Model Libraries: Historical Outline of the Project

The article presents the history of interaction between the government authorities and the library and information sector in the project of development of municipal libraries. The project resulted in the “model libraries”. The project has been operating since the early 2000s. The purpose of the article is to reveal the implementation and analyse the support at the level of federal and regional government management of the program until 2018 (the start of work within the frames of the National project “Culture”). The author presents periodization of the project, as well as quantitative characteristics and approaches to the understanding the concept of “model library”.

Model library is a public library of municipal level that has standard and optimal set of material and information resources. At the same time, there is no approved definition of this phenomenon. It is assumed that the model rural library in its functions, content and equipment meets international and domestic standards and serves as a model for other institutions. The “model” indicators are reflected in the “Model Standard for Public Library Services”.

The project on creation of model libraries on the basis of municipal public libraries in rural areas of Russia started in 2002 with the emergence of the all-Russian project “Creation of model public libraries in rural areas”. Since 2012, funding under the federal target program “Culture of Russia (2012—2018)” is carried out in the form of subsidies allocated on a competitive basis. The project became a “catalyst” for modernization processes in rural libraries of Russian regions. The transformation program included the following stages: repair and equipment of the library premises; acquisition of books and electronic publications; conducting training seminars for staff. The rural model library targeted the goals of ensuring equal and free access to information, creation of a comfortable library space, etc.

After the approval of the “Model Standard for Public Library Services” (2014), it was decided to test its feasibility by creating so-called “pilot libraries of a new type”. According to this document, model libraries are intellectual centres equipped with high speed Internet, access to modern domestic information resources, which should provide access points to the National Electronic Library.

The regional leaders in creation of model libraries are the Republic of Chuvashia, the Belgorod Region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Kursk Region and the Republic of Mari El. As of January 1, 2019, there were 3,310 model libraries operating in the country. The creation of model municipal libraries has become one of the departmental projects of the National project “Culture”.

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