Kosovo’s Library Week opens Under “Rilindja – Voices in Memory” with regional Library Directors Meeting
The 23rd edition of Kosovo’s Library Week combines the preservation of Rilindja’s cultural legacy with discussions on artificial intelligence, digitisation and regional cooperation as national-library leaders from Southeast Europe gather in Pristina.
Kosovo opened the 23rd edition of Library Week at the National Library “Pjetër Bogdani” in Pristina on September 28, 2026, beginning five days of activities devoted to books, journalism, archives and cultural memory. This year’s theme (temë) is “Rilindja – Voices in Memory,” placing the historic newspaper and publishing house at the centre of the programme. The event examines Rilindja’s cultural legacy (trashëgimi) and the influence it exercised on generations of Albanian-language readers, writers and intellectuals. At the same time, organisers have designed the week as a bridge (urë) between the preservation of the past and the technological future of libraries.
Library Week runs from September 28 until October 2 and includes lectures, exhibitions, discussions, documentary material and cultural performances. The programme emphasises documentary memory (kujtesë dokumentare) and the importance of preserving newspapers, books and other written records that explain Kosovo’s social development. It also explores the historical continuity (vazhdimësi) between older print culture and contemporary digital collections. The organisers therefore present the library not simply as a place for storing books but as a cultural repository (depozitë kujtese) capable of connecting different generations.
The choice of Rilindja as the central subject gives the programme considerable historical significance. The newspaper first appeared on February 12, 1945, in Prizren and became a major Albanian-language periodical (botim periodik) within the former Yugoslavia. Its first issue consisted of only four pages and required considerable manual typesetting (radhitje tipografike) under difficult printing conditions. Over the following decades, Rilindja developed into a major cultural institution (institucion) encompassing journalism, publishing and intellectual life.
Rilindja initially appeared once each week before increasing its publication frequency as its readership expanded. By 1948 it had become a twice-weekly publication (botim) and in November 1958 developed into a daily newspaper. This gradual expansion reflected growing Albanian-language literacy (shkrim-lexim) and demand for cultural and political information. The newspaper eventually achieved an extraordinary prominence (rëndësi publike) within Kosovo’s Albanian-speaking society.
Its significance was never limited to reporting daily news. Rilindja became an important vehicle for educational emancipation (emancipim) and was associated from its early years with campaigns against illiteracy. Its pages offered cultural dissemination (përhapje) to readers who had previously possessed limited access to printed material in Albanian. In this way, the newspaper contributed to a wider intellectual awakening (zgjim intelektual) across Kosovo.
Many important Kosovo Albanian writers and intellectuals published in or were associated with Rilindja during its long history. The newspaper created an important cultural forum (forum) where literature, criticism, politics and social debate could coexist. Authors and journalists contributed to the development of a modern Albanian intellectual discourse (diskurs) inside Kosovo. Its archives consequently contain an exceptional historical cross-section (pasqyrë ndërsektoriale) of several decades of cultural change.
The newspaper’s history also reflects Kosovo’s more difficult political periods. Serbian authorities prohibited its publication in 1990, creating a major rupture (këputje) in Kosovo’s Albanian-language media environment. Rilindja later resumed publication following the end of the 1998–1999 war, demonstrating the publication’s considerable cultural resilience (qëndrueshmëri). Its changing fortunes transformed the newspaper itself into an important historical artifact (dëshmi materiale) of Kosovo’s twentieth-century political experience.
The 2026 Library Week programme therefore seeks to examine Rilindja as much more than an old newspaper. Researchers are treating its pages as a large archive (arkiv) of language, literature, journalism and everyday social history. Preserving these materials gives scholars access to an enormous documentary corpus (korpus) that can be studied from many different academic perspectives. The programme also stresses the need to prevent physical deterioration from producing irreversible cultural loss (humbje).
A major part of that preservation effort now involves digitisation. National Library Director Blerina Rogova Gaxha said the institution’s digital archive had expanded from roughly one million digitised pages in 2025 to approximately four million pages in 2026. Such rapid digitisation (digjitalizim) can protect fragile materials while also making them easier for researchers to consult. Greater online accessibility (aksesueshmëri) allows readers outside Pristina, including the Kosovo diaspora, to use collections without physically visiting the building. This expansion represents a substantial democratisation (demokratizim) of access to cultural knowledge.
The Rilindja collection is one of the important bodies of material being expanded digitally through cooperation between the National Library and the State Archives of Kosovo. Missing newspaper issues have been located so that the digital collection can become more comprehensive (gjithëpërfshirëse). Completing such a historical series improves archival continuity (vazhdimësi arkivore) and reduces gaps that could complicate future research. A more complete digital collection also creates greater discoverability (zbulueshmëri) by allowing users to search material that previously existed only in physical archives.
