Decolonization cannot be avoided: the Institute of the Book initiates a library “muvchanka” to replace Soviet books
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The Ukrainian Book Institute (UIK) invites librarians to join the “silent action”, the purpose of which is to update the funds with current books. The director of UIC Oleksandra Koval shook the book community with her post on Facebook. “Dear community, if you are tired of Russian books in Ukrainian libraries, I suggest helping librarians start a silent campaign to support library funding,” Koval wrote. In a comment to UP.Zhyttia Oleksandra said that it may take 2-3 years to remove Soviet books and books published in Russia and Belarus, and the most work will be in the east and south. “The law on decolonization must be implemented – it cannot be avoided. So, whether someone wants it or not, books from the Soviet era and those that it is not known how they got to libraries from the Russian Federation or Belarus (and there may be more of them than Ukrainian ones) will have to be sent, you know where,” says the director of the Book Institute. And he adds that we are talking about 5 million copies of books. Oleksandra Koval, the director of the UIC, calls for replenishing the library funds with current literature. Photo: Oleksandra Koval’s Facebook According to her, there are more than 1,000 libraries in the de-occupied or front-line territories of the east and south of Ukraine, whose collections have been significantly damaged by hostilities. For them, says Koval, it is necessary to purchase at least 3 thousand copies of various books. Read also: “A book that I would never want to write”: Oleksandr Mykhed published chronicles of pain and hope Libraries in the rear, located in regions with a large number of forced migrants, also need updating of funds. These are almost 4,000 libraries that are in high demand. For them, you need to buy at least 1000 copies. The Chernihiv Regional Library for Youth was damaged by Russian shelling. Photo: Facebook Georgii Saprykin Based on these calculations, the director of the Institute of Books concludes that only this stage of renewal of library funds will cost UAH 1.96 billion. The UIC will require the Ministry of Culture to include UAH 1.2 billion in the draft budget for 2024. “Ukrainians have the right to read true history, classics without bills. First of all, this applies to the eastern and southern regions. It is unlikely that it will be possible to do it within a year, two or three. But the sooner we start, the sooner we will finish,” Koval emphasized in a conversation with UP. Life. Chornobayiv OTG. Chornobayivka village library. Photo: Facebook Vira Antonova So, in support of the renewal of library funds, the director of the UIC proposed the following silent action to thousands of Ukrainian libraries: Remove from the shelves books published in Russia and Belarus and during the times of the USSR; Publish photos of empty shelves; To invite readers to participate in the campaign with the demand to provide the opportunity to read in Ukrainian. At the Book Arsenal in 2023, more than 1,300 new editions from 77 publishing houses were presented. Photo: Book Arsenal According to the Yaroslav the Wise National Library, which is responsible for researching the state of Ukrainian book collections, in 2022 there were 11,876 public libraries in Ukraine. Their funds totaled almost 150 million paper books. More than half of these copies are Soviet editions that have not been updated since 1991. Read also: This is readable: the first novel about Crimea, non-fiction about love and other novelties that are worth your libraries. The post about the “silent action” of the director of the Ukrainian Book Institute gathered a lot of feedback and started a discussion in the book community. Oksana Khmelovska, an expert in book publishing and the founder of Chitomo, summed up this discussion for UP.Zhyttya. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to update the library funds, she believes. And he adds: “The fact that so many libraries have been destroyed is, of course, a problem. But they need to be restored according to a new model – hubs, public spaces, mobile book collections. And in the restoration, walls and books will play the same role as people who represent these institutions”. Curator Katya Taylor visited the Book Arsenal in 2023. Photo: Book Arsenal According to Khmelivska, new Ukrainian books can attract new readers to libraries – the demand for them increased incredibly during the wartime and it is important not to lose this interest. But she adds: “The UIC initiative pushes us to a discussion – how exactly are we going to restore libraries? Unfortunately, in private conversations with librarians whose book collections have been destroyed or damaged, she found that proper work and prescriptions for preserving funds or evacuation from specialized state there were no organs either at the beginning of the war or now. The interdisciplinary performance “Guessing on Libraries” took place at the 11th Book Arsenal. Photo: Book Arsenal Each library in a village or city, under occupation or shelling, acted at its own discretion. And this requires urgent expert discussions and decision-making. And replenishing funds with fresh publications is only one of the points.” The expert concludes: “Publishers will definitely benefit from this program. And although we would like to support their business, the first thing is to understand the ability of libraries to be active in communities and to effectively use this generous a gift during the war”. Read UP. Culture in Telegram
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