Belarusian Library Day: cultural blossoming. Library Day in Belarus: cultural flowering Library Day in Belarus events

News of Belarus. On September 15, library day, their employees came out to their readers. So employees of one of the largest scientific repositories in the country - the Presidential Library - asked simple questions to passers-by. In the style of “How to get to our library?”, “What was the last book you read?” All respondents received a library card as a gift. The correspondent of the “24 Hours” News program on STV, even in the age of information technology, prefers a printed book, which attracted the attention of the organizers of this action.

Maxim Slizh, STV:
The central place in the country's library system, of course, belongs to Almaz. With its unique funds and architectural design. Today there are more than 9 thousand libraries throughout the country. In quantitative terms, it turns out that in each region of Belarus about seventy valuable stones are kept in their book treasures.

One of them is the Kholmechi Rural Library. All funds and archives are in the new building. Today Elena Naidenko talks, not without pride, about how it warms the heart.

Elena Naidenko, librarian of the Kholmechi Rural Library:
Our library stock is 10 thousand copies. Also, new literature is received annually - Belarusian, Russian, foreign, as well as children's literature.

Book depository, reading room, copy center and even free wi-fi. All this made the Kholmechi library a real cultural center of the agricultural town. There is no complaint here about the lack of interest among readers in literature and new information.

Reader of the Kholmechi Rural Library:
I go often, every day after school. I read books, catchwi- fi.

And on the holiday, an action was organized in the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus. Librarians asked passers-by for the names of their favorite books, and in return they gave them flyers. Already in the library they can be exchanged for a subscription and for a month you can use the two-million-dollar archive of one of the largest funds in the country for free.

Elena Vinnikova, head of the marketing department of the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus:
Librarians should not wait for their readers at their desks. They should hold such events, go out onto the city streets, inform about the foundation, about the library, about their resources.

Passerby:
I read everything digitally on a tablet or computer. But, after all, nothing can replace a living book.

The library named after Efim Karsky in the Grodno region is one of the oldest in Belarus. Today it is a large information and educational center with the ability to digitize even musical works. This year the library turns 185 years old.

Lidia Maltseva, director of the Grodno Regional Scientific Library named after E. F. Karsky:
As for information technology, over the last decade I can’t even call it a step - it’s just some kind of leap. Today we have the most modern computer and office equipment. We can do anything for the reader.

The total collection of Belarusian libraries today exceeds 200 million copies. And whether it is a manuscript from the 16th century, the latest in domestic or foreign literature, specialized publications - they are available to everyone.

The “blooming complexity” of various cultural worlds could be observed in the space of the Vitebsk Regional Library during the celebration of the professional date.

The celebration of Belarusian Library Day, held on September 15, helps to reveal the variety of opportunities that a modern library can provide to its visitors. It would seem that today's world of the Internet is replacing the book, because much can now be read on electronic media. Nevertheless, everyone who was at that time in the Vitebsk Regional Library, and in particular in the Department of Literature on Art, was revealed.

From the book “Mastatstva insita” edited by Lyudmila Vakar

Due to the fact that the number of visitors in the Internet era has sharply decreased, libraries are mastering the function of hosting a wide range of scientific, educational, and entertainment events. The last definition should not lead to illusion, since the concept of “entertaining” is used in a complex sense, which becomes clear if we recall the well-known expression Oscar Wilde « teach while entertaining " It referred to the designation of the purpose of art. This rule is especially true for the youngest readers, which we witnessed during the literary quest “In Search of Book Treasures.”

Participants of the literary quest “In Search of Book Treasures”

In the Department of Literature on Art, where there is a rich music library, they did not limit themselves to books. Children could, as they say, “guess the melody” of their favorite songs.

The winners in each library department were awarded with balloons.

As for the contents of the book fund in the Department of Literature on Art, one could be convinced that there are truly genuine modern book masterpieces, the receipt of which our general reader knows little about. So, there is a wonderful series “The Great History of Art” with excellent illustrations. Each of the books belongs to a specific cultural era or civilization.

