LATVIJAS UNIVERSITĀTE
JANA DREIMANE
LATVIJAS BIBLIOTĒKAS
OTRĀS PADOMJU OKUPĀCIJAS GADOS
LIBRARIES OF LATVIA DURING THE YEARS OF THE SECOND
SOVIET OCCUPATION
LETTLANDS BIBLIOTHEKEN WÄHREND DER ZWEITEN
SOWJETISCHEN BESATZUNG
PROMOCIJAS DARBA KOPSAVILKUMS
FILOLOĢIJAS DOKTORA GRĀDA IEGŪŠANAI
KOMUNIKĀCIJU ZINĀTNES NOZARĒ
BIBLIOTĒKZINĀTNES APAKŠNOZARĒ
Rīga
2004
I GENERAL OUTLINE
Object
The object of the research includes two basic types of libraries within the library system of
Latvia — public libraries (named "mass libraries" during the years of soviet occupation, — this
name will be used further in the text), and universal scientific (research) libraries.
The mass libraries of the Riga City have been examined more in detail, as the sources on them
are generally available (concentrated in the State Archive of Latvia). These libraries were located
nearer to the governmental institutions and experienced stronger pressure of the soviet power. They
had to follow the directions of the occupation organs more closely than other mass libraries.
Three main universal research libraries have been paid a particular attention. The first of
them is the National Library of Latvia named at that time the State Library of LSSR. The second is
the Library of the University of Latvia named previously the Scientific Library of Latvia State
University. The third is the Academic Library of Latvia, its previous name — the Fundamental
Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR.
Goal and tasks
The goal of the research: to evaluate the impact of the second soviet occupation on the
libraries of Latvia.
The main tasks:
1) to learn the library policy of the soviet occupation power and the strategy of its implementation,
and to characterize it;
2) to trace the changes in libraries caused by the dictate of the institutions of the soviet power;
3) to state the initiative of librarians in the preservation of information resources, acquisition,
popularization of the collections and providing for their availability;
4) to make the analyses of the aftereffect of the second soviet occupation on the libraries of Latvia.
Chronological coverage of the research
The research covers the period from 1944 till 1974. At that time the most essential shake-up
in the library sector took place.
The first decade of the occupation (1944 - 1954) is thoroughly analysed. It was the time of
sovietization when public libraries and research libraries were reshaped following the model of
soviet libraries. A structured grip mechanism was established. Priorities of the library work were
changed essentially.
Stalin's death in 1953 gave a way to the liberalization in the library sector. In 1955 the
process of re-examining the listings of the banned literature was started. The printed works
acknowledged to be "harmless" were returned to the generally available collections. This process
concluded in 1960 when the Communist Party of Latvia (CPL) interrupted the activities of the
national communists.
In 1960s and 1970s in Latvia, like other soviet republics, the attempts were made to rationalize
the information services, to introduce the coordination of library work, to centralize the methodic
guidance and the acquisition process for mass libraries, to establish a unified reference and
information system.
At the end of 1960s the experiment of the centralization of libraries within the network of mass
libraries was completed. The documents of the Ministry of Culture of LSSR witness that it has been
acknowledged successful. In May 1974 the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union and the Central Committee of the CPL "About the Increase of the Role of
Libraries in the Communist Education of the Working People and in Promoting Scientific and
Technical Progress" was adopted. It designated total centralization of mass library system in Latvia.
Theoretical background
The research is based on the conception that library is an institution for the recognition,
acquisition, sort-out and long-term preservation of published information. In a democratic system
libraries provide for a free availability of information resources to all of the society. Under
antidemocratic regime libraries are subjected to censorship — system of undertakings in the
interests of the political power, the aim of which is to restrict or prohibit dissemination of
undesirable for
society information. Emphasis in this research is made on the acquisition, holding and availability
aspects of information resources; the withdrawal of the banned literature from library collections and
its obliteration, the principles of the selection and processing of library materials, and the
bibliographic work. Library personnel are to provide for the functioning of libraries within the
framework of the guidelines of administrating institutions and the assigned funding, therefore
librarians' education system, its establishing, efficiency and the dynamics of its change has been
analysed.
