Reflections on the profession
There are many professions in the world. They are all different, but each is necessary, each is needed by people.
Thinking about the profession of a librarian, I want to delve a little into the past. Now no one will deny how important the emergence of writing has become for mankind. And our people honor the memory of two educators - the brothers Cyril and Methodius. They were very educated and wise people. Cyril, who spoke many languages, refused the high positions offered to him, took the modest place of a librarian, and years later compiled an alphabet for the Slavic peoples. We see how already in ancient times the functions of a librarian were diverse. The feat accomplished by the Solun brothers confirms the uniqueness of this profession.
Today, the library is a place of meetings and communication, and not just information. That is why the scope of the librarian's activity is expanding. When compiling a bibliographic list, he is a painstaking scholar, holding a mass event - a playwright, director, artist, as well as a writer, psychologist, teacher, designer and administrator all rolled into one. In addition, the librarian needs to navigate the library collections and catalogs, know other library disciplines, as well as possess the professional skills and abilities necessary to serve readers. Not to mention the fact that a librarian must have a system of knowledge in various fields in order to be able to isolate the main thing in the information flow. In addition, every worker understands that one cannot stop developing, one must educate oneself, accept everything new that life presents us.
I think that people in this profession should be sensitive, responsive, polite, attentive. Possessing these qualities, it is easy to create a psychologically favorable and creative atmosphere in the team. Such an environment, of course, will help in communicating with readers, because, in addition to reading, communicating, organizing leisure activities, people sometimes just need psychological support.
The library profession is interesting and captivating because every day is different, it brings acquaintance with the new: what will today's reader be like, what will bring him here, what to offer him, what to interest him. When you work with readers on a daily basis, you help in choosing books, in studying, in professional activity, as well as organizing interesting and educational events, you feel the gratitude of people, the return on your efforts. Thanks to this, you understand that your work is useful and necessary. And this is the most important thing!

Brusnitsyna Yana

Reflections on the profession of a librarian
What is a librarian? Answering this question, I involuntarily recall my beloved Zoya Alekseevna, a librarian in rural library. A librarian for me is not just a person who gives out, but also recommends a new interesting book. It was she who conducted the most interesting and memorable conversations, after all the conversations we always participated in quizzes, competitions, as a result of which we received memorable prizes. We really liked the days of helping the library, which were held once a year. We came in groups of three and glued the torn books together. The oldest children were allowed to issue exhibition stands. I really liked discussing the books I read, the librarian not only listened to us, she asked questions that we could not always answer. But after reading the book, after the conversation, we understood what it was about. Each A new book, for me was a discovery in new world, whether it's an adventure or a detective story. I never lost interest in the book. When the librarian changed, interest in reading, unfortunately, subsided. I began to go to the library as needed in a particular book in order to prepare a report or write an essay.
Why did I come to the library? Because I liked this work performed by Zoya Alekseevna. Decided to try it myself. Now, when she herself began to work in the library, she discovered for herself the other side of the work of a librarian. Very difficult for me, a newbie in this business! After all, looking from the reader, the work looks simple. How difficult is it to record the number and return date of a book on a reader's form? Nothing. The difficulty for me lies in the fact that I do not know the reader, what he likes to read, what to offer him from new products. Now a lot contemporary authors. Of course, it's easier when the reader says the author's last name and asks for something from his recent works. But if the reader says that he likes something from the Fantasy and Adventure series, you can get lost here. Detectives are closer to me, but each person has his own taste, his own preferences. Here the librarian cannot impose his favorite books on the reader. Can only offer. Or when a reader comes and asks for books on philosophy or pedagogy. Even if we, librarians, look for information in catalogs, in electronic databases. Anyway, you begin to think about what kind of knowledge a librarian should have. It is necessary to understand not only fiction, but also all areas of science. A librarian must be a literary critic, historian, teacher, psychologist, philosopher, and even an economist, because there are paid services. The most difficult thing is, perhaps, holding a mass event. The librarian needs to find not just useful, interesting information, but also one that would complement the teacher's lesson. After all this, you also need to write reports, fill in statistics. Preparing a book exhibition is also not an easy task. Creating action plans for the year, it all takes a lot of time.
Now that there is Internet in almost every home, libraries are fading into the background. The main readers are pensioners and housewives. I think that the librarian is faced with the task of attracting new and retaining old readers. I consider it equally important to keep the love of books, the interest in reading a “live” book, and not a page on the Internet.

Vdovina Elena

"Knizhkin House"
"Knizhkin House" - this is how big and small reading lovers call the library with love and warmth. In the 20th century, the library heard kind words, probably much more, then it was clear to everyone why they came to the library: students - for knowledge, children - for good adventure books, and in general they were looking for humanity in the works, answers to questions about the meaning of life. In the 21st century, everything has changed, rare parents take their children to the library, students get knowledge on the Internet, popular books suffer from a lack of beauty of words, meaning, and moral ideals. The question arises: why do we need a library and a librarian?
I would like to answer this question with the words of L.A. Putina: “The library plays a unique role in the education and upbringing of the younger generation, in shaping the culture of reading among students, literary tastes, moral ideas, true love for the process of knowing the world.” In order to attract a small reader to the library, librarians try to interest him with bright books, exciting events, and loud reading. Well, in adults you know how the soul rejoices when a book appears in the library in which the author examines public issues and writes about it in a good literary style. There are very few such books, one of them is the book by A. Ivanov "The geographer drank away the globe." I consider it necessary in the library to fill the collections with high quality. This is one of the most important factors in the success of a library: a library cannot exist without a quality moral book.
A modern librarian, starting his work, like all people, should be guided by the main principle “Do no harm!”. The child should be offered only that literature, in the process of reading which the mind and heart of the child sympathize with positive heroes and ideals of goodness. Also one of the most important qualities librarian in our time is the possession of information literacy, here it is necessary to find and evaluate information with high quality, be able to store and retrieve it, monitor ethical use, apply it for publishing and sharing knowledge.
A person who is not indifferent to books, inspired by the idea that there is truth in books, always gets a job in the library.

Botova Natalia

Reflections on the profession
When I got a job at the library, I had no idea how interesting it was to work here. Everything is interesting: to communicate with readers, to select literature for them, to prepare exhibitions. In branch #15, I proposed the idea of ​​creating an exhibition "Librarian's Tips" (for those readers who "don't know what to read"). The team supported this idea, and all employees got involved in the preparation of the exhibition. As a result, the most, in our opinion, interesting books were collected at this exhibition.
I like that in the library you can hold various events on topics that interest me. In addition, I am interested in any questions related to librarianship. Now I work at the Okudzhava House LMC, and I am very glad to immerse myself in the era and lyrics of the famous poet.

Ershov Artem

What is a librarian?
What is a librarian? The librarian is a very ancient profession, over four and a half thousand years old! As is known, the first librarians were scribes who compiled collections of clay tablets.
During this time, much has changed, new information technologies have replaced the clay tablets, and the appointment of the profession has taken on new forms. The versatility and complexity of the profession now lies in the fact that a librarian must have quite versatile skills and abilities. Sociability, creativity, computer literacy, pedagogical talent - these are just a small part of what is necessary for our work.
My opinion is that people should also come into this profession, exceptionally intelligent, devoid of the habit of “falling into rudeness”, and, on the contrary, prone to self-education and self-education. And this, not counting the main thing - the ability to cultivate interest in the book! So, a modern specialist librarian, who has information on a wide range of issues, has good taste in terms of fiction, esthete, speaker, lecturer, organizer ....

Lyubaeva Tatiana

Reflections on the profession
Librarian - one of the oldest professions, it is more than four and a half thousand years old. Librarians at one time worked such famous personalities as the fabulist Ivan Krylov, mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky, writer Vladimir Odoevsky. So what does it mean to be a librarian? Asking such a question, as a rule, you hear in response: "Issue books." That is why people believe that anyone can work in a library, without certain knowledge and skills. That's what I thought as I got a new job.
From the very first minutes of the working day, I realized that the librarian is one of the most exciting professions in the world. A librarian must not only be proficient in a large amount of information, which is the key to understanding all the processes taking place in modern life, but also be able to draw it from various sources, as well as manage it, offering it to the reader correctly. A real librarian should be able to switch from one thing to another, solve several issues at the same time, take the initiative. Reader service requires the utmost correctness and delicacy from the librarian in order to find a book in accordance with the tastes and interests of the reader, quickly and efficiently select necessary information for a specific visitor. To work with pupils and students - the main readers of the library - you need pedagogical abilities, the ability to interest, attract attention, make communication mutually enjoyable, and sometimes "set the right path." There is no place in the library profession without love for the book, love and respect for the reader.
The library profession also attracts me because every day brings new people, new books, fresh numbers newspapers and magazines, which contributes to continuous self-improvement and self-development. Digital technologies that have penetrated into all spheres of human activity are also changing the work of a librarian. A modern librarian is required to master new information technologies, skills and knowledge of searching for information on the network, a computer and other various equipment.
Thus, a librarian, in my opinion, is a universal specialist who not only knows a lot and uses his knowledge, but also a person who “does not stand still”, is constantly improving, acquiring new skills, skills, experience. People of this profession are characterized by sensitivity, responsiveness, politeness, attentiveness. The principle "Everything for the reader" is the main one for the librarian. But if the librarian is an indifferent person, if in the process of communicating with the reader he has a feeling of irritation, boredom, apathy, then the profession was chosen by mistake.
I am sure that the profession, chosen by me by chance, will remain mine forever. I will learn, improve, gain experience from colleagues and eventually become a true professional in my field, and I can proudly call myself a librarian.