Library Week’s opening included a documentary devoted to the history of Rilindja and the political and social conditions surrounding its work. Documentary presentation gives archival material a more interpretive (interpretues) form for audiences who may not be specialists in media history. It also places individual publications within their broader historical context (kontekst) rather than presenting old newspapers as isolated objects. This form of cultural mediation (ndërmjetësim kulturor) can make archival history more accessible to younger audiences.
The five-day programme extends beyond journalism into literature, language, architecture, music and visual art. One session examined the architectural significance (rëndësi arkitekturore) and cultural memory of the former Rilindja Press Palace. Other presentations explored publishing connections (lidhje botuese) between Kosovo and Albania and the newspaper’s relationship with major Albanian intellectual figures. Together, these activities demonstrate the extraordinary multidisciplinarity (shumëdisiplinaritet) of the Rilindja archive.
The second day also included discussion of how Rilindja contributed to cultural and national consciousness among Kosovo Albanians. Researchers examined the newspaper’s role in linguistic preservation (ruajtje gjuhësore) and in maintaining connections between writers and readers across the Albanian-speaking world. Speakers considered its importance in facilitating intellectual exchange (shkëmbim) during politically difficult periods. These discussions transformed the newspaper into a case study in cultural transmission (përcjellje kulturore) across generations.
An exhibition commemorating journalist and artist Afrim Maliqi, who lived from 1965 to 1998, formed another part of the programme. The exhibition provided a personal commemoration (përkujtim) within the broader institutional history being explored during the week. Individual stories can create greater emotional resonance (jehonë emocionale) than institutional histories alone. Their inclusion also illustrates how libraries function as guardians of both collective and biographical memory (kujtesë biografike).
Visual culture received additional attention through an exhibition devoted to the character Tafë Kusari, created by cartoonist, painter and journalist Agim Qena in Rilindja in 1972. Political and social cartoons provide a distinctive form of historical satire (satirë) that can capture public attitudes more immediately than formal documents. Preserving such work expands the definition of archival heritage (trashëgimi arkivore) beyond conventional books and official texts. Caricatures can become particularly valuable historical testimony (dëshmi) because they reveal how society interpreted events while they were happening.
The opening programme was also accompanied by performances involving the Kosovo Philharmonic. Music added an artistic dimension (dimension artistik) to an event otherwise strongly focused on books and documentary heritage. The programme included a work presented as the National Library’s anthem (himn) as well as compositions by Kosovo musicians. This combination reinforced the idea of the library as a wider cultural hub (qendër kulturore) rather than a purely bibliographic institution.
One of the most significant innovations of the 2026 edition was the parallel gathering of leaders from national libraries across Southeast Europe. For the first time, Kosovo hosted the annual meeting (takim) of Directors of National Libraries of Southeast Europe. Representatives arrived from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Türkiye and Bulgaria, creating a substantial platform for regional cooperation (bashkëpunim). Hosting the meeting also strengthened Kosovo’s cultural visibility (dukshmëri) within professional networks across the region.
The National Library of Albania was represented by its director, while Montenegro’s delegation included its national-library leadership and international-cooperation representatives. Their participation provided opportunities for professional exchange (shkëmbim profesional) between institutions facing similar preservation and technology challenges. North Macedonia, Türkiye and Bulgaria also contributed specialised expertise (ekspertizë) from their respective national libraries. The resulting discussions demonstrated the potential for greater regional interoperability (ndërveprueshmëri) between library systems.
Technology occupied a central position in the directors’ discussions. Participants presented their institutions’ experience with artificial intelligence (inteligjencë artificiale) and the digital transformation of library services. They also examined the digitisation of collections (koleksione) and ways technology can simplify services for readers and researchers. These conversations reflect an important professional paradigm shift (ndryshim paradigme) in which libraries increasingly manage digital information as well as physical books.
Artificial intelligence creates opportunities for libraries because very large collections can be difficult to catalogue and search manually. AI systems may assist with classification (klasifikim) or improve the discovery of digitised documents through automated analysis. They may also support metadata (meta të dhëna) creation, language processing and more personalised search tools. Yet such technology also requires careful governance (qeverisje) to ensure accuracy, copyright protection and responsible treatment of cultural records.
The regional meeting therefore focused not only on adopting new technology but on developing common professional strategies. Cooperation can help libraries avoid unnecessary technological duplication (dyfishim) by exchanging information about successful systems and projects. Regional institutions can also improve technical standardisation (standardizim) so digital collections become easier to connect and search across national boundaries. Such collaboration may ultimately create greater cultural interconnectivity (ndërlidhje kulturore) throughout Southeast Europe.