In order to restore an equitable general historical outlook, the context of library activities
governed by the policy of the power institutions of LSSR in the field of culture is considered. The
material provision of libraries, librarians' education system, the qualification of specialists and the
work of concrete particular libraries has been viewed.
The strategy of the research includes the investigation of the sources of library history of the
corresponding period of time, and the analyses of the acquired information.
The scientific novelty and practical importance
The first work on communist totalitarian was published in 1944. Beginning with 1950s
publications appeared in the host countries of the Latvians abroad in the West Europe and USA. As
the historians in exile had no access to the archives of the documents of soviet organs, it was
impossible to perform fundamental research on the situation in Latvia. At the end of 1980s analytic
publications on the soviet occupation in Latvia appeared, but systematic critical research work was
conceivable only after the reestablishment of Latvia statehood in 1991.
The Historians' Commission of Latvia established in 1998 plays an important rote in
estimating the soviet period. It organises thematic conferences, publishes their proceedings, other
selected works. The people who suffered from soviet retaliation have been found. The da mage to
economics caused by the soviet occupation has been measured. The changes in science under the
occupation regime have been weighted, and the retaliation of scientists investigated. Whereas the
culture policy, library policy including, has been investigated very fragmentary. Lots of the soviet
time publications are devoted to library work, but they do not reflect and do not analyse, or reflect
to a very small extent, the negative impact. For instance, insufficient funding for libraries, poor
material and technical equipment, irrational library network, low qualification of mass library staff
and their
shift, other phenomena, contrasting to the exaggerated demands of power institutions (total
implication of ail families to become library users and a permanent increase of statistic indices).
The doctoral thesis gives an addition to the existing information on the situation of important
national institutions and their work in the conditions of the soviet occupation. It will promote
finding the mostly deformed segments of library work and provide for their de-sovietization.
II STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
Structure
This doctoral thesis comprises an introduction, six chapters, conclusion and an extensive
bibliography.
Chapter 1, "Review of the historical sources" deals with the main groups of primary
research sources: 1) materials of the library supervising institutions (administrative and regulatory);
2) documentation of individual libraries; 3) publications of the respective period which decribe
the work of the libraries.
Chapter 2, "Historiography" gives information on the theme of the research, analytically
evaluating relevant publications of the period of Soviet occupation and the first years
of Latvian renewed independence.
Chapter 3, "Characterisation of the epoch: 1944-1974" describes the main features of the
period, special attention being paid to the first decade of sovietisation and
general
activities that influenced libraries.
Chapter 4, "Sovietization of libraries (1944-1954)" reflects the first strategic changes in the
library system of the occupied Latvia. It is the period of introducing unified overall library control
mechanism, cardinal rehash of the library network, the modification of the aims, personnel
management and the principles of acquisition policy in accordance with the demands of the soviet
power. Separate sub-divisions of this chapter are devoted to the process of sovietization in the mass
libraries of the Riga City, in the universal research libraries and in the regional rese arch libraries:
Liepaja State Scientific Library; Jelgava State Scientific Library; the State Library of LSSR; J ānis
Misiņš Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences of LSSR and the Scientific Library of Latvia State University.
Chapter 5, "Khrushchev's thaw" and the libraries (1955-1959)"— in its introductory part
reflects library policy of this period. It has been characteristic with two contradictory tendencies one part of the new guidelines promoted de-stalinization of the library sector and provided for the
introduction of new directions of the library work, the other part deepened the library ideologization
started in the previous decade. Separate sub-divisions of this chapter overview the de-stalinization
process and other manifestations of library policy in the mass libraries of the Riga City, and in the
universal research libraries: the State Library of LSSR; the Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences of LSSR; the Scientific Library of Latvia State University.
Chapter 6, "The attempts to optimise library service (1960-1974)" starts with the overview
of the main trends of the library policy and the implementation of these trends. The subdivisions of
the chapter reflect the work of the mass libraries of the Riga City. This chaper is concerned alsowith
the universal research libraries: Liepaja City Scientific Library; Jelgava City Scientific Library;
Daugavpils City Scientific Library; Ventspils City Scientific Library; the State Library of LSSR; the
Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR, and the Scientific Library of Latvia
State University.