Lagutkina Olga

My profession is a librarian

Libraries are treasures
all the riches of the human spirit. (Leibniz G.W.)

Librarian. Now, for some, this word evokes respect and reverence, for others, a mockery and a cunningly extended grin on their faces. I won't tell you a secret if I say that librarians have long been one of the smartest and most educated people of their time. But now, when I answer the question “Who do you work for?”, “Librarian”, then people have facial paralysis, their eyes become big, big, and then another question follows: “So what, do you like it?”. And when they get a positive answer to this question, it causes an even greater degree of bewilderment.
The library profession, despite its seeming accessibility and simplicity, remains one of the most closed. Ask any person what a librarian does, and the answer will be: "Gives out books." In fact, they are right, but this is just the tip of the iceberg that is visible to the uninitiated. Meanwhile, today it is one of the most complex and multifaceted professions.
Who is a librarian now, whose profession evokes such a mixed palette of emotions in people. In our time of people who are always running and hurrying, the library remains an island of calm and silence, and it is generally accepted that the librarian is the keeper of this very silence, because the library should be quiet and quiet. On this occasion, a funny story happened to me. Once I lost my voice and could only speak in a low whisper, and some readers, apparently deciding that the old library practices had returned, began to speak to me in the same way, and even pulled their children away so that they would not speak loudly. It is strange, because such an order of things was forgotten long ago. Now in the library you can still make some noise and even laugh out loud. And the librarian will not "poke" and make comments, but he will also take part in all this "disgrace".
The role of the library and the librarian has certainly changed. But not everyone knows about it. I didn't know it either until I came to work here. Now, constantly encountering people who talk stereotypically about the profession of a librarian, I, like a talking parrot, begin to tell the same thing: about how diverse the work of a librarian is, that I don’t drink tea and don’t read at work, about , as the children, who are so often called non-readers, like in the library. But my attempts to prove something cause mistrust, suspicion, and in response I get only polite nods of my head.
But there are also pleasant moments. Those people who only yesterday looked at me with distrust begin to ask for advice on what books to read.
The librarian is now not just a woman in a shawl, issuing books, but a modern specialist, savvy in several directions, keeping up with the times. In addition, he must have the best human qualities and knowledge of psychology, must be able to quickly find the information you need, and of course know what to advise when choosing a book.
It's hard for me to imagine a librarian angry, rude, "growling" at readers. Always before my eyes is the image of a good-natured, sweet and well-read woman, with whom you can discuss many issues, starting with a conversation about a book you have read and ending with a discussion of personal problems.
Our readers often note that it is pleasant to go to the library, because they are greeted here with a smile and are always ready to help (by the way, they often oppose us to different government agencies). I think they are pleased to come to the library not only for this reason. It seems to me that in the library everyone feels a little smarter, a little kinder, even a little more cultured. And it's not that in everyday life people are drowning in lack of culture and stupidity, it's just that the forgotten status of the library and librarian still sleeps in the human subconscious (it's a pity, of course, that he sleeps and is not awake). Here, as in no other place, you can feel the presence of human thought, touch it.
The library remains a fantasy world where a person can make the most amazing discoveries in his life. Each book is essentially the fantasy of the author. These fantasies are commensurate with pearls that are revealed only to that person who is able to fully appreciate their originality and beauty. The librarian, like a jeweler, strings all these pearls on thin strings. He must not miss any of them in order to fully demonstrate their uniqueness to the uninitiated.

Nikolova Natella

Mozhegova Snezhana

I am a librarian
Librarian today - who is he? Long gone are the days when the librarian was solely concerned with accounting and issuing printed publications. In an age of rapidly developing information technologies The librarian performs a lot of additional functions. Today, a librarian is a teacher, an entertainer, a psychologist, a designer, a marketer, and a PC operator.
It is no secret that at the present time interest in reading is rapidly declining, the younger generation prefers to spend time on social networks. All sorts of modern gadgets are increasingly replacing the book. In order to maintain interest in reading, a modern library needs to keep up with the times and take into account the interests of today's youth. That is why the library is becoming today not only a place for lending books and a reading room, but also a leisure center, an interest club, a place to receive any information assistance. Various events, exhibitions, meetings with authors, conferences, theme evenings and discussions help to attract and interest the reader. And the active introduction and use of information technology makes the library accessible to a wide range of users, facilitates the work of both the librarian and the reader, and also allows people with disabilities to also use the services of the library.
The role of the librarian in the life of the reader can play a significant role. Often, library visitors - lonely old people or children from single-parent and dysfunctional families - really need to communicate. And if a librarian loves his job and strives to help people in difficult situations, then for such visitors the library will become a second home.
I am not a librarian by training, and I have little experience in this position. I can’t say yet that I am a librarian by vocation, but I like that my knowledge benefits both the library and visitors, that I contribute to a very important, in my opinion, cause - the popularization of reading. Reading provides an unlimited opportunity for spiritual and creative development, and the work of a librarian will not allow you to degrade, because modern technologies force you to constantly improve in your profession.

Tolmacheva Olga

I am a librarian

« ... The memory of a wonderful book that we read in Childhood,
forever connected in our soul with the memories of a person,
who took it down for us from the bookshelf and smiling promisingly,
said: “Read this one, you won’t regret it!”
S.Ya.Marshak

Many people have a stereotype about the work of a librarian: a person sits and gives out and writes down books. It seems to be so simple! But this is far from true.
It’s good if a person comes to the library and asks for a certain book, let’s say “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy. Here you only need to know where the book is located. And if the reader himself does not really know what he needs?
This is where it starts creative work librarian. It is necessary to help the reader to choose the most interesting, most useful, most necessary book for him. And such joy in the soul if the reader left with the book that you picked up for him. I love heart-to-heart conversations with readers, these conversations also help to reveal the tastes and needs of the reader.
And mass work in the library? It is so wonderful and responsible to share your knowledge with the fragile souls of children. To give them new knowledge in such a way that it is understandable and interesting for children, to encourage the need to pick up a book and read it. It is necessary to work in such a way as not to extinguish the flame of Goodness, the desire to learn new things in children's souls.
I like to select and use game moments in my work. Theatrical techniques. It is gratifying when all this resonates in the child's soul, when children begin to ask questions on the topic of the lesson, give examples from literature and from life. How important it is not to lose it all.
Unfortunately, the culture of reading is being lost. And our concern is to attract readers to the library. It’s a shame when they ask: “Well, does anyone else go to the library? When everything can be read on the Internet. And it's nice to see their surprise when you tell them about the modern possibilities of the library.
The high mission of libraries is to preserve the cultural heritage. Enlightenment of people, their spiritual enrichment.

Yansitova Elena

I am a librarian

"The Universe - some call it the Library..."
BorgesH. L. "Babylon Library"

I never dreamed of becoming a librarian as a child. I don’t remember the school library at all, moreover, having recently found myself in my school, I couldn’t remember at all where it was located. In the middle classes, during extracurricular reading lessons, we were taken to the children's library. Elderly librarians talked to us about books, it was boring to the teeth gnashing ... Yes, I did not feel any pleasure from visiting libraries, although I loved to read very much. I was lucky - my parents had (and still have) a good library. And it is them that I want to thank for my love of books.
Later, I visited a branch near my home. I liked it here: small rooms filled with shelving, almost homely atmosphere, the ability to take a book from the shelf, flip through (“The letters are also on the spine of the book, but they do not determine or foreshadow what the pages will say. This discrepancy, I know, once seemed mysterious” (Borges H. L. “Babylon Library”), touch the roots, find someone's bookmarks ... Only two things did not suit me - the choice of books was small, and most importantly, what I disliked most of all - the books had to be returned. Yes, and return on time!
Fifteen years ago I graduated from college and was looking for a job. Back in 1998, work was difficult. I was offered to become a librarian in the reading room of my native pedagogical institute. I agreed - temporarily. But there is nothing more permanent than temporary. Very soon I realized that the people behind the barrier, who during my studies were so annoying with their slowness and slowness, became my friends, and almost endless rows of racks (“ The universe - some call it the Library - consists of a huge, perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries, with wide ventilation shafts enclosed by low railings. From each hexagon you can see two upper and two lower floors - to infinity ”(Borges H. L. “Babylonian Library”), my second home, my work, communication, entertainment. Since then I have been a librarian.
In my opinion, the most important thing in the library (“... The library exists abaeterno. In this truth, the direct consequence of which is the coming eternity of the world, no sane mind can doubt” (Borges J. L. “Babylonian Library”) is still books, literature, information. In whatever form it would be presented - book, electronic, virtual, liquid, gaseous or plasma. I don't know people who don't want to read, but it can be hard to find "your book." Therefore, the larger and more diverse the fund, the more diverse the information in it, the more readers there will be, the more efficiently the library will work. And a librarian can become ... no, not anyone and not everyone, but there can be completely different people who just love books and want to work.