The discussions also concerned the location of the next annual meeting. Albania’s National Library presented its candidacy (kandidaturë) to host the following gathering of Southeast European national-library directors. Rotating the meeting encourages institutional reciprocity (reciprocitet) because different national libraries gain opportunities to present their collections and priorities. It can also strengthen a durable regional network (rrjet) rather than allowing cooperation to depend on occasional bilateral contacts.
Kosovo’s National Library itself is attempting to operate increasingly as part of such international networks. Earlier in 2026, it joined literary cooperation initiatives, increasing opportunities for literary translation (përkthim) and professional exchange. It also developed cooperation with foreign national libraries involving specialised training (trajnim) in archives, manuscripts and digital services. These initiatives show an increasingly outward-looking institutional orientation (orientim) that complements the regional directors’ meeting in Pristina.
The theme “Voices in Memory” also reflects a broader understanding of what libraries preserve. A library holds not only books but the intellectual record (dokumentacion intelektual) of how societies have debated politics, culture, identity and social change. Newspapers such as Rilindja provide particularly rich historical granularity (hollësi historike) because they record events continuously rather than retrospectively. Preserving them therefore creates a form of cultural continuum (vazhdimësi kulturore) between everyday experiences of the past and researchers of the future.
The contrast between Rilindja’s original lead type and the current digital archive captures the central idea of the 2026 programme. What once depended on physical typesetting (radhitje me shkronja plumbi) can now be stored in millions of searchable digital pages. The technological transformation (transformim) is enormous, but the underlying purpose remains the preservation and communication of knowledge. Library Week therefore presents innovation as a form of cultural custodianship (kujdestari kulturore) rather than as a replacement for historical memory.
The week concluded on October 2 with activities extending beyond Pristina. A final session was held in Prizren, creating geographical continuity (vazhdimësi gjeografike) with the city where both the National Library and Rilindja have important historical roots. Participants also visited buildings and places associated with Kosovo’s publishing history, reinforcing the programme’s focus on physical heritage sites (vende të trashëgimisë). Visits to archaeological and cultural sites further broadened their exposure to Kosovo’s cultural patrimony (pasuri kulturore).
The 23rd Library Week consequently brought together two different but complementary ambitions. Kosovo wants to preserve its documentary inheritance (trashëgimi dokumentare) while ensuring libraries become technologically modern institutions capable of serving future users. Regional cooperation provides additional institutional capacity (kapacitet) for achieving that objective through shared expertise and common strategies. By placing Rilindja beside artificial intelligence and digital archives, the programme created a compelling juxtaposition (ballafaqim) between cultural memory and technological change.
Key Albanian Vocabulary
temë theme
trashëgimi legacy
urë bridge
kujtesë dokumentare documentary memory
vazhdimësi continuity
depozitë kujtese repository
botim periodik periodical
radhitje tipografike typesetting
institucion institution
botim publication
shkrim-lexim literacy
rëndësi publike prominence
emancipim emancipation
përhapje dissemination
zgjim intelektual awakening
forum forum
diskurs discourse
pasqyrë ndërsektoriale cross-section
këputje rupture
qëndrueshmëri resilience
dëshmi materiale artifact
arkiv archive
korpus corpus
humbje loss
digjitalizim digitisation
aksesueshmëri accessibility
demokratizim democratisation
gjithëpërfshirëse comprehensive
vazhdimësi arkivore archival continuity
zbulueshmëri discoverability
interpretues interpretive
kontekst context
ndërmjetësim kulturor cultural mediation
rëndësi arkitekturore significance
lidhje botuese publishing connections
shumëdisiplinaritet multidisciplinarity
ruajtje gjuhësore linguistic preservation
shkëmbim exchange
përcjellje kulturore cultural transmission
përkujtim commemoration
jehonë emocionale resonance
kujtesë biografike biographical memory
satirë satire
trashëgimi arkivore archival heritage
dëshmi testimony
dimension artistik dimension
himn anthem
qendër kulturore hub
takim meeting
bashkëpunim cooperation
dukshmëri visibility
shkëmbim profesional professional exchange
ekspertizë expertise
ndërveprueshmëri interoperability
inteligjencë artificiale artificial intelligence
koleksione collections
ndryshim paradigme paradigm shift
klasifikim classification
meta të dhëna metadata
qeverisje governance
dyfishim duplication
standardizim standardisation
ndërlidhje kulturore interconnectivity
kandidaturë candidacy
reciprocitet reciprocity
rrjet network
përkthim translation
trajnim training
orientim orientation
dokumentacion intelektual intellectual record
hollësi historike granularity
vazhdimësi kulturore continuum
radhitje me shkronja plumbi typesetting
transformim transformation
kujdestari kulturore custodianship
vazhdimësi gjeografike geographical continuity
vende të trashëgimisë heritage sites
pasuri kulturore patrimony
trashëgimi dokumentare inheritance
kapacitet capacity
ballafaqim juxtaposition