The thesis ends with the conclusion and the listing of the origins, literature and additional
literature used for it.
Outline of the content
The introduction gives the motivation of the topicality and the novelty of the theme of the
doctoral theses, the selection of elements for the analyses of the library system and the
periodization of the research. The aim of the research, its tasks and hypothesis is forwarded there.
A short characterisation of the research background and the problems concerned with it is given.
Chapter 1, "Overview of the historic sources" views the main groups of the origins. The .
widest and most various information on the library life during the soviet years, particularly on the
period of sovietization, has been found in the documents of LSSR culture administration authorities
(Political Education Board of the Education People's Commissariat of LSSR (1944 -1945), the
Committee of Culture and Education Institutions of the Council of Ministers of LSSR (1945 -1953),
the Ministry of Culture of LSSR (1953-1988; 1990). These documents are held in the State Archive
of Latvia. They show the establishing of the institutions mentioned above and their work, reveal the
content of the library policy and the system of the control over libraries. The documents of the
period of Stalin totalitarian embrace a wide fact material on library problems and on "the
disturbances", that the inspectors delegated by the occupation power, had found. They witness of
the passive resistance of librarians against the prescripts of the ruling regime.
The ground rules of library policy and the principles of their implementation were designated
by the mainspring of the communist ideology — the Central Committee of CPL the documents of
which also are located in the State Archive of Latvia (holding PA, item No. 101). In the materials
of the Central Committee of the CPL the main attention is paid to the withdrawal of the banned
literature and to the propaganda of the ideological publications. CPL documents from 1960s and
1970s contain very little information about libraries.
The withdrawal of the banned literature from the generally available library collections was an
unalienable part of the library work at the soviet time. The most exhausting material on this process
was found in the reviews and correspondence of the Main Literature Board of LSSR (MLB) —
item No. 917. The special collections — the departments of the banned literature established in
several research libraries — formally were under the governance of the library director, however
actually the instructions and orders of the MLB regulated their functioning.
The Culture Administration of the Executive Committee of the Riga City Peoples' Deputies'
Council keeps a wide exposure of documents about the mass libraries of the city (holding No..
1583).
The State Archive of Latvia stores a separate holding about the State Library of LSSR (item
No. 235). Historic original documents from the time of the establishment of the library in 1919 up to
1991 are stored there. The Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts of the National Library of
Latvia also keeps a huge massif of the library documents of that period (RXA 164, 1.919 -1993).
Moreover, the materials about the special collection are gathered as a separate holding (RXA 324,
1941-1990).
The holding of Latvia State University in the State Archive of Latvia (No. 1340) contains
many materials on the work and the problems of the Scientific Library of Latvia State University.
Sovietization process and the activities of the library administration and the university authorities in
regaining the library's building are widely reflected there.
The Central Archive of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR on its turn holds documents on the
Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR, - on its priorities, sources of
acquisitions, processing of the library materials and their arrangement (item No. 23).
The materials on Janis Misins' library within the Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences of LSSR were found also in the Central Archive of the Academy of Sciences (item No.
24). In addition to these findings the materials of Kārlis Egle in the Department of Rare Books and
Manuscripts ofthe National Library of Latvia (RXA 293) are notable. Karlis Egle for along time was
the director of Jānis Misiņš' library.
The State Library of LSSR has been the centre of methodic guidance for mass libraries since
1946. One of the directions of its work was the compilation and publishing of methodic materials.
Since 1956 the library published the annual "Review on the Work of the Mass Libraries of LSSR".
Besides statistical data the review of the current events is given there, thus making this publication
the source of exhaustive first-hand information on the situation of mass libraries and annual
changes in them.
Chapter 2, "Historiography" gives an analytic outline of three groups of publications. The
first group includes history research materials providing a broader context of the processes in
library life at the appropriate period of time. The publications, giving the analyses of separate
directions of the library work or concrete problems, form the second group of publications. The
third group consists of the publications devoted to one particular library or one library system.
The publications of the first group have been included into the selections of works of the
Historians' Commission of Latvia, or published in periodicals. They are concerned with the
following problems: collaboration of the population with the occupation institutions (K.Kangeris,
D.Bleijere, I.Šneidere); the structure and deeds of the security services of LSSR (A.Bergman is);
political judicatures (R.Vīksne and other), censorship of the printed publications (R.Briedis,
A.Urtāns).