Nikolaeva Olga

I am a librarian!
My whole life is closely connected with the book. As a child, I read a lot. Books are probably my best friends. Every free minute was filled with reading.
Children used to work hours at school. Someone worked on the site: dug beds, planted flowers, watered, weeded, etc. Someone was picking up trash near the school. Someone helped the teachers paint the desks. And I went to the library. Not everyone was taken there, but only the best readers. I really enjoyed interacting with books, I liked repairing them and giving them a second life. It was especially joyful when completely new books appeared on the shelves, they beckoned with their obscurity, anticipation of new experiences and fascinating stories.
At an older age, this connection with the book was not lost, on the contrary, it became even closer when I studied at the Pedagogical College, and then at the Pedagogical Institute. My professional life began. For many years I worked as an elementary school teacher, an educator in kindergarten. I wanted to pass on my love for books and reading to my children. Preparation for reading lessons took a lot of time, but it was done with pleasure and interest.
No matter how my life evolved, I have always been a reader of this or that library. Now my daughter has taken the baton. She was awarded a diploma in branch number 13 as the best young reader.
And so I became a librarian! I feel very comfortable in the library, I like working here. I like live communication with readers, both young and old. And, of course, I like what surrounds me great amount familiar and unfamiliar books.

Librarians store and disseminate knowledge, organize information and create new, creative and technological ways to access it. Depending on the chosen specialty, librarians may be responsible for both the work of public educational programs, and conducting research, teaching children to read or managing library staff. In this article, you will learn various facts related to the work of a librarian, including what it takes to become a representative of this wonderful profession.

Steps

Part 1

librarianship

1. Know what librarianship is. AT given concept includes both the management of the library and the book fund, as well as the preservation, archiving and dissemination of information, the development of information technology and participation in research. Librarians can specialize in anything, and many specialize in everything at once. The tasks of librarians include:

   • Cataloging books in a database
   • Creating taxonomies to organize data
   • Applying new technologies to update the organization of old collections
   • Search for primary sources
   • Creation of student and public educational programs
   • Library management
   • Keeping the library stock up to date

2. Know what librarians are like. Maybe you would be more interested in working in a library for children? Or, for example, in the university library? Libraries are different, and therefore librarians, depending on their duties, are of the following types:

   • Public libraries are open to anyone who wants to read. Often they conduct some kind of public educational activities with the aim of developing literacy among adults and children. Such libraries are an important element of free access to information for people. The task of librarians in this case is to monitor the state of the book fund and update it in a timely manner, exchange experience with other libraries and conduct educational activities.
   • School libraries are an important part of elementary and high school. Their task is to give children the books necessary for their comprehensive development. School librarians help children develop a love of reading and are also responsible for running the library.
   • Libraries in institutions of higher education maintain serious collections of books that meet the needs of students. Often such educational libraries are specialized, have separate thematic collections for certain areas of knowledge. The task of the librarian in this case is to compile lists of references, catalog new materials, help students in the selection of literature for projects, archive special books and update the book fund. Often, a degree is required to work in specialized libraries.

3. Consider whether you are ready to become a librarian. Many of those who love to read sometimes think about the work of a librarian. However, this requires much more than just a love of books. A good librarian not only craves knowledge, but also seeks to organize it in the best possible way, to preserve information and make it available to as many people as possible.

   Part 2

   educational requirements

   Part 3

   becoming a librarian

   1. Don't wait for the end of the course. You can get experience in the library even before graduation from the course, during your studies. Try to get a job at your university library or, say, at your local municipal library. Many libraries welcome students - you can push routine work onto them. For students, this is a great chance to feel the spirit of libraries and understand whether this is the soul.

      • Many libraries invite students to practice. Some pay for it, some don't, but it's still a great opportunity to get real experience work. If the library of your educational institution does not offer anything like this, talk to the librarian, maybe he will help.
      • In many educational institutions student library associations. Join one of them!
      • Become a volunteer and help libraries. Well, or earn extra money there from time to time, do an internship and so on. In general, use every opportunity to plunge into the world of libraries and librarianship. Be enthusiastic, ask questions and don't get lost after the practice is over!

   2. Find ways to make your resume more impressive. Unfortunately, library budgets are being cut, so becoming a librarian takes a lot of work (at least in the US). Experience in the library and certificates will definitely help you with this.

      • It is not necessary to make an emphasis on the fact that you love books in your resume. 9 out of 10 applicants focus on this! You need bigger cards, so focus on the qualities that make you a born librarian!
      • Always tailor and modify your resume for the job you are applying for. Focus on your qualities that are suitable for work in a particular place. And, most importantly, do not forget to show enthusiasm!
      • Dating is a useful thing. If your familiar librarians know that you are looking for a job in this profile, then there is every chance that they will be able to help you.

A librarian is a keeper of books, literally and figuratively. He knows the secrets of classifying books, compiling bibliographic reference books and catalogues. Over time, most of the materials from which a book is made (paper, fabrics, glue) age and wear out. The librarian knows perfectly well the conditions under which books should be stored, especially ancient copies, audio and video recordings. A modern librarian is well versed in modern information technologies: he owns a computer, all types of office equipment, video equipment and other equipment.

But work with the library fund is only one direction of his activity. Another direction is work with readers. The librarian advises visitors, helps them in the search and selection of literature.

The librarian is a very ancient profession, more than four and a half thousand years old! It arose along with the Sumerian culture, where clay catalogs first appeared. The first librarians are considered to be scribes who compiled a collection of clay tablets around 2500 BC. e. They had to be not only librarians, but partly also lawyers, since most of the tablets contained legal information.

With the advent of papyrus, there were more and more scribes-librarians. In the era of the New Kingdom, Pharaoh Ramses II had already collected more than 20,000 papyri. Then in the 7th century BC. e. there was a collection of books of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal and the library of the temple of Edfu in Egypt. And then, finally, the word “librarian” itself appears in Greece, which comes from the Greek “collection of books”.

At first, libraries were private. They were owned by such great men of Hellas as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Euripides. Slaves served as librarians. But as soon as the first public library of Peisistratus appeared in Athens, the place of the librarian immediately became respected and honorable, and therefore accessible only to free citizens. Imagine what kind of erudition (and physical endurance!) You had to have to serve the eighth wonder of the world - the Library of Alexandria, which consisted of more than 700,000 scrolls of handwritten books! But only a few people worked there. They had to be literally universals, since in the Alexandrian Library, in addition to the book depository and reading rooms, there were also an observatory, zoological and medical museums - their maintenance was also the responsibility of librarians.

In Rome, libraries were located mainly in country villas. Their keepers from simple servants eventually turned into refined intellectuals, with whom even the most arrogant patricians did not hesitate to discuss philosophical issues. It was then that librarians began to collect and describe ancient libraries, which saved such rarities as the libraries of Mithridates, the Macedonian king Perseus, Aristotle. In other words, even then the work of a librarian included not only mechanically serving and educational, but also purely scientific functions.

These functions gradually developed and improved in the Middle Ages. At this time, the main libraries were concentrated in monasteries, and the monks became the keepers of the books, who were now entrusted with one more duty - rewriting books for their further preservation and distribution. And this required from librarians not only literacy, but also colossal knowledge in almost all areas of life. Thus, librarians became one of those who prepared the Renaissance.

In this era, two of the largest European libraries with a special service staff were created - the library of Lorenzo Medici and the Vatican, which had an extensive collection of ancient manuscripts, early printed books and writings of ancient authors. University librarians also played a huge role in the Renaissance. It was they who stood at the origin of national libraries, the basis of which in many countries was the royal library. The hitherto unprecedented increase in the number of books stimulated the interest of librarians in practical problems organization of funds and catalogues. Librarians turned into scientists. And evidence of respect for this profession is a fresco in the old Vatican library of 1477: the fresco depicts a librarian going straight to heaven.

Following the Renaissance, a new era began, requiring more and more dissemination of knowledge and, accordingly, libraries. Under the control of the church, even school libraries appeared in various countries. Scientific activity Librarians entered the international arena when, in 1740, the Commercium literarium (bookseller, in modern terms) was created in Europe - an institution for the exchange of publications between the libraries of Europe and North America.

In Russia, librarianship developed in a similar way. The first annalistic reference to the Russian library dates back to 1037, when Yaroslav the Wise gathered scribes to translate Greek books and correspond with existing Slavic ones. Books Yaroslav ordered to keep in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. However, then the collection of books was not called a library, and the monks who served it were called librarians. For the first time, such names are found in the famous Gennadiev Bible, which was translated and copied in Novgorod at the very end of the 15th century (1499). The Greek word was unusual for Russian people, therefore, in the margins against it, the translator would certainly make an explanation: “book house”, “book treasury”, “archive”. Librarians were called bookkeepers.

Russian libraries, despite their monastic origin, were immediately created as universal ones. They kept church writings, books on grammar, logic, poetics, jurisprudence, astronomy, geography, philosophy, as well as parables, riddles, various teachings, collections of stories in Greek, and works of an encyclopedic nature. This inevitably demanded equally universal knowledge from the librarian-monk. Moreover, in those days, librarians often had to become warriors - to fight the Tatar-Mongols or the troops of specific princes. And they valiantly did their difficult work. After all, it was not in vain that Euphrosyne of Polotskaya, who had one of the richest Russian libraries, and Timothy the librarian were canonized as saints. In a word, by the 12th century, "book houses" and chronicler monks were already in Vladimir, Ryazan, Chernigov, Rostov, Suzdal, Polotsk and Pskov.

