A Blue Shield for the Protection of our Endangered Cultural Heritage

During the past years, numerous and recurrent disasters have damaged an important part of the cultural heritage. Wars and ethnic or religious conflicts have also haphazardly or voluntarily destroyed it, hence the necessity of launching an information campaign so as to safeguard and protect, as far as possible, our memory in order to pass it on to future generations. Considering that amnesia is not a path towards the future and that libraries, as well as other cultural institutions (museums, archives, monuments and sites…) are responsible for the care and preservation of documentary heritage, IFLA-PAC decided to devote an Open Session to that theme during IFLA General Conference in Glasgow (2002). The project was supported by the Section on National Libraries.