The major part of the publications of the second group has been written during the years of the
soviet occupation. Their authors are library specialists. These publications are devoted mainly to the
work of mass libraries: political tasks of libraries (R.Lukstiņa); dynamics of the development of
library network (R.Lukstiņa, A.Puriņš, Z.Eglīte); librarians' education system and its efficiency
(Ā.Puriņš), other. These publications give a precise and exhaustive statistics, but there is no analyses
of the problems the library sector experienced.
The third group includes the major part of the publications, as the "Proceedings of the State
Library of LSSR" appeared (5 volumes in 1964-1974). The serial "Aspects of Library Science" (13
volumes during 1977-1991) was the continuation of the proceedings. The Fundamental Library of
the
Academy of Sciences of LSSR also published one volume of proceedings and several selections of
articles. These publications include articles on the library work at the beginning of the second soviet
occupation. Like the publications of the first group, these materials were used for acquiring factologic
information mainly.
:
The publications that appeared after the re-establishment of Latvia statehood are characteristic
with an analytical approach when depicting the soviet period. They reflect the ideologization of
library work during the first soviet occupation (A.Strate), and the exercise of soviet censorship i n
research libraries (V.Zanders, S.Sardiko). An exhaustive research has been made on the sovietization
of the Scientific Library of Latvia State University. Although a resumptive research on the
detriment to libraries committed by the second soviet occupation is still missing.
Chapter 3, "Outline of the epoch (1944-1974)" exposes the main features of this period
paying a particular attention to sovietization process. All actions where libraries were implicated are
viewed in this chapter. They are:
• The fortifikation of one party political system. Soviet official institutions demanded libraries to
take part in the campaigns of organizing the fictive elections. Rather often library premises had to be
the place of elections. Thus the legitimization of one party political system in people's brain was
promoted.
• Libraries had to support the collectivization process — popularizing the collectivization when
speaking with people, establishing library collections for the soviet collective farms - kolhozi libraries
and performing the methodical guidance of these libraries.
• Libraries were ordered to make the acquisition of the literature unsuitable for the conditions of
Latvia — metallurgy and so called "heavy industry". Librarians also had to propagate this
literature,
• Libraries had a definite role in the russification process. In mass actions prescribed by library
administration Russian literature and science had to prevail. The translations of Russian authors'
works and the literature in Russian began to dominate in library collections. It was also the result of
the content of the book publishing in Latvia and the acquisition principles forwarded for libraries.
During Khrushchev's "thaw" and the period of the activities of the national communists
(1955-1959) the repressive regime of the first decade of the second soviet occupation became weaker.
After revising the listings of the banned literature politically neutral works of pre -soviet authors
became available to library readers again. Several public museums to outstan ding Latvian writers
were opened. They acquired a broad recognition. Reference publications could afford even to place
information on the litterateurs undesirable to the occupation regime. The liberalization of the regime
had a positive impact also on the library sector: on the development of theoretical conceptions; the
national book studies; acquisitions' policy in mass libraries and research libraries; users service, and
compiling bibliographic indexes.
Chapter 4, "The sovietization of libraries (1944-1954)"
During the comparatively short period of the existence of the first independent Republic of
Latvia (1918-940) the libraries had managed to strengthen their democratic traditions. They
purchased literature and organized their work (formed catalogues, offered books and periodicals in
various branches of art and science, etc.) for the benefit of readers. No unified hierarchy system of
library control existed. The major part of libraries acted under the guidance of public organizations
or self-governments. The State Library was the only one working under the rule of the Ministry of
Education of the Republic of Latvia. The functions and rights of the State Library were fixed in
"Law on the State Library" (1922). The soviet occupation in 1940 introduced the first changes. The
public organizations were abolished. A part of the collections of public organizations' libraries
became the bases for mass libraries. The inspectors of the Districts' People Education Administration
Departments and of the Libraries' subdivision of Education People's Commissariat of LSSR
controlled the work of the mass libraries. Political enlightening of people, — it means the
propaganda of marxism-leninism ideology, — was forwarded as the main task of libraries. The
Main Literature and Publishers' Board of LSSR was established. It compiled the listings of the
banned literature and governed the withdrawal of the banned works from public circulation —
libraries including.