For five long centuries, only thanks to the will, faith and efforts of the keepers of books, the light of written culture was glimmering in Russia. But with the development of the Russian state, its science and industry, new life libraries and librarians. With the advent of orders, there also appeared prikaznye (departmental) libraries, which were already served by special workers - prikaznye clerks. This work required an indispensable knowledge of modern foreign languages, as well as Latin. It was necessary to satisfy the requests of not only employees, but also teachers of the Academy created in 1687, and from 1696 even foreign ambassadors. This required more and more knowledge, and gradually librarians began to be divided into narrower specialties; for example, the librarians of the Pushkarsky and Aptekarsky orders and the Order of the Printing Yard stood out. Book keepers became specialists in technology, military affairs, fortification, architecture, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, geography and other sciences. In addition, books were then issued not only to educated people, but also to various craftsmen, for example, foundry workers. This also required some flexibility from librarians. It was the clerk's librarians who grew up in the next century into secular librarians, independent of the state and monastic charters. It was they who laid the foundations of library thought for the entire enlightened 18th century.

State reforms in the sphere of politics, economics, culture and education, carried out in Russia in the first quarter of the 18th century by Peter I, were also of great importance for the development of libraries. Most important event in this series was the establishment in 1714 in St. Petersburg of the first state scientific library in Russia, which was transferred in 1724 to the jurisdiction of the Academy of Sciences. By that time, the librarians had already won such a high reputation that Peter himself considered them as "commanders over academicians." The librarians chaired meetings of the academic council, planned assignments for academicians, and listened to their reports. The golden age of librarians began, one way or another becoming real researchers. They had to replenish funds with private collections, collections of some Orders, buy and exchange books, establish contacts with the Commercium literarium and with foreign scientific institutions. Also, the library of the Academy of Sciences received mandatory copies of all literature printed in domestic printing houses. The librarians were also entrusted with the duty of translating Greek and Latin authors into Russian. All this required a brilliant education, and if at first only self-taught enthusiasts became librarians, then by the middle of the 18th century, almost all of them were from the Academy or foreigners with titles and European education. The well-known historian V. N. Tatishchev (1686 - 1750) said that "a librarian must be trained in many sciences and different languages, and besides, a diligent reader." This level of culture allowed librarians to enter high scientific and aristocratic circles. Thanks to this, the profession has become even more respected and, moreover, profitable in terms of career and money. And if in Russia most of these people are known only to a narrow circle of professionals, then in Europe, for example, the great Goethe himself served as a librarian!

The specialization of librarians continued to deepen with the emergence of a large number of scientific libraries of various profiles. Thus, in 1756, the repertoire library of the Russian Drama Theater arose, in 1757 - the library of the Academy of Arts, in 1765 the library of the Free Economic Society was established, specializing in books on economics and agriculture. At the same time, university libraries begin their activities. And all of them opened their doors not only for specialists, but also for outsiders. Librarians had to learn to work not only with books, but also with people.

Finally, on May 27, 1795, the Imperial Public Library was created in St. Petersburg, in which the best forces of Russian librarians began to be involved. It turned out to be a lot of work, a lot: after all, the library was based on a trophy collection, in which of the 250 books available, only eight were in Church Slavonic and Russian! I had to urgently purchase books published in Russia and other regions in Russian and Church Slavonic, which in turn required an increase in staff and the establishment of new posts. The French diplomat and historian M.-G. Choiseul-Gouffier.

The 19th century has come - truly the age of the book, the age of libraries and the age of librarians. Do you know that the famous adventurer and the most famous lover of the world, Giacomo Casanova, who marked the beginning of this century with his death, was the librarian of the Bohemian castle of Dux? Typographic activity is rapidly developing, which contributes to the growth in the number of books and libraries: five new university libraries have opened in Russia, libraries have opened at the Institute of Railway Engineers, the Institute of Technology, and the Institute of Civil Engineers. And this inevitably entailed an ever-increasing demand for library employees. Monetary appropriations for their maintenance are released not only by private individuals, as before, but also by the government. We can say that the profession is becoming prestigious, now graduates of universities and academies, writers, and artists go to work in the library in Russia. The well-known Russian fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov has been working as a public library librarian for thirty years. Being a librarian of the Moscow Rumyantsev library, Nikolai Fedorov creates his own philosophical doctrine. The ingenious mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky is in charge of the library of Kazan University. Vladimir Stasov, a well-known St. Petersburg historian, archaeologist and music critic, has devoted almost fifty years to librarianship. The writer Vladimir Odoevsky, the world-famous linguist Nikolai Marr also serve as librarians. Even Alexander Blok at one time wanted to get a job as a librarian at the Academy of Sciences!

But there are still not enough librarians, because a new type of library is emerging in the country, belonging to various scientific societies. Societies of Russian history and antiquities, nature explorers, mineralogical, physical-technical, mathematical, geographical, agricultural societies appear not only in both capitals, but also in the provinces. And with each of them - a mandatory collection of books. Once again, the library acquisition system had to be reorganized, for which scientific methods were developed for the first time. Since that time, special attention has been paid to the preservation of funds and the construction of new special buildings. Librarians are beginning to be subdivided into bibliographers, librarians and book experts. And since the second half of the 19th century, they have also become publishers and journalists, as large libraries begin to publish their own scientific journals.

It would seem that the flourishing of librarianship in Russia was close. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, the huge, but still not really well-established system of Russian libraries was collapsing. The abundance of types and types of libraries, the lack of common statutes, as well as interaction and development plans, subordination to various departments - all this made the work of librarians difficult. In addition, the funds have become huge. So, in the Rumyantsev Library there were already about a million volumes, in the Public Library - 800 thousand. Accounting and processing systems were outdated, librarians could not cope, reform was brewing.

The 1917 revolution brought both grief and transformation. Libraries suffered from devastation and looting, many librarians - the custodians of knowledge, culture and traditions - died or emigrated. Unexpected restrictions arose, for example, in private libraries it was not allowed to have more than 500 (in scientists - 2000) books. But against the background of all the losses, there was one positive innovation - the library system was brought to a certain uniformity. Already in the first years of Soviet power, the foundations of a fundamentally different approach to the organization of librarianship arose: the library became the most important social institution. New libraries were created on the basis of nationalized funds. And in those scientific libraries that continued their activities in the new conditions, fundamental changes were made regarding the procedure for servicing readers. And the main innovation was that scientific libraries were open to the general reader through interlibrary loans. Alas, the young semi-literate librarians who replaced the old bison made many mistakes, which led to the death of part of the collections of large scientific libraries. Since that time, the prestige of the profession of a librarian begins to slowly but surely fade, although trust and respect for this work in the country has been maintained for a long time. But nevertheless, librarianship was put on a scientific basis, special higher education institutions began to open. educational establishments to train librarians.

However, the very work of a librarian began to be increasingly reduced to reference and bibliographic duties and managerial tasks, such as the acquisition of funds of foreign literature, the development of instructions for cataloging, and the compilation of regional consolidated catalogs. Instead of a free creator, the librarian became an interdepartmental official. After the Great Patriotic War a network of scientific and special libraries was finally formed, but a crisis was again brewing in librarianship. Libraries and their staff were catastrophically behind the world level both technically and scientifically.

In addition, the work was hampered by ideology. At any book exhibition, regardless of its subject, an indispensable demonstration of the works of the classics of Marxism-Leninism, materials of the next congress of the CPSU in without fail exhibited on the most prominent shelf. From time to time certain objectionable books were withdrawn from the collections at the direction of Goslit, and the write-off of these books was strictly checked by the relevant authorities. Nevertheless, there were always many visitors in the reading rooms of libraries, because literary novelties in those years could only be found in the library - in stores good books were in short supply. Students could find the necessary books and materials for classes, mostly only in the library. The lack of necessary books in the face of huge circulations is a paradox of the Soviet period.

The 1990s brought a lot of good and bad. Libraries began not only to close, but to disappear altogether. For example, along with the regional committees and district committees, their libraries disappeared - and they had good funds. Hundreds of enterprises changed their form of ownership, changed their profile, closed, declared themselves bankrupt and stopped funding their libraries. Most trade union and departmental libraries were closed.

In Kazakhstan, the history of librarianship began nearly 200 years ago. The first library was opened in 1831 in the city of Uralsk at the military school and served only students, and in 1858, at the initiative of Ataman A. D. Stolypin, it was transformed into a public one. Today it is the West-Kazakhstan Regional Scientific Universal Library. J. Moldagalieva. One of the oldest libraries in Kazakhstan is the Semipalatinsk Universal Scientific Library named after Abay, organized by the efforts of revolutionary democrats exiled to Semipalatinsk by the tsarist government. For the first time the doors of this library were hospitably opened for readers in 1883. The oldest university library is in the West Kazakhstan state university them. M. Utemisova. It was created on the basis of a fund of 7500 volumes of books of the Orenburg real school in 1932. In 1931, the State Library of the Kazakh SSR was organized in Kazakhstan, which in 1991 received the status of the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Since 1997, the Library Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been operating in Kazakhstan, one of the main goals of which is to raise the prestige of the librarian profession in society.

The profession of a librarian is not a career one. There is an opportunity to become the head of the media library, coordinator educational project, site editor or organizer of remote support educational process. You can reach the rank of head of any department or head of the entire library.

Some interesting facts about books
The so-called Priss papyrus is considered the oldest book on Earth. It was created in 3350 BC. This book was found in one of the pyramids of the city of Thebes. Interestingly, the theme of the Priss papyrus is very relevant today. This is the so-called conflict of generations. The author of the most ancient book complains that young people are uneducated, lazy and vicious. As you can see, nothing has changed in more than five millennia.

