Sokolov Viktor

Formation of a Network of Reading Rooms and «Peasant Houses» in Ukraine in 1920–1930’s.

Abstract: The purpose of the article is to analyze and summarize information about the peculiarities of the creation and operation of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» in Ukraine in the 1920-1930s, to describe the main directions of their work, the specifics of cultural, educational and library activities. importance in the dissemination of knowledge, reading, books, education and culture in general. The methodology of the study is to apply both general scientific research methods and historical methods. In particular, by means of factor analysis it was possible to trace the peculiarities of the formation and development of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» in Ukraine during the 1920s-1930s. and to present the analyzed information in the form of an array of concentrated data and tables. The comparative method was used to analyze the statistical data on the dynamics of the development of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» at different stages of their development. The comparativehistorical method of research has allowed to study the phenomena and events concerning the development of the reading rooms and «peasant houses», along with other phenomena of social and cultural life of society, in particular in relation to the activities of libraries and clubs. The use of the diachronous analysis method made it possible to compare the achievements of the cultural-educational and educational activities of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» during the study period in chronological order. The scientific novelty of the work is to expand ideas about the cultural-educational and library activities of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» as centers of cultural and educational life in rural areas in Soviet Ukraine in the 1920s–1930s. Conclusions. Prior to the Second World War, reading rooms and «peasant houses» in Soviet Ukraine were one of the most popular rural cultural, educational and information facilities of the club type and, at the same time, one of the leading types of rural libraries, which finally formed at the turn of the 1920-1930s. In particular, reading rooms, in the form of a network of original libraries-clubs, existed in the country until the early 1960’s, despite the fact that at the First All-Russian meeting of mass cultural educational work (1930) it was decided to gradually reorganize the reading rooms with the conversion of them into separate independent rural libraries or clubs. However, this decision could not be fully implemented, because, firstly, the state lacked adequate material resources; secondly, at that time there was an underdeveloped network of rural libraries and clubs that could take over the functions of home reading rooms; third, reading rooms were still quite popular with the peasants and many of them existed at various agencies, organizations and enterprises, in particular at MTS (machine-tractor stations), collective farms, artilleries and other rural organizations. In the period under study, reading rooms and «peasant houses» in Soviet Ukraine were formed as a kind of club libraries, combining the forms and methods of work of the library, club and educational institution. Such «symbiosis» of different directions of cultural and educational activity occurred against the background of the formation of new Soviet educational and cultural-educational institutions, in the conditions of their inadequately developed material and technical base. The lack of funds and the lack of a network of effectively operating public rural libraries, clubs and primary educational institutions have led to the emergence of new syncretic forms of cultural and educational institutions and the corresponding specifics of organizing their activities. Library work was an integral part of their cultural and educational activities. Thus, the reading rooms and «peasant houses» actively participated in the promotion of reading and books, despite the fact that their book collections were small, were often chaotic, without taking into account the needs of the village, without adequate provision of book collections by literature in various fields of knowledge (in the first turn – from agriculture). In addition, employees and assets of these institutions have actively developed mobile forms of book service. Due to their enthusiasm and community activism, the reading rooms and «peasant houses» effectively performed the main social task of the state – raising the peasants’ cultural and educational level, developing their outlook and forming political consciousness, as well as spreading «communist ideology», basic ideas and political tasks. After all, all cultural and educational work in the 1920-1930s in Ukraine was characterized by significant ideologization and political commitment of all spheres of educational and cultural-educational activity. However, it is during this period that the peak of cultural and educational activity and the rate of quantitative growth of houses and reading rooms, the search for new forms and methods of cultural and educational activity in the development of circles and mobile library services, cultural hikes, evenings, mass lectures, are observed. Specifically, this type of conversation has been widely used as an evening of questions and answers; аn important place among the forms of cultural and mass activity was the initial reference work on political, legal, economic, and household issues (mainly, based on prepared materials from newspapers, magazines, reference books, etc.). The high attendance in the reading rooms and farmhouses was given by the artistic and entertaining forms of activity and various kinds of group work. Thus, the reading rooms and «peasant houses», becoming part of the state ideological system, performed such general social functions as educational, informational, cultural-educational, educational, spiritual-ideological (function of development and satisfaction of spiritual needs of the individual) and some special functions, such as agitation – propaganda function (propaganda of Marxist-Leninist theory, politics of party and Soviet state, scientific atheism, productiontechnical and agricultural knowledge and achievements, etc.). Reading the reading rooms and «peasant houses» were an integral part of the system of ideological, cultural and educational institutions that solved the task of educating a new person, spreading knowledge, and involving the workers in the achievements of national and world culture. However, the excessive ideologization of cultural and educational work and anti-religious propaganda hindered the gradual development of cultural and educational activities of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» and of national culture in general. However, by the early 1930’s, the state created more favorable conditions for the independent national development of educational institutions in the territory of Soviet Ukraine, including the reading rooms and «peasant houses», than in the subsequent period of their development (1933-1939). Studying the experience of the practice of the reading rooms and «peasant houses» can be useful for directly applying some of its conclusions in the current development of cultural and educational work of libraries and clubs, in solving problems of revival and of development of national culture, as well as in restoring national and spiritual unity of the population of Ukraine.

Keywords: history of library ship, rural libraries and clubs, cultural and educational activities, reading zooms, "peasant houses".

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• Sokolov Viktor (Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine), socolv@i.ua) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0208-1292

Cite:
Sokolov Viktor (2020). Formation of a Network of Reading Rooms and «Peasant Houses» in Ukraine in 1920–1930’s.. Bibliotechnyi visnyk, (4) 33-44. (In Ukrainan). doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/bv2020.04.033

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