Date: September 2, 2013

Place: Institute of Society of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University

The first year students from the Faculty of History and academic staff of the Institute of Society had an opportunity to take part in the open lecture of Doctor Jaroslava Josypyszyn from Sorbonne University on the topic “Activities of SymonPetliura Ukrainian Library in Paris”. Jaroslava Josypyszyn is the Director of the Ukrainian Library, the Head of the Society Library and the editor-in-chief of “Symon Petliura Ukrainian Library Bulletin”. She is the daughter of Petro Josypyzhyn, Petlura’s comrade-in-arms and a Ukrainian People Republic army officer who used to head the library and expended tremendous efforts to revive and develop it after the war.

Symon Petliura Ukrainian Library in Paris was founded in spring 1927. The first book in its catalogue was the Constitution of theUkrainian State, compiled in 1710 by Hetman Pylyp Orlyk. It occupies the second floor of a modest and well-known building on rue de Palestine in the east Paris. It has been the centre of Ukrainian political and cultural life in France since it was founded. The library welcomes the French who are looking for their Ukrainian ancestors, Ukrainians who travel to France and scholars who want to do some research.

Today it has more than 3200 books and nearly 600 Ukrainian periodicals, collection of photos, letters, slides and negatives, maps and albums. The Library also has the full collection of stamps and money banknotes from the period of 1917 to 1920.

Ukrainian Library is also the organizer of international conferences and symposiums provides the publishing activity, gives the consultations to Ukrainian and French researchers on political and cultural relations between Ukraine and France.

At the end of the lecture students had an opportunity to ask the questions and had a long discussion with Jaroslava Josypyszyn.