Misprints are one of the biggest enemies of a book publisher. Of course, they do not bring much fundamental harm, but how annoying! In the sixteenth century, even the expression "the devil of a typo" appeared. It was connected with the fact that in one of the church treatises there was an incredible number of typos. The publishers had no choice but to explain this unfortunate fact by saying that the devil himself made them so that readers would refuse to read a meaningless text.

The most expensive book in the world is The Leicester Code. This is a scientific treatise by Leonardo da Vinci dedicated to "Water, earth and heavenly bodies." It is currently owned by Bill Gates. He purchased this book for twenty-four million dollars. To read the Codex Leicester, be sure to arm yourself with a mirror: the book is printed in mirror type.

Literary scholars have calculated that in Shakespeare's books the word "love" is mentioned 2259 times, while "hate" is pronounced only 229 times.

The list of the most boring books, compiled by the British company Teletext in 2007, includes War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Ulysses by James Joyce, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, and also "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by JK Rowling.

The current surge in vampire literature is far from isolated. In the 1820s and 1830s, book houses in Europe vied with each other to publish "vampire" novels and even scientific treatises on vampires. In just one year, more than twenty books on this burning topic were published.

One of the largest royalties for a book was paid by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The poet Oppian received a gold coin for each line of his two poems about fishing and hunting. The total number of lines in the two poems was twenty thousand.

The largest book in the world was presented this year at the International Book Fair in Havana. Collection of sayings famous people is 380 centimeters long and 350 centimeters high.

As for the most books read in the world, then the palm of primacy undoubtedly belongs to the Bible. Its total circulation is six billion copies. In second place is Mao Zedong quotes, and third place went to The Lord of the Rings.

Notable librarians

Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz - German philosopher, mathematician, physicist and inventor, lawyer, historian, linguist, astrologer. Born in 1646 in Leipzig. Leibniz's father, a well-known lawyer, died when the boy was not even seven years old. The mother, taking care of her son's education, sent him to Nicolai's school, which at that time was considered the best in Leipzig. Gottfried spent whole days sitting in his father's library.

At the age of fifteen he entered the University of Leipzig. Officially enrolled in the Faculty of Law, he also attended lectures on philosophy, mathematics and other subjects. At the age of 18, Leibniz received a master's degree in literature and philosophy, and at 20 he defended his doctoral dissertation "On Entangled Matters." Then he chose the career of a courtier, refusing the position of professor offered to him, but continued to actively engage in science.

In 1667, Leibniz went to Mainz to the Elector, who invited the scientist to take part in the drafting of a new code of laws. For five years, Leibniz held a prominent position at the Mainz court, and in 1672 he left for France on a diplomatic mission, also having a desire to get acquainted with the studies of Fermat, Pascal and Newton. In 1876 he accepted the invitation of Duke Johann Friedrich and arrived in Hannover.

From 1676 until the end of his life, Leibniz was a historiographer and privy councilor of justice at the court of the Hanoverian dukes. He also served here as an astrologer (in particular, he compiled horoscopes) and as a librarian of the Court Library in Wolfenbüttel (it was then the largest in Europe and the world). Leibniz directed this library from 1690, for 23 years combining this activity with the leadership of the Court Library in Hannover. It was here that he managed to realize many of his library ideas. Here he met his future lover, Sophia Charlotte, daughter of the Duchess of Hanover. Then she was 12 years old, and she was his student. Four years later, the girl married the Brandenburg prince Frederick III, the future King of Prussia Frederick I. She kept her memory of Leibniz as a dear, beloved teacher, correspondence began between them, then meetings. The founding of the Brandenburg Scientific Society (later the Berlin Academy of Sciences) in Berlin in 1700 finally brought Leibniz closer to the queen. Leibniz was named the Society's first president.

In 1697, Leibniz first met Peter I, who undertook a trip to Holland to study maritime affairs. Then Leibniz sketched out a project for the reform of education and a project for the establishment of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. autumn next year Peter arrived in Carlsbad. During this journey, the plan of the Academy of Sciences was worked out by Leibniz in all details.

Leibniz sought to synthesize everything rational in previous philosophy and the latest scientific knowledge on the basis of the methodology he proposed, the most important requirements of which were the universality and rigor of philosophical reasoning. His philosophical system - monadology - is based on the idea of ​​the physical world as a sensual expression of the world of monads - the primary elements of the true, intelligible world. He developed the theory of the relativity of space, time and motion, formulated the law of "conservation of living forces", which was the first formulation of the law of conservation of energy. Leibniz anticipated the principles of modern mathematical logic, was one of the creators of differential and integral calculus, the binary number system. He designed the first mechanical calculating machine capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Leibniz's ideas in the field of astrometeorology have not lost their significance to this day; it was he who first pointed out the relationship between fluctuations in barometer readings and the weather.

Leibniz's library activity was much broader than that of most other scholars who worked as librarians. In a number of his works, he considers books and libraries as a kind of tools for obtaining knowledge. The library fund, in his opinion, should have an intellectual and scientific value, encyclopedically cover all knowledge. The library is one of the links in the integrated knowledge system, which includes archives, publishing houses, printing houses, educational institutions, institutions of science and culture.

Leibniz developed a holistic concept of the scientific library. One of the elements of this concept is the need to prepare semi-annual annotated lists of new publications. With this proposal, he turned to the Austrian Duke Leopold I, but did not receive support.

Instead of the catalogs of the Frankfurt and Leipzig book fairs, which indicated only the author and the title of the book, Leibniz suggested preparing reviews with biographies of writers, analysis of their work, analysis of the work and excerpts from it. He believed that with the help of such surveys, the government would be able to obtain information about the ideas circulating in society, and therefore control them. He proposed to create a consolidated catalog of all libraries in the country. He proposed to create a special library, in the funds of which there would be the most necessary books for society.

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova - Italian adventurer. For the last 13 years of his life, he served as librarian for Count Waldstein at the Duchtsov Palace in Bohemia (now North Bohemia). Widely known throughout the world thanks to the autobiographical book "The Story of My Life" written here.

Casanova was born on April 2, 1725 in Venice, in a family of actors. These were the years of the heyday of the Venetian Republic; with its famous carnival, gambling houses, beautiful courtesans, it was considered the European "capital of pleasures." This environment nurtured Casanova and made him one of the most famous Venetians of the 18th century.

The extraordinary international fame of Casanova's memoirs outlived their author. This multi-volume work, in addition to the bright and exciting adventures of a cheerful adventurer, presents a true picture of the life and customs of high European society in Europe in the 18th century, and it owes its birth to the modest position of a librarian. In the silence of the library halls in the Waldstein Palace, the eccentric old man Giacomo Casanova was not so much busy compiling a catalog of the count's library as reminiscing about his turbulent life, seething with passions. After all, he spent a significant part of it traveling around Europe, trying to make a career in Paris and St. Petersburg, London and Prague, Dresden and Vienna, Amsterdam and Istanbul. Women with whom he easily and simply found mutual language opened doors to all areas of society. But he was proud above all of his intellect and knowledge of the sciences. At various times, Casanova was a violinist, a soldier, an alchemist, a healer, and at first he was preparing to become a priest. Several times he gained and lost a fortune, wrote 42 books, and also composed plays, librettos for operas, poems, created an encyclopedia of cheeses, left behind philosophical and mathematical treatises, works with calendar calculations, legal works and works on geometry. He translated Homer's Iliad into modern Italian; he contributed to the emergence of the oratorio genre in French music; he was a renowned gourmet and practitioner of the Kabbalah; he wrote a five-volume science fiction novel, Icosameron. In his memoirs, Casanova appears to the reader as an intelligent, subtle observer, with amazing accuracy drawing portraits of the great and famous people with whom he managed to communicate - Voltaire, Rousseau, Goethe, Mozart, and also Russian empress Catherine II.

Casanova and the book of his memoirs gave rise to the richest literature and even quite a few special communities engaged in the study of the life and work of the adventurer. Casanova's name has become a household name, denoting a man in his prime, prone to amorous adventures.

The Duchcov Castle is still considered a landmark of the Czech Republic, including as the place where Casanova spent the last years of his life. Visitors to the castle can see the chair in which he is believed to have died, the furnishings of his bedroom, and his wax figure at his desk.

He arrived here in 1785 at the invitation of Count Waldstein. At that time, Casanova was 60 years old, he no longer aroused the same interest in society, he had neither a home nor property, and he was looking for where to calmly spend the rest of his days. The service of the count ensured his safety and good earnings, he was a kind of attraction of the castle.

His health, however, was deteriorating. June 4, 1798 in Czech Duchcov ended life path 73-year-old librarian, known throughout the world under the name of Giacomo Girolamo Casanova. His last words were: "I have lived as a philosopher and I am dying a Christian...". On his grave on the graveyard of the Church of St. Barbara there is a simple stone with the inscription: “Casanova MDCCLXXXIX”, which indicates that it was here, in exile, far from his homeland, magnificent and brilliant Venice, that the posthumously famous philosopher found his last refuge, diplomat, writer, traveler, astrologer, adventurer, secret agent, spy, favorite of women, great seducer, hero of incredible love adventures.

At the same time, some experts are still arguing whether the remains of Casanova really rest here. The fact is that in the XIX century. the cemetery was closed. Today, no one knows for sure whether Casanova's remains were transferred to another grave.

