Education for Librarianship in the Russian Far East: An Update on the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Services

Abstract

During the Spring 2005, I returned to Russia for the fifth time and the third time to Vladivostok, in particular. This brief communication, based on my short-term Fulbright lectureship, is an update to my earlier 2002 report, published in JELIS.1 Since that article employed a detailed STEPE analysis, this time I shall more briefly provide a SWOT analysis at the end of this article as well as cover the university's mission, goals and objectives, curriculum, faculty, students, and facilities. Allow me to address these points seriatim. VSUES Mission, Goals, and Objectives The youngest of the five universities in the city, Vladivostok State University of Economics and Services (http://www.vvsu.ru/) was founded in 1967 as the Far Eastern Technological Institute; VSUES was granted university status in July 1996 by the federal government.2 Today, VSUES, with branches in Artyom and Nakhodka, enrolls more than 26,000 students (of which 6,000 are on campus in Vladivostok) and has an academic staff (i.e., faculty and staff) of more than 1 500. Along with elected members from faculty, its rector (a.k.a. president) and prorectors (a.k.a. vice-presidents) serve as the Academic Board of the university. The sixty-five Board members serve for a five-year period and meet on the last Thursday of each month. The University's 1997 financial situation showed a positive balance of 0.5 billion rubles based on a revenue of 4 1 .6 billion rubles and expenses of 41.0 billion. Federal sources provide 50% of the revenue while tuition covers the other 50%. More recently, the university reports 0.8 million rubles earned on revenue of 80.7 million rubles and expenses of 75.8 million. Now, student tuition provides 33.6 percent of the revenue, government funding another 40%, and the remaining 26.3 from city governments15. The university's website is posted at http://www.vvsu.ru/ index. asp. Administratively, the University has a President, Dr. Gennadii I. Lazarev, who has served since 1988. Dr. Lazarev is assisted by five vice presidents. Organizationally, the university has six institutes and one center, headed by Deans, including an Institute of Information Science, Innovation, and Business Systems. Today, the University Library reportedly contains more than 875,000 items, including 44 full-text periodicals along with 600 print-based periodicals accessible via an alphabetical and systematic catalog. The collection is now entirely bar coded for circulation^. Recently, the library developed their own automated in-house library circulation system for registered users; the director of the University Library is Tat'iana Grekhova, who earned her doctorate in 2005. The library's Webpage is http://lib.vvsu.ru/russian/ and the electronic catalog can be found at http://tricon.vvsu.ru/catalog/zgate.exe?Init+tricon. xml, simple, xsl+rus. The administration has positioned the university in an entrepreneurial way and is dedicated to pursuing the ideals of truth, independence and justice [and] has committed itself to developing creative people with the broad and profound knowledge, the professional competence and the independent judgment which will enable them to become the future leaders of the New Russia.4 VSUES Faculty At the Soviet on 29 April 2005, the Rector promised 20% salary increases this academic year as well as another 40% for 2006/07. Russians working in the state sector have made great gains in recent years, but the average monthly wage is around 8295 rubles (about $277) per month for January-November 2005. 5 In the documentalist program (headed by an assistant director), there are 40 faculty members; 60% are professors while the remainder are aspiranta and Candidat Nauk holders, earning their degrees from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, or Vladivostok. VGUES Curriculum In general, Russian higher education is responding to the EU's 2000 Bologna Process, but VSUES' main challenges are: (1 ) the proposed three year baccaulaurete in EU countries whereas the Russian diplom is five years long, (2) the demographic decline6 in the number of university students is projected to be 50% less in the near future, and (3) charting a course between its public service role and crass commerialization. …