibility for protecting language, culture and written heritage, as well as by international cooperation.
In the next part of his presentation, he outlined the library system in Poland and presented the achievements, projects and services of the National Library. Particular emphasis was placed on the Union Catalogs, co-cataloguing, and the 24-hour cataloguing of legal deposit copies. He also spoke about digital access provided through the polona.pl digital library and about support for smaller libraries in the archiving and dissemination of their collections. Altogether, the presentation conveyed the idea that a national library is not merely a repository of books, but a modern centre of knowledge, trust and public services.
The IFLA President-elect, as well as representatives of libraries from Thailand, Hungary and Singapore, also shared their experiences.