The document summarizes a conference about the removal of cultural artifacts during wartime and efforts towards virtual repatriation. The one-day conference at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs included presentations from several national libraries and universities about their experiences with looted collections that were removed during World War II and efforts to digitize artifacts to allow for virtual repatriation when physical repatriation is not possible. Speakers discussed case studies from Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Belarus, and Austria. There was also discussion of the need to create a virtual database of displaced Latvian cultural property and the potential for virtual repatriation in the future.

1. Removal of Cultural Values under War Circumstances and Virtual Repatriation
within the Common Cultural Area of Europe
Thursday, April 10, 2014,
Rīga, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, K. Valdemāra iela 3
Programme
9.30 - 10.00 Registration of participants. Coffee
10.00 - 10.10 Opening of the discussion
Andris Vilks, National Library of Latvia
Introductory Lecture
10.10 - 10.40 War booties remain unsolved. Can we digitally repatriate them?
Kai Ekholm, National Library of Finland
Removal and restitution of cultural property: similarities and differences
10.40 - 10.55 Searching for hidden treasures: what we know about displaced libraries of Latvia
Jana Dreimane, National Library of Latvia
10.55 - 11.10 “Vetera reducta“ — experience of Vilnius University Library in repatriation of
removed cultural heritage
Marija Prokopčik, Vilnius University Library
11.10 - 11.25 International cooperation in the field of displaced cultural values: The example of
princess Radziwills library
Aleksandr Susha, National Library of Belarus
11.25 - 11.40 Removal and repatriation of cultural values in Lithuania: experiences of Prof.
Levas Vladimirovas and 21th century lessons
Arvydas Pacevičius, Vilnius University
11.40 - 12.00
12.00 - 13.00
Discussion
Lunch
13.00 - 13.15 Looting of Polish cultural goods during the WWII from today’s perspective
Katarzyna Ślaska, National Library of Poland
13.15 - 13.30 Return of the Esterhazy book collection from Russia to Austria
Karina Dmitrieva, All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature
13.30 - 13.45
13.45 - 14.00
The necessity and possibility of a virtual database for the displaced and lost
Latvian cultural property. Examples of the museum objects which have been
displaced in 1940
Rasa Pārpuce, Institute of History of Latvia
Coffee break
14.00 - 15.00 Virtual repatriation of cultural values: nowadays and in the future
Discussion
Concluding remarks
15.00 Andris Vilks, National Library of Latvia
Kai Ekholm, National Library of Finland
Moderated by Gustavs Strenga

2. Library Advisory Centre
E-mail: Jana.Dreimane@lnb.lv
Phone: 371 67312776
Communication and Marketing Department
E-mail: Kristine.Robezniece@lnb.lv
Phone: 371 29120640
Organised by:
National Library of Latvia
www.lnb.lv
Sponsored by:
The State Culture Capital Foundation
www.kkf.lv/
The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia
www.km.gov.lv/
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
http://www.mfa.gov.lv/