Introduction

Summary statistics are given for the distribution of private libraries across different professional backgrounds, considered in the context of work which has been done in this field, and assumptions which are commonly made (but which need to be challenged). The chapter considers methodological approaches to private library history, and describes those underpinning this book. The broader national context within which book ownership history should be considered is set out. The content (and exclusions) of the book are more fully described, with reference to other relevant work, and the limitations created by our imperfect evidence base are acknowledged.

Bibliography Studies of the Russian State Library: History and Present Situation

The Russian State Library has made significant contribution to the development of Russian bibliographic thought, starting from the period of the Great Patriotic War (holding scientific conferences, defending PhD theses on bibliography topics by library employees). The major achievement is the development of problems of recommendatory bibliography: the works by B.A. Smirnova of the 1940s through 1960s, major collective studies conducted in 1967—1989 under supervision of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR on the problems of “Effectiveness of recommendatory bibliography in reading guidance” and “Recommendatory bibliography as means of promoting books and reading guidance”. In 1976—1989, the sector of bibliography theory played the significant role in the development of Russian bibliography (since 1983 — the sector of general problems of theory, methodology and organization of bibliography). The release of the serial collection of scientific works “Voprosy bibliografovedeniya” [Questions of bibliography science] (1976—1990) was of great theoretical and organizing value. In the 1990s, when there were no divisions on bibliography science, a number of monographs and dissertations on bibliographic topics were created by individual Library employees. In the Scientific research department of bibliography, established in 1999, there was organized the bibliography science sector (existed until 2015), where famous bibliographic scholars V.A. Fokeev and B.A. Semenovker worked. Within the framework of the sector, G.L. Levin researched on the problems of the national bibliography of Russia. Studies in bibliography science were also created by the other employees of the Department (S.P. Bavin, A.V. Teplitskaya). In 2001, there were resumed publication of the collection “Voprosy bibliografovedeniya” and the activity of the Dissertation Council, where seven dissertations on bibliographic topics were defended by the RSL employees. At present, both researchers and bibliographers of the Scientific Research Department of Bibliography carry out scientific research in parallel with the compilation activities. The authors of bibliographic publications are also employees of other scientific and library divisions of the Russian State Library. Of great importance is the activity of the Scientific Research Department of Bibliography on the information support of bibliographic science, such as creation of indexes of bibliographic literature and bibliographic production of libraries.

K. I. Abramov’s contribution to the development of the methodology of library history: historical reconstruction

The article is devoted to the contribution of the famous Russian specialist in library science K. I. Abramov to the methodology of library history, the author of almost 340 publications, of which two-thirds are devoted to history. The importance of his contribution to the development of source studies, historiography, archeography, and library history is emphasized. Based on the principle of historicism and methods of structural analysis, the historical reconstruction of the formation and development of his methodological views was carried out. The external conditions of his formation as a historian are analyzed. It is noted that the formation took place in difficult socio-political conditions. The main conclusions are as follows. The methodological views of K. I. Abramov were based on the relying on archival material, striving to improve the scientific character of historical research, overcoming the desire to reduce research to a superficial presentation and commentary on certain Leninist positions. With his participation, Lenin and Krupskaya’s works on library science were collected and published. At the same time, his worldview was characterized by a dogmatic attitude to Marxism and its methodology, an unconditional adherence to the leading quote, and a non-critical attitude to the statements of the classics of Marxism-Leninism. The Marxist-Leninist doctrine of culture and the library heritage of Lenin and Krupskaya served as a theory in Abramov’s works; the dominance of historical and pedagogical research, which is characterized by following the official interpretation of certain events, simplified presentation of historical processes and events, unambiguity of author’s judgments and assessments, avoiding halftones, exalting achievements while concealing mistakes and failures.The analysis also showed that in the 1990s, under the influence of socio-political changes and rejection of Marxism-Leninism, Abramov revised his attitude to the history of Soviet library construction. He began to focus on the theory of democracy, in the context of which libraries were seen as a vehicle for democracy, and the leading role in library construction was given to the public library movement. He puts forward the concept of democratic library science, which was formed in the period between the February and October revolutions and was rejected by the Bolsheviks.The significance of this study is associated with the generalization of Abramov’s methodological heritage aimed at developing the positive aspects of his methodology, as well as overcoming methodologically incorrect judgments about the history of Soviet library construction.