During the time of Nazi occupation (1941-1944) the main difficulties of the libraries were
insufficient funding, and the withdrawal of the printings and music records unacceptable to the ruling
regime according to three listings of the banned works. Country libraries had problems with the
acquisition of the recent Latvian publications. Still Latvian self-governmental institutions
administrated the library work, but the Nazi institutions interfered only in separate occasions.
After the renewal of the soviet occupation in 1944-1945 libraries started their work in very
complicated conditions. As the result of armistice several library buildings had been destroyed,
library collections had suffered a lot, a part of librarians were in exile. Nevertheless the institutions
of the occupation power forwarded new tasks for libraries. The main task was to propagate the rules
and the orders of the government. The reorganization of the library work was performed following
the basic principles of soviet libraries. It was sovietization completed in 10 years time.
The main action of the sovietization was the ideologization of library collections, It was
provided by a bilateral process:
1) the withdrawal of the banned literature from library collections and the obliteration of this
literature;
2) intensified acquisition of the ideologized soviet literature.
The withdrawal of the banned literature was started straight after the occupation — at the end of
1944. "Harmful" publications were considered to be not only the publications of fascist drift that
have appeared in the libraries during the Nazi occupation, but also politically completely neutral
works whose authors were planned to be "erased" from the memory of the nation. In December
1944 the Main Literature Board of LSSR (MLB) had compiled and published the first listing of the
books and pamphlets that had to be withdrawn from libraries. It contained 3 573 titles, separate
authors or separate groups of publications had an additional remark "all works shall be
withdrawn". Nine listings of the literature to be withdrawn were published till 1955. The process
of the withdrawal of the banned works was most intensive in the period of sovietization, The
number of items withdrawn from the mass libraries and from the three largest research libraries
surpassed 1 million items. "For the most part these items were brought to paper mills, It was
permitted to preserve 2 copies of each of the banned works in the special collections of four
universal research libraries: the State Library of LSSR; the Scientific Library of Latvia State
University; the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR, and Jānis Misiņš' library
at the Academy of Sciences of LSSR. In 1948 there were more than 111 000 printed works in the
special collections. In 1954 when Janis Misins Library was joined as a department to the
Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR three special collections were left. To
become a reader of a special collection the accept was necessary either from the CPL, or the
Supreme Council of LSSR, the Council of People's Commissariat of LSSR (later on — Council of
Ministers), the authorities of security institutions and the superintendent of the special collection.
Library collections were enriched in various ways — purchases, donations and acquiring the
literature from ownerless collections.
Library administration dictated the spectrum of the acquisitions. The main priority was
popular political literature, the compositions of the classics of marxism-leninism in particular. To
make the control over acquisitions stronger a special institution — Library Collector — was
established. Its task was to accept and to satisfy the orders of libraries. Research libraries acquired
literature in the analogue library collector for research libraries in Moscow. Nevertheless libraries
were not satisfied with these sources of acquisition, because their orders often were not fulfilled
adequately and in time. The libraries continued to purchase printed works in bookshops. Research
libraries were allowed to purchase literature in book antique shops (at the initial stage of sovietization
the number of such libraries was diminished from 5 to 2 libraries).
The State Library of LSSR, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR
and, the Scientific Library of Latvia University ordered also the iegal deposit copies of the Soviet
Union. These were ideologized publications in Russian and they promoted the ideologization and
russification of library collections.
At the same time the number of the institutions to receive the legal deposit copies of LSS R
was diminished. At the beginning 5 libraries had the right to receive legal deposit copies. These were:
the State Library of LSSR, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR, Janis
Misins Library at the Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Library of Latvia State University and
Liepaja State Scientific Library. At the second half of 1950s the State Library of LSSR was the
only one to receive the legal deposit copies. The Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences of LSSR regained the right to legal deposit copy of LSSR in September 1959.
