Public libraries of Ukraine under nazi occupation in 1941—1944: civil administration area

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to look into the daily reading leisure of an average urban dweller under Nazi occupation of Ukraine by examining activity of public libraries (which were called "mass libraries" in the Soviet tradition). The substance of the study. The study developed understanding of the "normal" town library network in the area of civil administration under occupation (per town: one public library for adults and (possibly) a library / branch for children) through characterizing operating conditions and working schedule of the facilities and specific features of library service; the library staff lists were ascertained. The commercial element of the activity of public libraries was examined in detail as it was the main means of their subsistence. Conclusions. Summarizing population's life with regard to activity of town libraries during the occupation period, it is worth to note: 1) despite the Nazis' view of the local population only as labor force of the Reich, the occupation authorities allowed library services in public libraries but only in urban areas; 2) it was the local authorities who determined the scale (the number of facilities, the amount of their staff) and the operating conditions (working schedule, cost of library services) of public services; 3) there was a certain idea of the library service "standards": the number of facilities, the staff, working hours, paid services, rules of service. Some of them stem from the Soviet experience, and some were the cost of survival under conditions of occupation; 4) public libraries were in popular demand despite the fact that readers had to pay for services; 5) apparently, reading played the role of a psychological compensatory mechanism under conditions of occupation. Thus, public libraries were an active functional part of the cultural environment during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine.