21st Annual Conference of The International Association for the Study of Environment, Space, and Place (IASESP): (Un)precedented Times?: Reflecting on Global Disasters as Places of Destruction and Spaces for Opportunity, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool UK, 29 April – 1 May 2026
Bradley Walters, University of Florida
ABSTRACT: It is a time of war in Ukraine. There is an immense sense of loss at present—the loss of life, of land, of livelihood, of knowledge, and of peace. The future of this place and of this people is unwritten. This research recognizes the long history of the country, the region, the people, and the current human tragedies. We acknowledge the complex and interwoven histories of Ukraine, Russia, and their regional neighbors. We approach this project with humility and deep respect for the people of Ukraine. We wish to honor the many sacrifices and ongoing struggles of the people.
It is also a complex time for libraries, in a time of digital media, where the archive becomes both more important and less so. What is a library in this time, and in this place? How might we contribute to the work of preserving knowledge and sustaining culture during a time of war?
In response to the current conflict and changing roles of libraries, this research examines approaches to the design of a library for Kherson, Ukraine.
Founded on 18 June 1872, the Oles Honchar Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library was one of the first publicly-accessible book collections in Ukraine. By 1941, the library’s book collection numbered more than 300,000 volumes, and was used by almost 10,000 readers. During the fascist occupation, the library was looted and more than 215,000 books were destroyed. Following the end of World War II, the library was gradually rebuilt during the Soviet period, becoming one of the most modern scientific libraries in Ukraine. In the late 1980s, the old building from the Russian Empire era was replaced by a new one on the banks of the Dnipro River, where the library relocated in 1987.
During the current conflict with Russia, the library has been subjected to occupation, looting, fire, gunfire, and direct aerial bombardment. As a major cultural repository sitting at the edge of occupied Ukraine, the library has been an easy and frequent target for the occupying forces. Our team recognized the tremendous loss caused by the war as well as the opportunities for libraries to serve as places of collective memory and national identity. We spent a great deal of time learning about Ukraine, and about Kherson in particular, to try to be as sensitive and responsive as possible to the very real needs of the residents. In addition, we considered issues of culture, war, heritage, memory, panopticon, power, censorship, control, history, ethnographic, weeding, domicide, identity, assimilation, postcolonial lacuna, mimicry, hybridity, prison, ambivalence, palimpsest, propaganda, loss, resistance, occupation, symbol, language, metaphor, meaning, autonomy, society, information, and surveillance.
Conventional wisdom, as articulated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in ICOMOS-ICCROM Guidance on Post-Disaster and Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconstruction (published 2023), begins in the aftermath of cultural trauma or catastrophe. These familiar processes include emergency response and stabilization, documentation of a priori heritage conditions, documentation of the catastrophic events, and recovery planning including extensive community engagement.
Our work, however, has developed while the fog of war is still thick, as the people of this place are continuing to struggle under the weight of a seemingly never-ending conflict. Domicide is taking place daily, and there is no opportunity to wait for a deferred future, free of war. We see in Kherson and Ukraine more broadly a future world not free of conflict but rather immersed in it. How do we live with such trauma? What does it mean to build in such times? How do we respond to these kinds of conditions?
Given the ongoing conflict, the story of the Kherson library is one that continues to be written. Our team was unable to benefit from immersion within the richness of Ukrainian culture, but we have probed some responses to these weighty questions. We have learned a great deal, but we still recognize the inadequacy of our approaches to date. The team was also insulated from the direct horrors of war. As a result, the proposals developed are at best incomplete and partial, contingent on further understanding and input from librarians, community leaders, and neighbors. And while we pursue peace in Ukraine, we recognize the urgent need to advance community even as the bombs continue to fall. It cannot wait. This work aims at developing approaches for living libraries, continuing culture even amid unimaginable human tragedy.
For information about the conference: https://iasesp.org/conferences/
Image: Conference program.