The interior sovietization of the library work also had to be performed: the structure of
systematic catalogues had to be adjusted with respect to the ideologized decimal classification tables
revised by the soviet bibliographer L.Tropovsky. The systematic arrangement of the collection
storage had to be changed accordingly. Gradually the research libraries managed to introduce a more
optimal arrangement- the formal one.
Two types of catalogues were introduced in the research libraries: readers' catalogue and the
interior catalogue for librarians' work. The interior alphabetic catalogues reflected also the items
that, though had not been included into the listings of the banned literature, still were undesi rable
for unlimited use. At the beginning of 1950s power institutions demanded also the reorganization
of
systematic catalogues. In the systematic catalogues for readers only the literature recommended by
soviet power was left. It was arranged in an ultra ideological order: the publications on marxismleninism were placed first, then followed the ideologized soviet literature, the publications from the
countries of people's democracy and the literature from the capitalist countries. The systematic
catalogues for interior use were formed from the cards of the systematic catalogue of outdated
literature, and they were available to readers only for research needs.
The lay-off or degrade of the "disloyal" library workers was an unalienable element of
sovietization. Already in summer 1946 14 library workers were dismissed from the State Library of
LSSR, at least 1 of them was accused about anti-soviet propaganda. 15 librarians were released from
the Riga City mass libraries, 1 of them judged. Till 1950 at least 6 people were dismissed from the
Scientific Library of Latvia State University, not including those working in separate faculties. The
directors of the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR and of Liepaja State
Scientific Library were changed several times. The decisive criterion when selecting the leading
personnel was the membership of the communist party and the ideological education, not the
professional qualification.
With the aim to propagate soviet ideology new directions of the library work were introduced:
mass work (exhibitions, lectures, discussions, etc.), compilation of the recommended, or advisory
literature bibliography. All the mass libraries, and at the beginning also the State Library of LSSR
had to form mobile libraries, thus compensating the insufficiency of stationary libraries.
The soviet administration stated that every territorial administrative unit must have one library
at least. Nevertheless the extension of the library network was forced without considering the most
essential library problems: insufficient funding, inconvenient premises, the limited possibilities of the
country libraries to update their collections. Children libraries were formed from the children
departments of town libraries assigning then juridical independence. Still the mass library network in
quantitative indices did not reach pre-war level.
It is a positive fact that at the beginning of 1947 Library Science and Bibliography
Department was founded at the History and Philology Faculty of Latvia State University. After
several interruptions and modifications in the education structure and content it is still functioning. In
1946 Riga Technical Secondary School for Culture and Education Workers was opened to educate
the directors of mass libraries. This culture establishment also continues functioning as the Culture
College of Latvia.
Chapter 5 "Khrushchev's "thaw" and libraries (1955-1959)"
At that period several limitations in acquisition and information availability were abolished.
Since 1959 the State Library of LSSR, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of
LSSR and the Scientific Library of Latvia State University were allowed direct literature exchange
with the capitalist countries, besides a part of foreign periodicals in technical sciences were
liberated from censorship. The State Library and the Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences got the permission to cooperate with foreign institutions in the field of interlibrary loans.
Since 1956 the system of the bibliographic information on foreign publications was
established. The union catalogue of the foreign literature in Latvia (books and periodicals) was
created in the State Library of LSSR, but the joint index of foreign periodicals in Latvia — in the
Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR. Since 1956 the Fundamental Library of
the Academy of Sciences published an informative bulletin informing of the new foreign books
acquired in the library; since 1965 the bulletin included also the information of appropri ate new
foreign acquisitions in other Riga research libraries.
In 1954 the special collections of three libraries — the State Library, the Fundamental Library
of the Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Library of Latvia State University contained 248
929 units. From 1955 till 1960 the listings of the banned literature compiled by the Main Literature
Board were revised, a part of the literature from the special collections (at least 88 767 units) were
returned to generally available collections.
The terms of using the special collections were unburdened: the letter from the reader's
working or education place and the permission of the library director was sufficient. Like in the
previous times, the information concretely defined as necessary for research purposes was
available for use only in the premises of the appropriate special collection.
