Search

The mechanics of the Soviet library system, the availability of libraries to the citizenry, organizational components, and the development and planning principles of librarianship as they follow Leninist national policy are discussed in this paper by V.V. Serov, Head of the Main Library Directorate, USSR Ministry of Culture. A program of library system construction within the socialist state designed by V.I. Lenin stresses the role of libraries in disseminating knowledge and politically educating the working people. The Decree of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union further developed the library's role and centralized the library network structure. State control ensures the availability of library services to all Soviet citizens, beginning with public libraries and extending to specialized facilities for scientific and technical professionals. The State oversees the centralized library network, providing equipment and techniques, methodological and research activities, library construction, and preparation of library staff. Problems still exist with centralized acquisition, the preparation of library personnel, and the improvement of the material and technical base of many libraries. In a comment paper, Alphonse Trezza, Executive Director of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, discusses library service and future planning implications in the United States as compared with the Soviet library system. (CWM)

An objective description of the programs and outline of the problems of the Lenin State Library are presented by I.P. Osipova of the Lenin State Library of the USSR, and a comparison between that library and the Library of Congress (LC) is presented by Frank M. McGowan. The Lenin Library serves as national library of the USSR, state repository of domestic and foreign printed materials, cultural information center, center for selected bibliography and interlibrary loan, research center in library science, and methodological and consultative center for Soviet libraries. Osipova discusses these functions in detail and notes that the library's information work deals with reference services, preparation of information sources, and the establishment of reference tools. The centralization and branch-networks of the Soviet libraries are stressed, and problems are briefly mentioned. In commenting on this paper, McGowan notes Osipova's avoidance of controversial issues and subjectively compares the Lenin Library and LC. The most significant difference is that the former is an officially designated national library, with broadly defined responsibilities, while the latter is not. The national responsibilities and services of both libraries are contrasted, and problems concerning growth of staff, space allocation, and collection development are noted. (CWM)

The organization and development of the library education system in the USSR is described by K. I. Abramov of the Moscow State Institute of Culture and is summarized in a comment paper by Charles D. Churchwell, Washington University. Abramov begins by stating the philosophical basis for the existence of libraries and librarians in the USSR, and describes the indispensable roles they are expected to play in the development of a socialist society. A description of the library education system notes persons who have played prominent roles in the development of the theory and practice of librarianship in Russia, but focuses on the specific parts of the library education network. Programs and courses, and their organization, are detailed. Changes taking place in library education in Russia are reviewed and a statement of plans for continued growth and improvement of both libraries and library education is provided. Churchwell makes some comparisons between library education in the United States and the USSR. He also amplifies Abramov's presentation, raises questions regarding the system of library education, and notes possible improvements for the future. (CWM)

The development and use of library statistics in the Soviet Union and systems of reporting are discussed in this speech by E.A. Fenelonov, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, and are compared with statistical development in the United States by Vernon E. Palmour of King Research, Inc. Fenelonov emphasizes the use of library statistics in evaluation, planning and forecasting of future activities. A history of statistical development begins with major attention toward measurement and evaluation of external manifestations of library developments and moves toward the forecasting approach to the problems of library business. Fenelonov stresses the centralization of library reporting and details the procedures used in the collection and processing of statistical data. The use of library statistics in management and coordination are described, and future collection and utilization methods are mentioned. An appendix lists the exponents of library statistics in different forms of library reports. Palmour briefly discusses similarities and differences in the use of library statistics in the United States and the USSR, and poses questions regarding national standards and reporting systems. (CWM)

The development and management of children's libraries and library services in the USSR are discussed by N.S. Kobzarenko, State Republican Library for Children of the Ukraine, and comparisons and contrasts between that system and the U.S. system are outlined. Kobzarenko notes that library services for children, established along directives from V.I. Lenin, exist to help schools ensure educational process, to aid in the development of a child's personality and morals, and to assist parents, teachers, and educators with questions regarding children's reading. Materials are regulated through a centralized State library system which publishes books through its own publishing houses. Librarians are trained in the guidance of reading using various detailed methods and programs. The improvement of professional skills of the staff is recognized through methodical centers for research and through government standards. Marilyn Miller, from the University of North Carolina School of Library Science, points out that library services in the United States and the USSR reflect each nation's ideological, social, and economic philosophies while both are dedicated to the welfare of the children served. Objectives for public library service, programming, and collections are compared. (CWM)