"The Great History of Art" on a library bookshelf

From the book “Countries of Islam”: art beyond religious fundamentalism

In a conversation with the head of the Art Literature Department of the Vitebsk Regional Library Olga Dorofeeva We touched upon the issue of the relationship between the Internet and books at the present time, as well as the lack of awareness of modern readers about current cultural figures. From what Olga Dorofeeva said, it is obvious that who, if not the librarian, can see all the problems of the modern book market, and at the same time, the library strives to fill the existing information gaps:

The cost of books is also a factor influencing their inaccessibility to the general reader, and here a library that acquires specialized literature satisfies existing needs. Examples are indicative: for example, one volume from the “Big History of Art” series costs 500 thousand Belarusian rubles and more. What can we say about another exclusive and rich publication in every sense of the word, namely the “Encyclopedia of the Russian Avant-Garde”, which would cost the reader 6 million 600 thousand Belarusian rubles...

"Encyclopedia of Russian Avant-Garde"

But the book is also interesting in the context of the development of artistic culture in Belarus, since the most advanced artistic movements were born in our Vitebsk.

Throughout the entire complex of events in the Vitebsk Regional Library, visitors could see really many “beautiful and different” books, and it was especially pleasant to note those written by our Vitebsk art historians. In particular, this, and such a book edited by her as “Mastatstva insita” about “naive” or “primitive” art, was created with great love for the subject of research and a serious scientific approach.

Lyudmila Vakar also opened an exhibition of Belarusian vytinanka, that is, the art of cutting patterns from black, white or colored paper. But before the opening of this very exhibition, visitors could enjoy playing folk instruments by representatives of the musical group “Contrast”, consisting of teachers from Children’s Art School No. 4. They adapt and perform works of different genres: from classical to rock. That day you could hear country music, waltzes, quadrilles, and samba.

"Contrast" in the Vitebsk Regional Library

The exhibition of Belarusian vytinanka is a joint event of the Vitebsk Regional Library and the Vitebsk Regional Methodological Center of Folk Art, the funds of which contain the presented works.

Of particular interest are those works that express symbols and ornamental motifs of the Belarusian tradition. The authors convey such layers of national mythopoetics as the agricultural cycle, a sublime attitude towards Global Femininity, love lyricism, and the idea of ​​harmonious existence in nature and space. These remarkable properties inherent in the Belarusian tradition provide it with a worthy place in the space of world cultures, which was obvious during the celebration of Library Day.

Outside the window, 2019 is the time of information technology, when most of humanity switched to electronic books. The price factor of availability of the latest gadgets allows us to cover the entire library collection of the world, but this still cannot replace the “quiet rustling of the pages of a paper book.” Libraries are still popular and for many they remain the only opportunity to get acquainted with the necessary array of information or the most priceless creation - the classics. At the beginning of the 21st century, a professional holiday was established in honor of their workers in Belarus.

When is it celebrated?

According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated September 8, 2001, Library Day is held in the country annually on September 15. In 2019 it is celebrated for the 19th time.

Who's celebrating

This is a professional holiday for library workers, which they celebrate together with readers.

history of the holiday

The event was established by the head of the Belarusian state in 2001. The date chosen was the founding day of the country's main book depository - the National Library (1922), which at that time was named after. IN AND. Lenin.

The very history of the emergence of libraries on the territory of modern Belarus began in the 11th century. The first keepers of books were monks and clergy. The library of the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral is considered the most ancient. In 1830, residents of Grodno were able to become the first visitors to the public library, and the largest book depositories were located in Slutsk, Minsk and Mogilev.

The National Minsk Library was among the top 30 book depositories in the world in terms of value and number of book copies available. About 80% of the fund was destroyed and looted during the Second World War, but its restoration began almost immediately after the liberation of Minsk. The post-war opening took place in October 1944.

Construction of the modern National Library building began in November 2002, and six years later the facility was put into operation. Today it is not just an ordinary book depository, but one of the main attractions of the capital and the republic. The building, made in the shape of a regular diamond, with a glass dome and an observation deck at an altitude of 73 m, constantly stirs up interest from tourists and guests of the country. A visit to her, at a minimum, leaves vivid positive emotions from a one-time event, and, at a maximum, develops into regular visits.

