Last year, National libraries partially re-opened their doors through the summer to a different world. Covid-19 and lockdowns have had a huge impact on the financial stability of many national libraries and created many new challenges in how we welcome our readers and make our collections available digitally. In addition, the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have challenged to theways in which our institutions have been collecting, researching and telling stories.
To support its members in their answers to this new landscape, the CENL Executive Committee launched two new funds in the Summer 2020: the Covid-19 Support Fund and the Hidden Stories Fund. Five national libraries received grants of €2,500 to help them cover some of their additional costs caused by Covid-19. The National Library of Latvia was able to purchase 37 emergency preparedness kits for all itsstocks, reading rooms, and exhibition areas. The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina purchased the necessary devices for sterilization, digitisation, access to digitised material and education. See their full reports in the members’ area here.
The National Library of Croatia also received a Hidden Story grant to create a virtual multilingual exhibition that will take visitors on a journey through the history of the Rromaminority, their culture and tradition, and focus on minority issues and the position of the Rroma in the Republic of Croatia.
Unfortunately Covid-19 is still part of our lives and creating additional costs and challenges for national libraries, so the CENL Executive Committee has decided to offer two more Covid-19 grants of €2,500.
We are also delighted to offer two more Hidden Stories grants with an increased amount of €5,000 per grant.
Applications for the two grants open on Monday 28th June and members have until Friday 13th August to submit their applications.
Please contact the CENL Secretariat at cenl@bl.uk if you have any questions on these funds.
If you are an existing member, please sign in to view supporting documents on the bursaries page. If you do not have an account, please register.