In 1956 the State Library of LSSR started reshaping its local studies' collection in order to
establish Letionica reading room with its auxiliary collection, thus concentrating the literature about
Latvia (officially — Latvia SSR) and appropriate bibliographic reference system in one place. A
separate Lettonica reading-room was opened in 1960. The mass libraries also started compiling
local studies' materials in card files and separate covers, thus starting a specific direction of the
library work.
In 1958 the Department of Bibliography and Methodic Work of the State Library of LSSR
restarted the work on card file of the analytic bibliography index ''Latvian Science an d Literature"
formed by Augusts Ģinters (1885-1944). From 1963 till 1974 five volumes covering the time 19081912 was published.
There was the demand for libraries to investigate their readers' interests. The acquired
information was used in differentiated services for readers, but also for the reading guidance that
aimed to "educate" the readers to become supporters of soviet ideology. The same aim was to-the
open access in reading-rooms, the introduction of it began in 1958-1959.
Chapter 6. "The attempts to optimize library service (1960-1974)"
The withdrawal of the banned literature from library collections was continued. Two parts of
the listing of the publications to be withdrawn were published in 1961 named "The Joint Listing of
Books to be Withdrawn from Libraries and Bookstores Network". The listing contains the
publications with incorrigible "political defects" (3100 titles), it is approximately a third part of the
printed works reviewed during the "thaw" period. In 1970s a particular status of secr ecy was laid on
the majority of the books and periodicals published by the Latvians in exile. Following the decision
of the Central Committee of the CPL from May 21, 1973, the literature of exile Latvians was
concentrated in one place — in the special collection of the Fundamental Library of the Academy of
Sciences of LSSR.
In the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR "About the
Situation of Libraries and the Measures to Improve it" (September 22, 1959) one of the main
demands was that the libraries belonging to different inferiority shall coordinate their actions in
acquisition and readers' service. The implementation of this decision was commissioned, besides the
town and district culture departments, also to the Interdepartmental Library Board of the Ministry
of Culture of LSSR (ILB). The leading specialists from the larger libraries, the director of the
bibliography agency — the Book Chamber, a representative of the Ministry of Culture and a
representative from Library Collector were engaged. Each district of Latvia had to form an
analogous board. ILB had no juridical procurancy. Therefore the ideas of forming a joint library
collection and a unified bibliographic reference system for the whole of the country were doomed
to failure. ILB succeeded to establish the cooperation in separate fields only. A common plan of
library acquisitions
was designed. The functions of each of the libraries in the development of bibliographic information
system were defined.
The Commission of the Book Publishing History established at ILB on the initiative of several
researchers of book history (K.Egle, A.Apinis, K.Karulis) promoted the research and
popularization of the national book history. The selections of materials "Latvian Book Publishing
History" (1967-1970) and the series of pamphlets "Latvian Book Publishing History" (1970) were
published. A resumptive work by K.Karulis "Latvian Book in the Swing of Centuries" was
published in 1967. The research work by A.Apinis "The Studies of Latvian Book Publishing
History from its Beginning till the End of the 19 th Century" was published in 1977. In 1964 the
Department of rhe Rare Books and Manuscripts of the State Library of LSSR established a
permanent exposition "The History of Latvian Book", and in 1971 it started the formation of the
union catalogue of Latvian ancient printings (published in 1999).
The research libraries cooperated in developing Latvian library terminology. In 1974 the
Terminology Commission established at the State library of LSSR engaged the specialists from the
Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Library of Latvia State University,
other institutions. The Commission discussed and adjusted the national terms of library domain. The
first issue of the dictionary of the national library terms was published in 1976.
The State Library and the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences continued a
deepened study the readers' interests. The State Library performed the first sociologic research of
reading ascertaining the interests of the readers of Kuldīga district concerning belles-lettres.