I. A. Krylov
The great fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov (1769-1844) was born into the family of an army officer, his childhood and youth passed in extreme poverty, he could not receive a systematic education. From the age of 14, Krylov has been in St. Petersburg, where he is a member of literary and theatrical circles, writes comedies and poems, translates, and tries to earn money by literary work. The main direction of his work is caustic satire. Fame brought Krylov satirical magazine "Mail Spirits", which was published in 1789 and in which he was the only author, editor and typesetter. After the closure of this magazine, he and several comrades are trying to publish another magazine - "The Spectator", which is also being closed. The time was tense - it was during these years that the educator and satirist N. I. Novikov was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress, A. N. Radishchev was sent to Siberian exile. Fearing to share such a fate, Krylov leaves for the provinces and for more than 5 years wanders around the cities of Russia without funds and certain occupations. Using the gift of a witty and pleasant interlocutor, a skillful storyteller, he stays with close and distant acquaintances for a long time. A flexible mind, mathematical abilities allow him to win quite large sums in cards. Once he even became a defendant in the case of professional card players.

In 1801, Krylov stopped his nomadic life, entered the service, wrote and published his first fables. In 1806 he returned to St. Petersburg and here he became close to A. N. Olenin, the future director of the Imperial public library. This long-term friendship was interrupted only by death (they died very soon one after another). Olenin was Krylov's patron, he constantly petitioned the authorities to provide him with material assistance, promote him in ranks, and publish his books. In Olenin's house, the writer found constant care and attention from all family members. They are the first listeners of his fables and try to "direct" his work, "remove" social satire and attacks against the authorities.

In 1812, Krylov went to work at the Imperial Public Library. This radically changed his lifestyle. He gives up his passion - the card game, no longer changes jobs. He served in the library for 29 years - first as an assistant librarian, then as a librarian, and finally as head of the Russian department. During this period, the main task of the library was precisely the creation of a fund of books in Russian, and Krylov was actively engaged in this. Through his connections with publishers and booksellers, books were often bought at half price or donated to the library.

Participating in collective discussions of the problems of creating library catalogs, Krylov insisted that the catalog should be built in such a way that the reader could easily find the required book in it and describe it, and the librarian could just as easily find the book in the collection using this description. He believed that the speed and efficiency of the search should not depend on the experience of the librarian, which proper organization catalog and fund will allow a beginner to work successfully.

Krylov conducted bibliographic work for many years - he compiled thematic lists, made references. He was also directly involved in the issuance of books, but in old age it became difficult for him. Contemporaries claim that he often spent the second half of the day lying on the sofa (which stood in the reading room), and the visitors who came pointed to the books prepared for them or to the cabinet and asked them to take what they needed.

In general, there are many stories and anecdotes about Krylov. The memoirists depict him as a tall and corpulent man, very lazy, always disheveled and slovenly dressed. According to one of the legends, once, going to a court masquerade, Krylov asked Olenin's wife and daughters how to dress. They only advised him to wash and comb his hair - then no one would recognize him. However, contemporaries emphasized something else - Krylov's wisdom, his wit and wit, brilliant metaphors.

The main part of Krylov's fables was written during the years of his library work. Olenin perceived and presented Krylov's work to the authorities as part of the library's activities, and took part in the publication of fables. The first book of fables came out in 1809, and then there were many editions, expensive and cheap, complete and short. The books were quickly sold out, Krylov became one of the most prominent figures in the world of Russian literature, and from the mid-20s his European fame began - the fables were translated into French and Italian. In the 30-40s, the circulation of Krylov's books reached an unprecedented level at that time - more than 40 thousand, the popularity of the fabulist was enormous. In 1838, the St. Petersburg writers solemnly celebrated the 70th anniversary of Krylov and the 50th anniversary of his literary activity.

Krylov was buried by the first dignitaries of the state, and the intelligentsia, and commoners. Soon a subscription to the monument was announced, and all of Russia participated in the collection of money. However, Nicholas I forbade erecting a monument in the square near the library (although there was no monument to Catherine II there yet). And the monument to Krylov, depicting him surrounded by the characters of his fables, was erected in the Summer Garden, where he is now.

Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges - Argentine writer of world renown, prose writer and poet, philosopher and publicist, professor - for about a third of his life he was a librarian, director of the National Library of Argentina.

Borges was born on August 24, 1899 in Buenos Aires. His father is a lawyer, psychology professor, anarchist, author of one published novel. Grandmother Jorge Luis taught children and grandchildren English language so that the boy began to speak English before he spoke Spanish; at the age of 8, he began his literary career by translating a fairy tale by Oscar Wilde, which was published in the magazine Sur. Later he translated Virginia Woolf, Faulkner, Kipling, Joyce. Borges was fluent in Latin, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, independently studied and taught Old English and Old Norse languages. He claimed to have "Basque, Andalusian, Jewish, English, Portuguese and Norman blood" in him.

Jorge spent most of his childhood at home, did not go to school until he was 11 years old and was an outcast there, he was persecuted as (to use today's lexicon) "nerd".

In 1914 the family went to Europe for the holidays. But the first began World War, and the return had to be delayed for years. They settled in Geneva, where Jorge was finally able to receive a formal education and a bachelor's degree from a lyceum.

In 1918, Borges moved to Spain, where he joined a group of avant-garde poets. In 1921, he returned to his homeland as an accomplished poet. In the late 1920s, Borges began to write short stories, and by 1930, seven books had been written and published, three magazines were founded, and Borges collaborated with twelve more.

In the late 30s, Borges buried his grandmother, then his father; there was a need to provide for the family. In 1937, he began working at a branch of the city library in the modest position of first assistant. He spent here, as he himself admitted, "nine deeply unhappy years", but it was here that many of his masterpieces were created, in particular the "Babylonian Library". Jorge Luis did all his library work rather quickly, and then quietly retired to the basement book depository and to the remaining working time read or wrote. Pierre Menard, author of Don Quixote, written by him in 1938 - a text that Borges himself defined as an average between an essay and a "real story" - later became the source of a whole literary direction which today is called postmodernism.

In 1946, President Peron came to power in Argentina, and Borges was immediately kicked out of the library, as he extremely irritated the new regime with his writings and statements. As the writer himself recalled, he was informed that he had been promoted and appointed inspector for the poultry and rabbit trade in city markets. He quit and began to give lessons in English literature and travel around the provinces with lectures. But it was during these years that Borges' talent was recognized both in Argentina and abroad - he was elected president of the Argentine Writers' Union, and translations of his essays and stories appeared.

In 1955, immediately after the military coup that overthrew the Perón dictatorship, Jorge Luis Borges was appointed director of the National Library of Argentina, a post he held until 1973. But by this time he had finally lost his sight (it was a hereditary disease). For the last 20 years of his life, Borges was unable to read or write (students, friends and relatives helped him), while his fame grew, he became world famous, and in the 60s he was already considered a classic, a cult figure.

In 1974, the restoration of Peron's power took place, and Borges was again deprived of all his posts. But he works hard, writes and teaches in the Department of German Literature at the University of Buenos Aires.

Borges' personal life looked quite specific. He was always surrounded by many women (secretaries, co-authors, just admirers, girlfriends), and he fell in love all the time, but for lovers he soon turned out to be too romantic, exalted. Some of the novels were serious. In 1944, Borges meets the 23-year-old beauty Estela Canto, who works as a secretary, but dreams of becoming an actress or writer. Borges made her an official proposal, but was horrified by her counterproposal - to live in a civil marriage for some time before the wedding (since official divorce was impossible in Catholic Argentina).

In 1967, Borges makes another attempt to arrange his personal life and marries Elsa Astete Milyan, who has known him since his youth, but three years later they part.

Around the same time, Maria Kodama entered his life. Almost 40 years younger than the writer, a Japanese father and a German mother, she studied at his seminar on Anglo-Saxon literature. When the 99-year-old writer's mother dies in 1975, until the last days she solved all his household and financial issues, Maria becomes his secretary. She was the eyes of the blind Borges, they traveled a lot, having traveled almost the entire globe. In 1986, Borges married her.

Anticipating that he would never return to Argentina again, in December 1985, Borges arrived in Geneva. On June 14, 1986, at the age of 86, Borges dies of liver cancer and emphysema. He is buried in the Cemetery of the Kings in Geneva.

The most significant literary awards of Borges were the Cervantes Prize (the most prestigious award in Spanish-speaking countries) and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, both awarded to him in 1979. More than thirty films have been made based on the works of Borges.

“I affirm that the Library is limitless”, “I have always imagined Paradise as something like a library” - these statements by Borges can be called one of his most famous and quoted statements.

In the 15th century, the Duke of Urbino Federigo da Montefeltro, who collected more than a thousand volumes in his personal library, formulated the requirements for a librarian. According to the instructions developed by the duke, he is obliged to keep order, maintain catalogs, ensure the protection of the fund from damage and its availability, and register issued manuscripts in a special journal. A librarian must possess such qualities as education and scholarship, pleasant character, personable appearance, eloquence.

In the middle of the 17th century, the French Bishop Claude Clement issued treatise, where he presented the ideal library model. He emphasized the scientific importance of the library, and compared academic librarians to ship captains, who should be guided by the selective access of readers to their “well-kept garden”, “secluded inner sanctuary”. It was especially important, Clément believed, to restrict readers' access to "debatable" literature.