About the profession

The librarian is a kind of user interface, as one of the modern teenagers said. He acts as an intermediary between the reader and the book depository. If we talk about fiction, then often it is up to this specialist to appeal to the readership to a specific work. But the main job of the employee, of course, comes down to systematizing and preserving the existing book collection. Librarians work not only with paper books and manuscripts, but also with other information media and various databases.

In every country there is at least one book depository that is unusual in its architectural design. One such creative building is the library of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands (South Holland). The building seems to grow out of the ground on one side in such a way that you can climb it like a mountain. The uniqueness of the structure is enhanced by the steel cone erected on top and the natural roof insulation, which uses real grass.

The holiday was established in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On public holidays, public holidays and memorable dates of the Republic of Belarus."

Libraries have been known on the territory of Belarus since the 11th century. Initially they were created at churches and monasteries. The most ancient is the book collection of the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral. Particular interest in science arose during the Renaissance. During this period, not only religious and educational institutions, but also free cities and individuals sought to have collections of books. In the second half of the 16th century, libraries were founded in Slutsk, Minsk, and Mogilev. Private collections of books by the Radziwills, Sapiehas, and Khreptovichs became famous. In the 19th century, public libraries appeared on the territory of Belarus. The first such institution was founded in September 1830 in Grodno. The collection was based on books that were voluntarily donated to the library by the city’s nobles. In the first half of the 20th century, the network of libraries in Belarus began to rapidly expand. In 1921, the fundamental library of the Belarusian State University was founded - the first scientific library in the republic. In the 30s of the 20th century, a network of children's and regional libraries emerged.

Currently in Belarus there are about 9.3 thousand public and special libraries with a total collection of more than 200 million copies. The largest of them are the National Library of the Republic of Belarus, the Yakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian Agricultural Library named after Ivan Stepanovich Lupinovich of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Republican Scientific Medical Library, and the Fundamental Library of the BSU.

The National Library of the Republic of Belarus is the main universal library of the country, the republican information, sociocultural and sociopolitical center. She heads the country's library system and coordinates their activities.

The National Library of the Republic of Belarus was founded in 1921 as the library of the Belarusian State University. In 1922 it was transformed into the Belarusian State and University Library. In 1926 it was reorganized into an independent institution.

In 2006, the opening of a modern library building, designed by architects M. Vinogradov and V. Kramarenko, took place.

Today, the National Library of the Republic of Belarus has the most complete and popular collection in the country, which amounts to 8.6 million documents created both in Belarus and in various countries of the world in more than 50 languages. These include printed publications, manuscripts, microfilms, electronic and other types of documents.

The Yakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (CNB NAS of Belarus) was opened on February 16, 1925 at the Institute of Belarusian Culture. In 1929 it became part of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR. In 1956, the library was named after Yakub Kolas.

Currently, the Central Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the second largest library in the republic. Its collection is about 5 million copies, including about 1 million foreign publications. Scientific and popular science publications in all branches of science, in the languages ​​of almost all countries of the world, are widely represented here. The library has the largest and most complete collection of foreign literature on natural science topics in Belarus, as well as a rich selection of fiction. The Central Library supports book exchange with 776 libraries and scientific institutions from 56 countries.

The Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus was founded in 1933 as a specialized scientific library to serve government agencies. In 1938, the library was named after A.M. Gorky and the name was determined - Government Library named after A.M. Gorky. In 1994, by order of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the Government Library of the Republic of Belarus was transformed into the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus. Today the library has a collection of domestic and foreign documents in different languages ​​with a volume of more than 1.5 million items.

The main goal of the library is library, bibliographic and information support for the activities of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus and other republican government bodies, local legislative and executive bodies.

However, the information resources of the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus are publicly available. Restrictions on their use are determined only for the purpose of protecting particularly rare and valuable documents. Use of the Presidential Library of the Republic of Belarus is free, except for additional types of services. Every year the library serves about 39 thousand individual and collective users.

Belarusian Agricultural Library named after I.S. Lupinovich of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (BelSHB) is a national information center on agriculture and forestry, food, food industry, and natural resources. It was founded in 1960. In 1970, the library was named after the soil scientist and agrochemist, Academician Lupinovich.

