V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v24;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

LETTER TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT FOR EDUCATION

[February 1919]

To the People's Commissariat for Education.*

I request you to transmit to your library departments (both those of out-of-school education and of state libraries, etc.) the following supplementary considerations of mine on the question recently raised in the Council of People's Commissars, and to inform me of your (and the respective departments') conclusions on the matter.

The library cause, including, of course, "reading huts", all kinds of reading-rooms, etc., most of all requires the stimulation of emulation between the various gubernias, groups, reading-rooms, etc., etc.

The proper organisation of the reporting system, which the Council of People's Commissars has now demanded, should serve three purposes:

1) a truthful and complete information of both the Soviet government and all citizens on what is being done;

2) the drawing of the population itself into the work;

3) the stimulation of emulation among library workers.

For this purpose it is necessary immediately to work out such report forms and patterns as would meet these purposes.

In my opinion, the report forms should be prepared in the centre, then reprinted in the gubernias, and sent out

* At the top of the letter there is a pencil note by Lenin: "3 copies. Pokrovsky. Ed."

to all departments of public education and to all libraries, reading-rooms, clubs, etc.

In these forms there should be singled out (and printed, say, in bold type) those compulsory questions, failure to answer which would make the librarians, etc., liable to prosecution. And then to these compulsory answers should be added a great many optional answers (in the sense that failure to answer them does not necessarily entail prosecution).

The compulsory paragraphs of the form should include, for instance, the address of the library (or reading-room, etc.), the names of the librarian and of the members of the board with their addresses, the number of books and newspapers, the opening hours, etc. (for large libraries, also other data).

The optional paragraphs should include, in the form of questions, all the improvements introduced in Switzerland and America (and other countries), so that it would be possible to encourage (by awarding prizes of valuable books, sets, etc.) those who have introduced the greatest number of improvements and have carried them out best.

For instance: 1) can you prove by exact data the growth in the circulation of books in your library? or 2) the attendance at your reading-room? or 3) the exchange of books and newspapers with other libraries and reading-rooms? or 4) the compilation of a central catalogue? or 5) the use of Sundays? or 6) the use of evenings? or 7) the attraction of new sections of readers, women, children, non-Russians, etc.? or 8) the satisfaction you give to readers' inquiries? or 9) simple and practical methods of storing books and newspapers? their preservation? mechanical devices for reading and replacing? or 10) home delivery? or 11) simplification of guarantees for home delivery? or 12) sending by post?

etc.
etc.
etc.

Award prizes for the best reports and for successes achieved.

The reports of the Library Department of the People's Commissariat for Education must definitely inform the Council of People's Commissars how many reports are received monthly and what questions are answered; summaries.