Published: November 12, 2024 by Nicole Azof

The San José State University iSchool presented a symposium on October 18, 2023 about Rural Libraries of Ukraine during the Ongoing War.

Dr. Chow introduces this symposium as a discussion about how the role of libraries is playing in supporting and sustaining the Ukrainian people. He and Dr. Ulia Gosart introduced and welcomed keynote speakers and panelists, Svitlana Kravchenko, the keynote speaker, and panelists Maryna Sokolova, Liudmyla Diadyk, and Tetiana Svatula.

Translation is provided by Oleksii Deikun, Assistant at the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation from English. Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Provides Ukrainian and English translations throughout the symposium. 

The Keynote Speaker is Svitlana Kravchenko, Head of Scientific and Methodological Department, Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine presenting “Challenges of the New Reality”. 

At the start of the presentation, Kravchenko states how many Ukrainian people fought in the ongoing war against Russia. 

“We will always remember those people who have given the most precious thing, their lives, for the independence and freedom of Ukraine. The most precious thing for us is humans’ life, and the most precious is people themselves.”
– Svitlana Kravchenko, Head of Scientific and Methodological Department, Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine

She then mentions how Ukraine’s population has decreased since the start of the war, with more than 5.2 million people leaving since the war began. 

Since 2013, there has been a decrease in public library systems, especially rural libraries. The war with Russia has also contributed to this continuous decrease of libraries. Since the full scale Russian invasion, the fall of the libraries has been more than 2,000. The Yaroslav Mudry National Library of Ukraine monitors the loss of any other public libraries. 110 public libraries were completely destroyed and more than 300 libraries have been damaged and need repairs. 155 libraries have also lost material and technical resources while 200 partially lost. 116 libraries have also completely lost library collections, more than 300 only lost partial. More than 2,000 people were forced to stop working. Other staff members had their contracts terminated or suspended, or ended up on unpaid leave. 

The main challenge for rural libraries right now is the war, and working conditions have grown difficult because of this. Organization of library collections is difficult. No funding or maintenance. Libraries lack heat in the winter, constant blackouts. Despite the difficulties, libraries remain open to help anyone in their community. “Libraries often become points of resilience in communities.” 

Libraries provide not just shelter but “psychological support” for those who suffer through pain during the war. The rural library is also the “cultural center” of the village,” bringing together active citizens and locals. Rural librarians have also recorded, collected, and stored the contemporary and local information histories of their communities. “Memories of being under occupation, stories of veterans, and impressions of immigrants have been added to the topics of current local history,” Kravchenko added, since “Libraries are the place to find information about local traditions.”  

Future challenges rural libraries may face due to ongoing war are: lack of specialists in the market since people fled the country, aging of staff since there is a lack of youthful staff in the library, which also means lowered salaries. Libraries are considered “non-priority” by the government since they focus on fundings for military and security, and so meeting the needs of users and readers in the community has become a challenge. 

Ukrainian Librarians ultimately work hard to meet the needs of their community, providing help and support in any way they can.

The first panellist to present is Maryna Sokolova, Head of the City Library Branch for Children, No. 1 of the Boyarka Public Library, Kyiv region. Presenting “The State of Rural Libraries in the Boyarka Community.” 

The Boyarka Public Library unfortunately stopped their activities as soon as the full-scale invasion started, in an effort to protect the health and lives of their employees. 

In April 2022, they were able to reopen their doors. “Reading and books have a tremendous impact on boosting the morale of our fellow citizens.” 

The library became a place for moral support during the time of war. Even in times when power went out, librarians provided flashlights for users to find books. There was a lack of available books that actually met the needs of users and the need for books written in the Ukrainian language increased greatly. 

Small, rural libraries lack a proper number of books and need to update collections with more contemporary literature by Ukrainian and foreign authors. Municipal libraries are usually prioritized more since they serve a larger number of residents, meaning collections are larger, but rural libraries are barely left with any literature at all. Boyarka Public Library is a top priority library since it serves residents from the community as a whole. 

The Boyarka community has 4 rural library branches: 

The Malutianka village is located within a museum visitors often went to. They wish to fill the collection with Ukrainian and foreign literature, and contemporary works by Ukrainian authors. The shortage of books studied in the school curriculum is also a problem. Demand for certain genres such as fiction, historical, and detective as well as younger readers wanting comic books, children’s detective stories and books written in English. 

The library’s collection in Knijichi village also contains outdated worn out literature from the Soviet period, and has readers requesting for more fiction books of various genres.  Educational material such as encyclopedias for primary school students are also lacking. 

The library in Novosikli village has a very poor library collection to the point where there is little choice in what to read, thus losing visiting readers. Ultimately, the library’s collection has nothing new to offer.  

The library’s collection in Pereviz village is one of many rural libraries that needs to be updated. At this time, it is currently under renovation. Along with needing new books, this library is in need of new furniture. 

All these rural libraries share a common factor in needing updated library collections, more books of various genres for children to read, more works about Ukrainian literature and authors along with other foreign authors. 

The second presentation is given by Liudmyla Diadyk. Director, Taras Shevchenko, Regional Library of Cherkasy, Presenting “Rural Libraries of Cherkasy Region: Community Assistance and Present-Day Challenges.” 

