Formation of the Sverdlovsk Regional Universal Scientific Library Named After V. G. Belinsky Collections in 1940

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the collections acquisition of the Sverdlovsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after V. G. Belinsky (SOUNB) in 1940 as a part of the study devoted to the history of the library collections formation. The efficiency of any library depends on the quality and quantity of the book collections, so the selection of documents is the main function of librarians throughout the entire period of the library existence. The author aims at tracing how approaches to the creation of collections have been changing for the space of work of the Library named after V. G. Belinsky. The purpose of the study is to present the history of the library through the collections acquisition. The task was to find documentary and statistical materials about the activities of librarians working with collections. The history of the acquisition is unstudied yet, therefore, official government documents, publications in the local periodical press and documents from the archive of SOUNB served as sources for research. For the first time, data revealed in the library archive are introduced into scientific circulation, and an attempt is made to recreate the history of the most important component of library activities – the acquisition of the largest library in the Middle Urals. Special attention is paid to the topic of obtaining the mandatory copy, opening the department for blind readers, creating an exchange stock, also the problems of current acquisition, preservation of book collections and lack of the necessary space for their placement are considered. To study the topic, the method of historical alignment of the chronological sequence of events has been applied.