The Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, based in Piraeus, is a vibrant hub of culture, education, and research. Through activities that promote knowledge, reading, and the preservation of cultural heritage, the Foundation brings together students, researchers, and book lovers through publications, educational programs, conferences, and exhibitions.

At its heart are its two libraries, the Lending Library and the Historical Library, which connect learning with research and offer open access to thousands of books, collections, and initiatives for young and old alike.

More information www.laskaridisfoundation.org/en/

Kaiti Laskaridis Lending Library

The Kaiti Laskaridis Lending Library of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation is an open and welcoming space for everyone. Its mission is to provide access to knowledge, cultivate and promote reading, and contribute to education. All its services are provided free of charge.

It achieves its mission by continuously enriching its collection with books and by creating numerous and varied educational and training activities and events for children, teenagers, and adults, which are offered free of charge with the aim of enriching knowledge and experiences. Responding to the demands of the times, it develops and creates attractive programs in combination with new technologies.

Its collection includes over 50,000 book titles covering all areas of knowledge, with a particularly well-developed literature section. It has journals, audiovisual and informational material, as well as a rich children’s and teen section. It has a foreign language section with books on various topics in different languages and a maritime section covering the fields of maritime history, law, art, technology, shipbuilding, fishing, and lighthouses.

The lending library offers lending services, study areas, and access to PCs.

At the same time, it functions as a center for knowledge, creation, and participation. It organizes various activities related to books, such as workshops, conferences, events, and reading clubs for children, teenagers, and adults. It also hosts book presentations, educational programs, and experiential workshops that aim not only to promote reading but also to encourage active participation, collaboration, and creative expression.  Special attention is given to activities for children and school groups, which combine knowledge with play and exploration.

The Library is a vibrant landmark for Piraeus: an environment full of inspiration and possibilities, a space open to all and for all, which combines learning with the joy of discovery, creating communities of readers and new opportunities for dialogue around books.

More information:

https://www.laskaridisfoundation.org/en/lending-library/

Historical Library

The Historical Library of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation is housed in a historic neoclassical building in Piraeus and is one of the most important institutions for the preservation and study of books in Greece. With more than 600,000 volumes, it brings together and showcases the libraries of great intellectuals, collectors, and creators, offering a valuable collection for the history of literature, science, and printing.

Of note are the incunabula—the books printed in the 15^th century—and the early printed books, along with approximately one hundred manuscripts, maps, maritime and travel works, as well as publications from the Modern Greek Enlightenment. Collections such as the Bibliotheca Graeca, the Panagiotis Laskaridis Travel Collection, and the libraries of intellectuals such as Dimaras, Savvidis, and Iliou offer unique material for the study of Greek and European history. In the Foundation’s “library of libraries,” each collection retains its identity, allowing researchers to reconstruct the individual history of each collection, as well as that of the book itself, through notes, ex libris, dedications, and unique bindings.

The Library is a place of study and discovery, open to researchers and the public through exhibitions, educational activities for children, conferences, and lectures. Digitization programs, applications, and collaborations on digital humanities projects, such as Travelogues, ToposText, and map-inc, bring old material to the forefront through modern digital media. At the same time, collaborations with universities and library organizations, such as the Consortium of European Research Libraries, ensure the Historical Library’s continued participation in international research.

At the core of its operations is the Conservation Laboratory, where specialized staff take care of the preservation and restoration of books, based on international conservation standards. Through this care, the Foundation ensures the long-term survival of the collections and the possibility of further study and exhibition.

The Historical Library is not just a storage space, but a living organism of knowledge and culture. Here, old and rare material is given new life through research, technology, and dialogue, keeping the bridge between the past and the future of books open.

More information: https://www.laskaridisfoundation.org/en/historical-library/

Conference venues

The conference will be held in the main hall of the Historical Library, which can accommodate up to 150 people. The workshops will be held in the two additional rooms of the Historical Library, as well as in the Lending Library.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit and be guided through the temporary and permanent exhibitions of the Historical Library:

• 30 years, 30 books. Tiny, mighty, precious, rare

A selected journey through the rare collections of the Historical Library, where books on different themes reveal the knowledge, art, and history they carry in their pages.

• Faith and Art. Selected images from the Emilios Velimezis Collection

One of the most important collections of religious art in Greece – 68 post-Byzantine icons from the 15th-19th centuries, with the highlight being Theotokopoulos’ “The Passion of Christ.”

• Maritime Collection of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation

Objects from maritime life, finds from shipwrecks, rare instruments, works of art, and publications from the world of the sea and seafaring.