At all times, there were librarians who believed that it was possible to create a harmonious, holistic worldview in the reader only by not allowing him to read texts that could overturn, violate a single, “correct” picture of the world. In the famous novel by the writer, historian and philosopher Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, two main characters defend opposite views on the tasks of the library - to store or protect. To keep in order to present everything to new readers, to constantly reevaluate the old, turning it into new again and again, or to protect, hide, not showing the reader “harmful”, “superfluous”, deciding for him what to read and know.

The outstanding Russian historian of the 18th century, V. N. Tatishchev, wrote in his Lexicon that the librarian is obliged to treat the reader “courteously and affectionately, and to show himself as an assistant in acquiring useful knowledge.”

great poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, as Minister of Culture of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, paid much attention to the development of libraries and the organization of their work. He was convinced that "an active scholar is a bad librarian, just as a diligent artist is a bad art gallery inspector." For him, the librarian and the scientist were fundamentally different professions. The mission of a librarian is to mediate between knowledge and those who need it. Goethe emphasized that a librarian should be able to assist the reader in working with a book written in any language.

The first director of the Imperial Public Library, Aleksey Nikolaevich Olenin, believed that a librarian should have "a thorough knowledge of Russian and foreign languages", be familiar with the most famous scientific books, "know the main content of any book, be a living catalog of his department." Service in the library, according to Olenin, “many, out of ignorance, consider it very easy and insignificant,” meanwhile, on the one hand, it is very difficult, and on the other, it is rather boring and monotonous; it requires great not only mental, but also physical effort, is harmful due to constant dust - and at the same time it is extremely poorly paid.

In the Regulations on the Administration of the Imperial Public Library, it is written that “one of the main duties of a librarian is to receive visitors politely and affectionately and to provide them, indiscriminately, with all possible services in finding the works necessary for their studies.” A. N. Olenin demanded from employees that they be always ready to “accompany the seekers of enlightenment by the shortest route to the most abundant sources of education familiar to them here,” he strictly monitored how librarians performed their duties. He dismissed A. A. Delvig by no means for a trip to the exiled Pushkin in Mikhailovskoye, as some researchers mistakenly claim. The fact is that Delvig actively used the library funds, but read during working hours to the detriment of the service. In addition to the famous laziness noted by all his contemporaries, he was also distinguished by carelessness. The last straw was an unprecedented case in the history of the library: during the daily duty of Delvig, a soldier guarding the cash desk broke into the treasurer's desk and stole 6,500 rubles (a colossal amount at that time). Fortunately, he was quickly caught and some of the money was returned. That is why, having returned from vacation (during which he went to Mikhailovskoye), Delvig was fired.

In order to get into the service of the main library of Russia - the Imperial Public - in the nineteenth century. it was necessary to have not just a higher education, but special knowledge in various branches of science: knowledge of Russian, French, German, Latin, Greek (or instead of one of them - Eastern) languages. junior staff had to speak Russian and any three foreign languages.

When the Charter of the Imperial Public Library was being developed in the early 1860s, its director A.F. Bychkov, in his note “On the Significance of the Title of Librarian” (early 1860s), emphasized that he needed “to have positive information in library science, know ancient languages ​​and several new ones, political history, and mainly the history of literature, as well as have an encyclopedic education and have a clear idea of ​​the system of sciences.

For women public service until 1917 it was closed, so they were not among the employees of state libraries until that time. They were reluctantly accepted into the library, even as so-called free workers. Women occupied such a modest place in libraries not only in Russia: in the most advanced Western countries they also appeared as librarians in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. True, in some places, for example in the USA, as a result of the movement of suffragettes, there were more of them.

“Each of us, who in our lifetime has dealt with metropolitan and provincial libraries, cannot but commemorate the good people who spend their whole lives between bookshelves and readers,” said the famous Soviet poet Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak. - Without any exaggeration, we can say that almost all of them, or at least most of them, are people who tied their fate with a book not out of calculation, but out of love. The best of them can rightly be called both real literary critics and true teachers.

The profession of a librarian is considered ancient. It appeared along with the first handwritten books. However, over the course of several centuries, the duties of such specialists have changed. Today the librarian is professional worker libraries, which processes, organizes, manages the fund and provides information material to its visitors.

A feature of the profession of a librarian can be considered the fact that it is impossible to do without such employees even in the age of technological progress. Not a single machine is yet able to replace a specialist in the field of popular science, fiction and special literature. But unfortunately, the salary of such workers is small, and the demand for the profession of a librarian in the labor market is low.

Librarian responsibilities include:

• serving visitors, filling out their subscriptions. The librarian selects and gives out the necessary books for reading at home or in the reading room;
• monitor the safety of the library fund, complete it;
• placing orders, purchasing new books;
• processing of incoming literature;
• cataloging;
• organization of literary conferences, thematic seminars, discussions and exhibitions of newspapers, magazines, books.

It should be noted that the work of librarians is not limited to books. Modern specialists do not lag behind progress and use all new information technologies in their activities. Today, librarians work with various information media, with audio and video materials, email, electronic catalogs. They skillfully use computers, office equipment and the Internet, create databases and electronic presentations.

In connection with such changes in the profession of a librarian, new specializations have appeared, such as a manager information systems, librarian-technologist and database administrator.

Children get acquainted with representatives of this profession at school. The school librarian has a great responsibility. This sensitive specialist can advise the child on an interesting book, thereby instilling in him an interest in reading. At the same time, the employee school library must take into account the age characteristics of children. A librarian can safely be called an intermediary between a person and a book.

Some mistakenly believe that this profession is very simple and does not require special skills. But this is far from true. Such work requires a specialist to be able to analyze and synthesize information, process a huge amount of it.

This profession is very respected, as evidenced by the annual competition "The Best Librarian". It takes part professional staff libraries. This competition not only raises the prestige of the profession of librarians, but also encourages specialists to self-improvement and the desire to improve their skills.

Of course, being a librarian has its pros and cons. Opportunity to learn and interact with different interesting people These are the benefits of this type of activity. But the low wages and a noticeable drop in the population's interest in reading are distressing.

Personal qualities

The main qualities of a librarian are attentiveness, perseverance, stress resistance, goodwill. People of this profession need to have an excellent memory, patience and not be afraid of monotonous work.

Education (What do you need to know?)

A professional librarian not only gives readers the required literature, but also talks with them, offers his help in choosing. At the same time, the librarian must know the content of many books of various kinds, be able to quickly navigate in fiction, popular science and specialized literature, and master the methodology for conducting conversations with visitors. For such work, one should graduate from a library technical school or study librarianship at an institute.

Place of work and career

Representatives of this profession work in the libraries of universities, schools, various enterprises, in state and departmental libraries. The likelihood of career growth for such employees is low. In the presence of higher education the librarian can become the head of a department or the entire library.

The lack of prestige, the common perception of librarians as deeply introverted, "out of this world" personalities - professional associations of librarians in different countries. The specifics of library work remains a mystery to the public consciousness as a whole.

A librarian is a specialist with a special library education who organizes library collections and provides library services to users. The librarian is the link between information and users.

Function modern librarian working in an information-saturated society is to create conditions, organize the information environment of the library in such a way that, with the greatest savings in the mental strength and time of the user, reader, it is internalized (i.e., was deeply assimilated) by him. Librarian. First of all, the organizer of access to information, knowledge of library users, the public. Providing access to information, knowledge, organizing the informational comfort of the library environment, the librarian contributes to education. Librarians are a profession specifically dedicated to protecting intellectual freedom and freedom of access to information. They have a special duty to ensure the free flow of information and ideas in present and future generations.

The library is a necessary element of civil society, because is called upon to provide a documented form of intergenerational and ethical connection of individual consciousnesses. And the librarian, to the extent of his intelligence, becomes either a conductor or a filter in this most important form of human communication.

Librarians are called upon not only to preserve cultural values but also to promote, bring professional consciousnesses closer to ordinary ones.

The problem of the library profession is that the level of intellectual culture of Russian librarians causes serious public concern. So, in the course of the all-Union study “Library Profession: state of the art and prospects”, it was found that only a relatively small part of library workers is inclined to innovative thinking, is the initiator of new initiatives, responds adequately to changes in society, and is capable of mastering the latest information technologies. The process of active entry of young specialists into professional life drags on for many years. It is no accident, apparently, that the peak of labor activity falls mainly on the mature and pre-retirement age. The intellectual culture of a librarian is understood as a conditional combination of such professionally significant qualities as: broad erudition based on a historical and cultural foundation, professional competence based on the necessary stock of general professional and special knowledge, skills and abilities, methodological equipment, flexibility and adaptability of thinking, causing innovativeness of professional behavior and the ability to understand the conditionality of existing theoretical knowledge and to acquire new knowledge, to acquire new practical skills and abilities.

The librarian should not only recommend interesting novelties to the reader in accordance with the genre and thematic preferences of each, but also set himself the task of introducing readers to high standards belles-lettres, to help him penetrate the fabric of a complex text.

The library profession is one of the most interesting and fascinating in the sense that every day brings acquaintance with new books, fresh issues of newspapers and magazines, new people, unique specific situations arise.

Serving others - you grow yourself. Academician D. Likhachev called the librarian a scientist who works not on one “own” topic, but on many “foreign” topics. This is a scientist who gives himself entirely to others.

The librarian profession requires active position, connection with life. Everything that is done in the country is the vital business of librarians.