Several decisions of the state authorities intended to introduce a centralized acquisitions in the
mass library system specifying that 60 % of acquisitions' funding shall be concentrated in the
budgets of district libraries. Following the recommendation of ILB this money was concentrated in
the budget of the Ministry of Culture of LSSR, so as to carry out the decision more strongly. Since
1965 the libraries started preliminary ordering of literature according to the thematic plans of
publishing houses. Although these actions did not solve the main problem: the libraries still did not
receive all the necessary (ordered) literature
The methodic guidance of libraries was reinforced following the decision of the
Communist Party of the USSR from September 22, 1959. For this purpose in 1960s in the
methodic centres — district and town libraries — additional staff positions - methodists were
introduced. M.Gorky Riga City Library No. 1 and Riga City Children and Youth Library No. 11
were charged to fulfill the
functions of the methodic centres of Riga mass library system. In 1965 M.Gorky Riga City Library
No. 1 was renamed Riga City Central Library (RCCL). The Riga City Children and Youth library
No. 11 was renamed the Riga City Central Children Library. The Scientific Methodic Department
of RCCL governed an experiment of centralization in the Oktobris district of the Riga City initiated
in 1968. Seven libraries were joined in a centralized library system. Non-profile and rarely
demanded literature and doublets were separated and brought away to the central library of the
district. The scheme of the collections, catalogues and personnel structure for central libraries was
developed. The joint plan of acquisitions was elaborated, the catalogues and card files were
revised, the general catalogue of the centralized library system was established. Central libraries
made the acquisition and processed the literature for all its affiliations, — the affiliations had to
provide for the holdings' storage and readers service only.
In 1970 the centralized library system was introduced in Kuldīga district. The district library
became the central library, the other mass libraries of the district — affiliations. The Daugavpils
City put into practice another model of centralization: the city research library became the central
library, whereas the mass libraries of the city — its affiliations. This mode! was introduced in all
the cities where city research libraries were operational (Liepaja, Jelgava and Ventspils).
The results of this experiment were estimated as efficient emphasizing the growth of
indices of library work during 1968-1971. On May 31, 1971 at the meeting of the collegium of the
Ministry of Culture of LSSR "The Prospective Plan of the Centralization of Mass Library
Network for 1972-1978" was approved. During 1972-1974 the centralization was introduced in 8
districts from 26 and in one state-significance city.
In fact, the centralization process did not improve the situation. In 1971 the public libraries of
LSST were attended by 24,9% of population, in 1988 — 27,2% of population.
Librarians exposed their initiative in their work with public. They had to propagate the current
decisions of the government, the achievements of the soviet country, revolutionary deeds, — still
they could widen the scale of topics of their actions. In the literary discussions and evenings not
only the fiction of the authors of 1960s and 1970s was discussed (particularly Z.Skuji ņš, M.Birze,
D.Zigmonte), but also the works and life of pre-soviet authors was viewed (Rainis, E.Veidenbaums,
other). During the Days of Poetry (since 1968) libraries arranged the meetings with the poets of the
younger generation — Māris Čaklais, Ojārs Vācietis, Lija Brīdaka, Daina Avotiņa, other. The
events
for the wide range of public rarely popularized foreign literature, except the jubilees of the authors
particularly highlighted by the soviet power (R.Tagore, R.Rolland).
The Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences and the State Library collected the
handwritings of outstanding Latvian scientists, litterateurs, other culture wo rkers. Both of these
libraries have given a substantial contribution to the research of library history. Notable research
works have been published about the beginnings of librarianship in Latvia, on the libraries in the
period of enlightening, library network and librarians' education system in the first years of the soviet
occupation. In 1963 the monograph "Jānis Misiņš and His Library" by F.Rancāns, the librarian of
the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences and the lecturer of Latvia State University,
was published. The scholars of both of these libraries did a thorough research work of the history of
their libraries in various aspects.
At the second half of 1950s the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR
activated its work on the retrospective bibliography index "Latvian Periodicals". The first volume
was published in 1966 covering the publications that had appeared in 1768 -1919.
The results of this research indicate that the State Library of LSSR and the Fundamental
Library of the Academy of Sciences of LSSR have played an important role in preserving the existing
traditions of research libraries. Among these traditions — the compilation of the national
retrospective national bibliographic indexes, the research of Latvian book history, developing the
theoretical aspects of library work in Latvia. The contribution of these libraries had been essential
for the introduction of new trends in the library work — developing the national library
terminology, researching library history, etc.
The mass libraries (public libraries) also retained their significance as the basic elements of
the library system, — the network of these libraries extended all over the country. The small but
regular funding of these libraries provided for a constant increase of their collections, and through
this also — for the continuity of the library work in general.