The National Library of the USSR, Its Role in the Country's Library System. Reaction paper by Frank M. McGowan.

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)