2005 Press Releases
U.S. First Lady Laura Bush Participates in Ceremonial Opening of InfoUSA Bratislava
Bratislava, February 24, 2005
Public Affairs Section, Embassy of the United States of
America
P.O.BOX 309, 814 99 Bratislava
TELEPHONE: (+421-2) 5443-0861, FAX
(+421-2) 5922-3080
E-MAIL: arc@usembassy.sk
Contact: Barbara Zigli,
Press Attaché
Univerzitná
knižnica
Michalská 1, 814 17 BRATISLAVA
TELEPHONE: (+421-2) 59804100, FAX
(+421-2) 54434246
E-MAIL: ukb@ulib.sk
Contact: PhDr. Tibor Trgiňa,
General Director
The First Lady of the United States Laura Bush today formally inaugurated InfoUSA Bratislava, the new American information and cultural center located in the University Library in the heart of the Old Town. Representing the Slovak side at this ceremony were the Slovak Minister of Culture, Rudolf Chmel, and the General Director of the University Library, Tibor Trgina.
The mission of the center will be to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Slovakia by providing information about the U.S. and serving as a focal point for American cultural and information programs. InfoUSA Bratislava will open to the general public in April at the time of the opening of the renovated University Library.
Background Information About InfoUSA Bratislava
InfoUSA Bratislava is the result of cooperation between the University Library and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava.
The U.S. Embassy has provided a core collection of information materials valued at $15,000, consisting of the latest books, CD ROMs, and DVDs on topics including U.S. history, political science, economics, philosophy, literature, and art, as well as English teaching materials. The Embassy also provided multimedia equipment valued at $9,000.
The University Library is providing a large and attractive space for the center as well as a librarian fluent in both the English and Slovak languages to assist visitors in using the center's resources.
The new InfoUSA center will expand and update the American Studies Room, which existed in the University Library from 1996 until the Library reconstruction in 2002. In addition to the new materials and equipment, the InfoUSA center will include the 2,700 books on U.S. history, political science, economics, philosophy, literature and art that the U.S. Embassy donated previously, as well as the ProQuest CD ROM American Studies database.
Access to InfoUSA-Bratislava for library patrons will be free of charge and open to all in accordance with the University Library organizational rules.
This will be the second such InfoUSA center in Slovakia; the first was opened in March, 2004, in the State Scientific Library in Kosice, Slovakia's second-largest city.
For more information visit: http://www.ulib.sk.