The library has collected the most representative collection of literature in Belarus on agriculture and forestry, food, food industry, natural resources, and environmental protection. Currently, the library's repositories contain over 0.5 million documents: monographs and collections, abstracts of dissertations, periodicals, information materials in Russian, Belarusian, English and other languages.

Since 1993, the library has been the national information center of the international information system of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Republican Scientific Medical Library of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus was founded in Minsk in 1940. The library's collection is a national treasure and contains more than 900 thousand domestic and foreign documents. Every year the library receives more than 17 thousand copies of publications on medicine and healthcare and has a unique collection of rare books on medicine, among which early printed editions of Hippocrates, Avicenna and literature of the 19th - early 20th centuries take pride of place.

Since January 1995, by decision of the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), the library has become the WHO Documentation Center on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

The fundamental library of BSU is one of the oldest and largest university libraries in the Republic of Belarus. As already noted, the library dates back to 1921; it was separated into an independent unit in 1926.

Today, the Fundamental Library of the BSU contains over 2 million volumes of the universal collection of domestic and foreign literature. The pride of the library is its collection of rare and valuable publications, which includes early printed publications; a collection of revolutionary press and the first years of Soviet power; the first lifetime and especially valuable editions of works by classics of science, literature and art; publications that are examples of artistic design and printing; miniature and small-format publications; reprints and facsimiles; publications with autographs of persons famous in literature, science, public life, and the teaching staff of BSU; illegal and banned pre-revolutionary publications; publications returned from the special storage department; the best serial publications, books illustrated by famous artists; copies with bookplates or owner's seals; copies with censored edits and marginalia.

The depository funds of the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund, created on the basis of the Fundamental Library, are of great informational and cultural value, allowing library users to work with primary sources of documents and publications of the UN and the IMF, statistical yearbooks, materials of conferences, seminars, symposiums, collections of agreements, periodicals on English and Russian languages.

The scientific library of the Belarusian National Technical University is the largest university library of the Republic of Belarus with a technical profile. Its collection includes over 2 million copies of publications on technology, architecture, art, natural and other sciences. To popularize reading among young people, the BNTU Scientific Library became a participant in the global BOOKCROSSING movement.

All libraries of the Republic of Belarus are engaged not only in collecting and storing manuscripts and printed publications, but are also educational, scientific, cultural, and information centers. Libraries assist in the revival of national culture, the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, and the dissemination of knowledge; this is precisely their main mission.

Celebrated on September 15th.
On September 15 every year, all libraries in Belarus, as well as many of their visitors, celebrate their holiday. The Day of Libraries appeared in the state in 2001 on September 8 according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus. The date of this holiday – September 15 – is not accidental. It was on this day that the National Library was founded, which previously bore the name of Lenin (it was created back in 1922). The book collection of the National Library is based on backgrounds from the Belarusian State University. The largest libraries in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities of the Union also sent books here. The library in Minsk was seventh in the country in terms of the number of books and their value, and was also among the thirty best libraries in the world. By 1941, there were more than two million publications here, the number of regular readers was more than 15 thousand.

During the war, unfortunately, eighty percent of the books were taken out and destroyed by the German invaders. Already in 1944, just a couple of days after the liberation of Minsk, the government decided to restore the library. In October of the same year it opened to readers.
Today the National Library is regularly visited by almost 90 thousand people. More than 8 million books are available to readers, and 3 million printed periodicals are also available. In the library you can also find 70 thousand old printed rare books and manuscripts. The newly built library building became a kind of decoration and symbol of the capital.

The history of book depositories on the lands of Belarus, meanwhile, began many times earlier. The first collections of books appeared in the 11th century; they initially existed in monasteries and churches. One of the most ancient libraries in Belarus is the library at the St. Sophia Cathedral. Already in the 17th century, book depositories operated in Mogilev, Slutsk and Minsk. The first public library opened in Grodno in 1830. Today there are nine thousand libraries in the republic; the total library collections exceed 200 million books.

Library Day is celebrated in the republic with various solemn events, conferences, book collections, educational events, and book fairs. In recent years, the tradition of celebrating the holiday not just for one day, but for a whole week has become relevant.