Every year on April 23, the global community celebrates World Book and Copyright Day — a holiday established by UNESCO in 1995 to promote reading, publishing, the protection of intellectual property, and to honor the contributions of authors to the cultural development of humanity.

This date was chosen for a reason — on April 23, 1616, the world lost several literary giants, including Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Symbolically, on this day each year, millions of people across all continents unite around the idea of the book as a source of knowledge, a bridge between cultures, and a tool for preserving historical memory.

The State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine (SSTL) upholds the values of open access to knowledge and promotes a culture of reading through its electronic resources, scientific information systems, and innovative projects. We believe that the book is not only a carrier of information but also a powerful agent of intellectual, social, and technological change.

This year, World Book and Copyright Day also emphasizes the importance of digital formats and open science. In this context, SSTL is actively contributing to the development of the national scientific ecosystem by implementing modern digital solutions such as URIS and OUCI, which ensure access to up-to-date scientific information and enhance the visibility of Ukrainian authors on the international stage.