Changes “by the book”

Den/The Day constantly publishes inspiring stories from the east of Ukraine – both about the individuals and the organizations working in difficult conditions. This time we have talked to the director of Sloviansk Central Library, Larysa Mamedova.

The library building on Revolution Square is well known to the townspeople – it has become a fountainhead for cultural renaissance and social communication, especially in the past two years. Not just for locals – during a long conversation with The Day’s reporter, the director received a lengthy call from Donetsk, in which she was told that the caller wanted to visit the library and donate books to it. As a donation on our behalf, we left the publications from Den’s Library – Ukraine Incognita, and the modern history trilogy: “The Trap,” or a Case without the Statute of Limitations; I, an Eyewitness. Notes from the Occupied Luhansk; Catastrophe and Triumph. The Stories of Ukrainian Heroes. Larysa Mamedova, director of the Central Library of Sloviansk, told us in the interview about how the institution had survived the occupation and the role it has chosen today.

“DURING THE OCCUPATION, LIBRARIANS WERE A KIND OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS”

How did the library survive April-July of 2014?

“During the occupation, the terrorists occupied the library in early June and located their so-called ‘humanitarian staff’ here. I left the city, and I told every employee that we had shut down and they should not come to the library, as it would be dangerous to resume operation. But I was forced to open it, because the terrorists said that otherwise they would break the door and take the premise by force. One of the employees, Larysa Hryhorivna, continued to work, and she had opened and closed the library till the last day of the occupation – and thus we had not surrendered the control of it to the terrorists. Interestingly, people came as much for books as for a simple talk – to cope with their fears. So, librarians acted as a kind of psychotherapists.

“The windows on the first floor and in the reading room were shattered by shells. And it is not true that the bombardment came from the Ukrainian side, because in that case the shelling would have affected other buildings in the area, which covered the library. One day, as Larysa was sitting in the library collection room, a projectile flew past her, piercing a window, a metal shelf and three books. Not only the central office was damaged, but local branches as well – mostly the windows were broken. The most annoying thing is that we had lost almost all office equipment. In 2011 a grant program allowed us to purchase 15 computers. During the war they disappeared from the basement.”

Did you use the city budget funds to restore the library?

“No, we used the money from our special account – otherwise we would still be waiting for them. Also, we got some help from volunteers and charitable funds. All the work was done before winter.”

“WE ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITIES THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE TIME FOR”

What is the secret of success and of the large library attendance? What do you see as the most pressing challenges of the post-occupation time?

“A library, in the classic sense of the word, the one which we have been accustomed to throughout the 20th century, is now becoming obsolete. Worldwide libraries are faced with the fact that the reader base becomes smaller, and it is particularly evident in Ukraine. On the one hand, we have the Internet and the electronic books, on the other – people are more preoccupied with survival rather than reading. In addition, the libraries receive almost no funding. How can they respond to people who want to find something new and contemporary to read?

“This year, the funds were allocated for our library only for periodicals – that amounts to 11,000 hryvnias. Compared to the neighboring Kramatorsk, the library there received 140,000 hryvnias for the purchase of books and another 100,000 for periodicals. This situation has always been like that. So we went through participation in grant programs. As all the computers were stolen during the occupation, the US Embassy has provided a grant to four computers and a projector, which was very timely. With their help, we also launched the ‘Window to America,’ a comfortable reading space with quality English books, free of charge English-speaking groups, trainings, and roundtables. Now we are negotiating with the Department of English at the local university in order to buy the necessary books for the students.

“Our librarians organize on their own the courses on computer literacy, because not everyone in Sloviansk is able to use the Internet and a computer. This includes internally displaced persons and certain categories of our older residents – for the latter we are also working on the project ‘University of the third generation.’ We see the library’s task in performing certain functions, which the state does not have time for, so that our community lives better.

“For example, there are many IDPs in Sloviansk, and if they need to travel to the occupied zone, a significant problem arises in receiving the permit. The library does not only provide computers to apply for the permit, but also aims to assist in filling the forms. We took part in the project for the employment of IDPs – the librarians conducted a series of trainings on how to find a job, to write curriculum vitae. We have a computer specifically for those looking for work.

“Now we are making many projects – the ‘Living Book’ with police officers, when they talk about themselves; the project ‘United by Creativity’ of the International Organization for Migration, which involves IDPs, we hold exhibitions for their art. But there are drawbacks – the lack of repair, of proper lighting, of the album stands. We want to receive the necessary equipment, because people of Sloviansk, displaced persons are drawn to art and aspire to show themselves. That library aims to assist in work, in school tasks, in searching for job. This helped to significantly increase the number of people coming to the library.”

“For two and a half years, volunteers have been working in the library – the team of Glorious Girls, as they call themselves. They weave camouflage nets for the ATO soldiers – they come every day whenever possible. They made countless nets and packed countless parcels for the frontline. The group has about 30 people in total. Regularly we see an elderly man coming to donate 100 hryvnias from his freshly received pension to the frontline effort. All of us seek to help in some way.”

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO STOP THE OUTFLOW OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE CITY”

Do you think the mood in Sloviansk has changed after the occupation? Has the social activity increased?

“Of course, there are changes. The important thing for us is that the library is changing, we are changing, and we strive to change the situation around us for the better. I remember a quote from my favorite book The Little Prince: ‘After you wake up in the morning – clean your planet.’ Every change starts small. I wouldn’t dare say for the entire Sloviansk, but there are many NGOs emerging, I see many citizens become active. Volunteers seek concrete steps to transform the city, they are making positive things. And they do not want any reward for that – it is a change in consciousness.”

How to make this movement grow?

“It is necessary to solve social issues. When people have nowhere to live, when they have been wandering for the two past years, as many IDPs have been, it is difficult to think of something positive. It is important to support our own citizens, otherwise where would they take the belief in Ukraine? The second thing is to create jobs so that people can express themselves, find their calling. It is important to stop the outflow of young people from the city, and then the changes will come soon.”