High pedagogical skill is a professional feature of a librarian. As a teacher, he must, first of all, love people, help readers develop a system of knowledge, differentiate to different categories of readers, take into account the peculiarities of their information requests, help navigate the reference and bibliographic apparatus, clearly explain and check the quality of assimilation of the material. And this requires tact and at the same time perseverance from a specialist.

People of this profession are characterized by sensitivity, responsiveness, politeness, attentiveness. The principle "Everything for the reader" is the main one for the librarian. But if the librarian is an indifferent person, if in the process of communicating with the reader he has a feeling of irritation, boredom, apathy, then the profession was chosen by mistake.

For a real librarian, a reader is not a statistical unit, but a person with individual characteristics and needs.

A specific feature of a library specialist is knowledge of the book. He must perceive the book in its interrelationships, and most importantly, imagine to whom it is intended. Therefore, the librarian must constantly work on himself. Systematic, organized, consistent reading is a professional feature of a librarian. The profession also requires the development of organizational skills. The librarian needs to know the basics of management, forecasting.

Today, working with readers imposes certain communicative requirements on a specialist: contact, sociability, emotionality, the ability to understand and listen, to find the right tone in a conversation. Work on the subscription, in the reading room allows you to show these qualities.

What ethical features should a librarian working on a loan have, and what should he know? First of all, he must promote the best literature, find an approach to each reader, understand his needs and interests, be able to talk about books, give comparative analysis sources. In addition, the subscription worker must hold various public events; well navigate the flow of literature; promptly conduct bibliographic searches; know funds and catalogs; organize information work; conduct bibliographic reviews, informant days; arrange exhibitions.

To do all this, a specialist needs the methods of agitation and propaganda, reference and bibliographic and information work; methods of studying readers (individual and mass work with them); methodology of library research; technical means.

One of the important forms of individual work is a conversation: about the rules for using the library, about catalogs, about new arrivals, etc. The librarian should be the first to start the conversation, or discreetly encourage the reader to do so, i.e. act as a psychologist, try to understand the psychology of the reader. Respond promptly and kindly to the reader's requests; choose an effective method of influence in relation to each of them.

The personality of a person, there is a culture, general erudition, the ability to express one's thoughts well, to lead a discussion ... Often these features of a librarian have a decisive impact on the interests of readers, contribute to a deeper perception of the meaning of communication.

Contact with the reader should be informal, confidential. It is no coincidence that the reader prefers to turn to the same librarian for advice in choosing books. A positive attitude towards a specialist arises not only because he is well versed in the fund, but also because of his benevolence, ability to have conversations in an easy and exciting way, and willingly help in choosing books. therefore, a real librarian is characterized by empathy, awareness of the individual uniqueness of another person. Even the choice of literature should correspond to the mood of the reader. To give the reader the book he needs at the right time is the task of the librarian. Sometimes you need advice and guidance. Therefore, a certain degree of intimacy and mutual understanding with the reader is required.

How to achieve this? Differently. You can talk about the book, and then about the health of loved ones and relatives. The main thing is to make a person feel that he is not indifferent to you. And then education begins with a book.

The problems of the culture of communication are especially significant, because contacts with people of different ages, tastes, professions should occupy most of the librarian's time. So, for example, in a conversation with a prepared reader, a quick reaction is required. It is better to address older people by their first name and patronymic.

A trusting style, mutual understanding is very important. It’s not news to librarians that during “rush hours” you get tired and not always in control of your emotions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the skills of critical analysis of psychological situations that arise in library everyday life.

Communication with the reader is an exchange of information. Not many people know that 40% of information is conveyed by intonation of speech. And how many remember that in addition to the text there is a subtext? Sometimes the "discovery" of these truths comes in conflict situations.

The tone of the conversation plays a huge role. In the refusal "no" readers sometimes feel the subtext ... "How tired I am of you all."

It is important to remember that communication with the reader is not limited to observing certain rules of etiquette. Contacts presuppose the possession of a psychological culture. It begins with the comprehension of a person, the world of his feelings and thoughts. This knowledge helps the librarian to accurately determine the role positions of the reader and, in accordance with this, build his communication tactics.

Haven't you met "erudite" who have already read everything on a topic of interest? But you subtly and with great tact make it clear to him that there is also a novelty in the library, the existence of which the reader does not know.

Here it fits the stand old man. He is visibly tense, choosing a book. The situation is difficult for a librarian, but one must patiently talk with the reader, help him find the right book, and be extremely attentive to him. Look, in the end the reader calmed down, perked up. Entered into conversation. You must be able to listen to a person, take into account his needs, interests, moods. Emotional contacts bring satisfaction, thicken the working day and at the same time from monotony and boredom. Communication devoid of emotional contacts turns into irritation, boredom, and sometimes disappointment in the chosen profession. We should rejoice when the reader "talked out." In the course of communication with him, such qualities of a librarian as poise, tolerance, emotional stability are constantly tested.

Every librarian needs to develop a culture of communication. It should be remembered that without a willingness to work for people, communication will be meaningless. Meaningful communication is always creativity, in which moral and pedagogical aspects intertwine and interpenetrate.

Which of the strings of the complex spiritual world of a person will sound in the process of communication depends on the approach, on respect for the original personality, and therefore, without self-education, without overcoming inertia, the librarian cannot count on success. The culture of communication is developed in the process of independent spiritual work on oneself.

For librarians who are in constant contact with readers, the ability to communicate in a businesslike manner becomes not only important, but also professional. necessary quality Therefore, increased requirements are imposed on the librarian's speech. The librarian must constantly work on his diction, figurativeness and expressiveness of speech. Of particular importance is the frequency and clarity of pronunciation, coherence, consistency, richness of vocabulary, clarity in the delivery of questions and answers, optimal speech speed for perception.

Observation is extremely important for a librarian. Without it, he will not notice whether the reader is comfortable in the library, how he works with catalogs, how he reacts to the manner of communicating with him, whether he pays attention to exhibitions, stands, whether he spoils books, etc.

The librarian must be internally assembled. The ability to work for a long time without deteriorating its quality and reducing the pace is not only a strong-willed quality, but also a sign of endurance and physical health. A librarian must be able to maintain steady attention for a long time, despite fatigue.

Sociability, personal charm, good looks - these traits are also necessary for a librarian. A good psychological climate in the library is created by cheerfulness, a sense of humor, emotionality, and a sense of collectivism.

A high level of work with readers, a creative atmosphere in the library are directly dependent on such qualities of a librarian as discipline, accuracy, efficiency, and a creative approach to business.

So, what qualities should a reader service librarian have? First, the ability to critically analyze phenomena, facts; be able to choose the necessary information from the total volume, grasp the essence of the problem; secondly, to be attentive, to be able to quickly switch from one type of activity to another; thirdly, to have business qualities force yourself to do anything necessary work; fourthly, to have communicative qualities: to be able to conduct a business conversation, clearly communicate your thoughts to the reader, find the right tone, an appropriate form of communication depending on the individual characteristics of the readers, and, finally, fifthly, to speak competently, coherently and logically express your thoughts.

Thus, a librarian is a highly educated person who owns the basics of the psychology of readers, pedagogical skills, is versed in the variety of publishing products, knows how to use technical means in work, knowing the basics of computer science, propagandist, organizer.

The librarian has no right to be indifferent, arrogant, vindictive, too hot, familiar, quarrelsome, conservative, sloppy, too extravagant.

In the library press, the idea of ​​the influence of the personal qualities of a librarian on reader satisfaction and, consequently, on the image of the library in the public mind, is becoming more and more pronounced. Thus, one specialist philologist from the USA, working in many libraries and archives of France, came to a rather, perhaps banal, but very important conclusion: the poor quality of service and especially the poor availability of documents in the collections are most often associated exclusively with arbitrariness and dishonesty. library staff.

Attitude towards work is a problem that exists in many areas of activity. The American Library Association has paid systematic attention to the professional ethics of the librarian since 1939. The 1981 code of ethics enshrines the principles that oblige librarians to provide a high level of service, to resist attempts to censor library materials, to protect the right of users to maintain the privacy of the information received, to prevent profit from users, colleagues or libraries. Russian specialists are also aware of the five library postulates of S. Ranganathan, which to a certain extent can be considered a code professional ethics. The ethical side of library work is associated with the rights to intellectual freedom and access to information, which is noted in many publications. The ethical and professional level of librarians is often quite low: they are not always helpful, tolerant and attentive to visitors and users, they value readers' time less than their own, reference and bibliographic services lag behind modern requirements, knowledge of foreign languages ​​is minimal, sometimes there is not enough knowledge in areas of librarianship.

Interestingly, the professional ethics of a librarian is viewed in a broad social and moral context. For example, a general decline in the level of labor morality has been noted. Which came from the unambiguously formulated worldview positions. Ethical values ​​have shifted towards moral indifference. Indifference to the consumer, the reader has become, unfortunately, the norm, resulting in largely social lack of demand for libraries.

The code of professional ethics should consolidate the changes in the social status of libraries and librarians. The ethical norms of the library profession today should be formed with the understanding that in the current difficult life situation, people come to the library not only for books, but also for the sake of communication in order to restore spiritual comfort.

Thus, it is quite obvious that not only readers, funds, material and technical base of libraries, but also librarians should change. They will have to soberly and self-critically evaluate their personal capabilities, personal influence on the formation of an atmosphere that makes the library attractive to the reader and, therefore, necessary to society.