The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore is a state research institute, implementing long-term academic research programs in the fields of old Lithuanian literature, folklore, mythology, modern literature and contemporary writing.

The Institute holds a prestigious academic tradition, dating back to 1907, and functions both as a modern research centre and as an institution of national cultural heritage. It is a strong Lithuanian academic publisher and a centre for digitization of immense literary and folk archives.

Numerous and highly qualified research staff  is employed and two Ph. D. studies programmes in the fields of Philology and Ethnology studies have been administrated here.

The Institute posseses a unique research infrastructure that includes the world’s main archive of  Lithuanian folklore, the major archive of Lithuanian literary manuscripts, the digital databases of archival materials, and the historical premises of the Vileišiai Palace – a national site of memory. Some of the institute’s archival collections are included into the UNESCO's “Memory of the World” heritage list.