In the Cherkasy region, rural libraries are run by territorial communities, who decide how libraries will operate and function. Libraries operating during wartime were centered around giving public support while also having to worry about security and financial support. 

Leaders in the Cherkasy region realized libraries were important in supporting communities during the war. “After all, today public libraries are practically the only publicly accessible support space where one can get free traditional information services, free internet, as well as legal and psychological support,” Diadyk included. 

On top of providing shelter for people during air raids, libraries continued providing education, activities, and a volunteer center as military operations continue. Libraries in the countryside continued volunteering activities such as teaching people how to use the internet, computers, and cell phones, while Rural libraries provided digital education. 

Valentina Kolesnikova, head of the public library in Irkliiv community of Zolotonosha district, united community residents and farmers since the start of the full-scale invasion to create a public organization and help the armed forces of Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid. 

Rural libraries in Cherkasy village have limited fundings, sufficient salaries, and logistical support. Poor acquisitions to the library collections, and coal and heat premises. 

“They act as a champion of the public’s right to access information and remain centers of preservation of natural culture, folk traditions and customs, and the history of their village.” Diadyk then presents a video about the work of several rural libraries in Cherkasy region.

The last presentation was created by Tetiana Svatula, Head of Scientific and Methodological Department, Oles Honchar Regional Universal Scientific Library of Kherson, Kherson region. Presenting “Rural Libraries of Kherson Region during Occupation and De-occupation: Repercussions and Challenges.”

Dr. Gosart introduces the final presentation by Tetiana Svatula, who was not able to attend. Dr. Gosart and Oleksii give her presentation in her absence. 

Public Libraries in the Kherson region remain to be powerful educational and information centers. They have even continued to work on upgrading library space.  “Libraries have done a lot of work to strengthen Ukrainian identity, promote Ukrainian culture and history,” Svatula wrote.

Libraries work on establishing activities about digital education for people of their communities and help them master foreign digital technologies, using any digital services provided by state and financial institutions. 

Employees at rural libraries were always training to improve skills at their regional training center. Little before the invasion, employees at the center hosted a 3 day training for future trainers. Examples of training projects such as “Women as Leader in Digital Space,” and the project “Libraries as Educational Hubs” which was calling proposals to strengthen “community resilience” in the Kherson region, which involves libraries in the Velyka Oleksandrivka, Skadovsk, and Verkhnii Rohachyk territorial communities. 

In this ongoing war, the Russian military stationed themselves in Rural libraries. Occupadors turned the library into “dumping grounds” where trash like empty bottles of alcohol and broken furniture were found. Book collections have mostly been destroyed. And modern technologies such as computers and dvds were stolen, crafts missing. 

In March 2022, Kherson region went under occupation,resulting in the closing of   businesses and social institutions. The need for volunteers increased as humanitarian aid was being brought to homes and food distribution for people who needed cooked meals for families. 

On November 11, 2022, Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the right bank Kherson region from a Russian occupation. Area has been under constant mortar artillery and MLRS shelling, bombing, causing the destruction of many libraries in the Kherson region. 

Most of these rural libraries have lost resources. Publications in the Ukrainian language were completely or partially destroyed and many rural librarians lost out on work due to the mass destruction. The destruction of Ukrainian publications and libraries is a sign of “cultural and ethnographic genocide.” 

Restoration is challenging due to the economy. No jobs, housing, limited budgeting. Rural libraries are, however, trying to continue regular library activities despite destruction. Libraries worked on getting Ukrainian literature through Ukrainian campaigns, and by collecting publications for libraries in the de-occupied Kherson region. These libraries become a center for communication, psychological and emotional support for residents in the community. 

One way these libraries continued their services was carried out by Oles Honchar Regional Universal Scientific Library, using a bibliomobile, a mobile car under contract and support from financial authorities. 

Another way to provide efficient service to the community is training for the library staff. The key and challenge is to organize the training for people coming to work for libraries. The status of professional and rural library staff have decreased, due to the lack of regional training courses for cultural workers and the inability to organize in person training at the Regional Training center of Oles Honchar Library. 

Organizing distance learning means at least one community library needs to have a laptop. The training center however lacks a laptop since it was stolen during occupation. 

The librarians of the Kherson region are working hard to provide the best services they can despite mass destruction.

Dr. Gosart’s closing remarks: Thanks everyone who attended the symposium. They will continue working on their fundraiser and book wishlists. Contact Dr. Gosart if you would like to adopt a village library or help in any other way. 

Dr. Chow’s closing remarks: Recognizes the courage and bravery of all the Ukrainian libraries and librarians who came today. The iSchool will work with Dr. Gosart to help raise funds for Ukrainian libraries. The cognitive and literacy development of Ukrainian children (closely connected to their futures) is at stake during the ongoing war. Dr. Chow thanks everyone again for joining them for the symposium. 

Best library practices taken away from the symposium 

1. Help Ukrainian voices and perspectives be heard.
2. Seek out ways to work with individual libraries and librarians in order to help respond to community needs. 
3. Continue to reassess our roles as information professionals and library stewards in the contemporary world. 

Additional resources from this symposium:

Looking to Libraries for Resilience: stories of support in Ukraine and beyond – IFLA

Access the full symposium:

• Watch the video on YouTube
• Read the transcript (DOCX)