Sokolov Viktor

Transformation of Reading Houses in Ukraine in the Second Half of the 1940s – First Half of the 1960s

Abstract: The purpose of the article is to analyze and summarize information about the functioning of reading houses in Ukraine in the period 1945–1965 and identify features of their development in this period, highlight the main stages, reveal the dynamics of distribution, the specifics of their rise and fall, and explore major areas, cultural and educational activities in the context of the gradual transformation of reading houses into village clubs and libraries. The methodology of the research is to apply both general scientific research methods and historical methods. In particular, the comparative method was used to analyze statistical data on the dynamics of reading houses at different stages of their activity. The comparative-historical method of research has allowed to study the phenomena and events that have affected the development of reading houses, along with other phenomena of social and cultural life of society, in particular in relation to the activities of libraries and clubs. With the help of factor analysis it was possible to trace the peculiarities of the formation of different cultural institutions, to concentrate the initial information on the conditions of formation and functioning of reading rooms in Ukraine during the period 1945–1965, to determine the purpose of their activity, characteristic features of development and to present the analyzed information in as an array of concentrated data and tables. The scientific novelty of the work is to expand ideas about cultural, educational, educational and library activities of reading houses as centers of cultural and educational life in rural areas on the territory of Ukraine in the first two decades after the Second World War. Conclusions. Until the early 1950's. Reading houses in Ukraine were one of the most popular rural cultural, educational and information institutions of the club type and, at the same time, one of the leading types of rural libraries, which was formed at the turn of the 1920s–1930s. x., and after World War II continued to develop. In the second half of the 1940s and 1950s, reading houses continued to improve their forms of activity, develop and expand their social functions. Becoming part of the state ideological system, reading rooms performed such general social functions as educational, informational, culturaleducational, educational, spiritual-ideological and some special functions, such as propaganda campaign (propaganda of Marxist-Leninist theory, foreign and domestic policy). CPSU and the Soviet state, scientific atheism, production, technical and agricultural knowledge and achievements, etc.). In addition to propagating Marxist-Leninist ideas, the reading rooms contributed to the formation of patriotism and increased the enthusiasm of the peasants. They were effective leaders of the ideas and decisions of the Soviet government among the peasants and, of course, were under the close attention and control of party organizations at all levels. In the second half of the 1940s and 1950s, the activities of reading houses in Ukraine were marked by the search for new methodological approaches to cultural and mass work (such forms of work as cult campaigns, social competitions, evenings of questions and answers, mass lecture propaganda, group activities were developed, mobile library service). In those reading houses, where the situation was well done, and cultural events were held informally and at a high professional level, there, as a rule, used a variety of forms and methods of cultural and educational work. A wide range of cultural and educational activities of the peasants unfolded around the reading houses. Reading houses became the strongholds of all cult work among the peasants, in particular the rural intelligentsia, developed cultural forms of their leisure and creative activities. At the reading houses, various original councils were created, for example, readers, booksellers, library work, and so on. The connection of the reading houses with the rural intelligentsia has significantly improved – teachers, doctors, agronomists, who also took an active part in the work of the circles, giving lectures, reports and other events organized by the activists of the reading houses. Cult and library work has become more in-depth and effective. Reading houses were an integral part of the system of ideological, cultural and educational institutions, which involved peasants in the achievements of national and world culture, contributed to spiritual and physical education, dissemination of general and professional knowledge. In the postwar period, in parallel with the restoration of the network of cultural institutions, there was a reorganization of rural religious institutions: reading houses were increasingly replaced by clubs and libraries. In the mid-1950s, due to the growing number of rural clubs and libraries, as well as the consolidation and centralization of cultural institutions, the network of reading houses was rapidly reduced. However, the reading room continued to operate as a syncretic cult institution (a kind of library-club), which combined the forms and methods of the library, club and educational institution. Such a "symbiosis" of different activities of cult educational institutions, despite the growing number of separate independent rural libraries and clubs, was viable in the first postwar years of destruction and reconstruction of cultural and economic life of the country. In the second half of the 1950’s. Material and technical base of production and cultural and educational level of peasants increased significantly, which became the main objective factor in the further development of independent rural libraries, clubs and other religious institutions in the countryside and, at the same time – reduction and elimination network of reading houses. In general, the studied period of development of reading houses in Ukraine can be divided into two main stages: 1st stage – second half of 1940s – first half of 1950s – reconstruction of the network and rapid development of these institutions, which was characterized by the search for new forms and methods of cultural and educational work of these institutions; 2nd – second half of the 1950s – first half of the 1960s – transformation and rapid reduction of the network of reading houses into village clubs, libraries and houses of culture. At this stage, reading houses, although gradually ceasing to be the main cultural and educational institutions in the countryside, nevertheless operated during the 1960s (and in the suburbs and later) and made a significant contribution to the development of education and culture of the peasants.

Keywords: history of library business, rural libraries and clubs, reading houses, book funds of reading houses, group activity of reading houses.

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

Cite:
Sokolov Viktor (2020). Transformation of Reading Houses in Ukraine in the Second Half of the 1940s – First Half of the 1960s. Bibliotechnyi visnyk, (6) 20-33. (In Ukrainan). doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/bv2020.06.020

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