Historian of the Russian State Library. In Memory of L.M. Koval (1933—2020)

The article is devoted to the memory of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Koval (October 17, 1933 – February 15, 2020), historian, Head of the History sector of the Russian State Library (RSL) and the Museum of Library history. The author presents brief biographical information about L.M. Koval, the author of more than 350 scientific and popular scientific works in Russian and in 9 foreign languages. She published 29 books in Publishing houses “Nauka”, “Kniga”, “Letniy Sad”, ”Pashkov Dom”, most of the works are dedicated to the Library. Special place in the work of L.M. Koval is given to the Great Patriotic War theme. The article considers the works devoted to the activities of Library staff during the War period. L.M. Koval paid much attention to the study of activities of the Library’s Directors. She prepared books and articles about the Directors of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums and Library from the end of the 19th century and almost to the end of the 20th century: N.V. Isakov, D.S. Levshin, V.A. Dashkov, M.A. Venevitinov, I.V. Tsvetaev, V.D. Golitsyn, A.K. Vinogradov, V.I. Nevsky, N.M. Sikorsky. The author notes contribution of L.M. Koval to the study of the Library’s history. Specialists in the history of librarianship widely use bibliography of L.M. Koval in their research. The list of sources contains the main works of L.M. Koval, and the Appendix includes reviews of publications by L.M. Koval and the works about her.

Organization of Work of Volost Libraries and Village Libraries and Reading Rooms in the Districts of the Oryol Province in the First Years of Soviet Power

The article, based mainly on archival documents, considers the process of organizing the work of libraries in districts of the Orel province in the 1920s. Everywhere in towns and villages of the province, there were opened mass public peoples libraries, were created cultural and educational centres, village libraries and reading rooms, clubs, people’s houses and other cultural and educational institutions of new type. The author notes that during that period a lot of work was done in Oryol province to unite libraries into a single network. The article shows that the main “cell” of library network in the village becomes the volost library. Village libraries and reading rooms created in each locality were “the primary focus of cultural and educational work”.Special attention is paid to the study of forms and methods of library services to the population in the volost libraries and village libraries and reading rooms in the 1920s. The political and educational activities of the volost libraries and village libraries and reading rooms were very diverse in the studied period. Taking into account the high level of illiteracy of the population of Oryol villages, libraries preferred active forms of “living word and work with a book”: loud reading, conversation, agitation staging, drama club, illustrative evening, etc. The author notes that special attention was paid to the organization of work with children in the volost library. It is important to understand that along with the common cultural development of the rural population, active propaganda work was carried out in order to solve the current political problems.The 1920s is a separate period of library history, which is interesting for understanding by the modern Russian library science. The author concludes that this material expands and complements the existing understanding in regional library science of the librarianship of the Oryol province of the post-revolutionary decade, proves its stabilizing nature, which laid the basis for mass library construction in the following decades.

Libraries for sociability, or libraries of reality? The purpose of British subscription and circulating libraries

The private subscription and commercial circulating libraries of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England are frequently referred to by historians as ‘libraries for sociability’. But what is a ‘library for sociability’? Does holding card games in a library qualify? Under examination will be whether these kinds of lending libraries contained elements of ‘sociability’ at all or whether the phrase is just an academic conceit. This study will consider hard evidence, and therefore the name of Habermas will not be mentioned. Circulating libraries in popular holiday resorts in particular will be examined as well as the careers of certain individual librarians who aspired to attract the nobility and gentry. Were they really librarians or booksellers or perhaps just fancy goods salesmen? And how did a gang of bank robbers come to be connected to a ‘library for sociability’? How are an Edinburgh mugger and a pair of duellists connected to library history? These and other questions may or may not be answered.