The role of the National Library of Latvia in creating synergies between documentary heritage and society

Abstract

The purpose of the study entitled „Exploring documentary heritage for building synergies between research and society” is to study previously unexplored aspects of the documentary heritage, including the part of the legacy that has previously been subject to censorship and has therefore not been studied in depth. When viewing the documentary heritage as historical evidence, it will reveal previously unknown layers and stories of history, thereby directly influencing history and linking national identity to European identity. In order for these layers and stories to reach the public, the people should initially be informed of the existence of such information, which, in turn, could create awareness and to encourage action. This article deals with the existing experience of National Library of Latvia (NLL) and other libraries in en-suring that the new information is brought to the public. Society is complex and differs from country to country, therefore there is no common recipe for libraries for successful dissemination of the new infor-mation. The authors conclude that the most appropriate technique for understanding the local user is to study the user experience, which will become a continuation of this research study.