Scientific library of SSU. History March 30th, 2016
An object of cultural heritage, a building that was widely circulated in Soviet times on postcards and depicted in many photographs. Until I was inside, I didn’t understand why so much attention was paid to it. But let's start with his story.
The building of the zonal scientific library of SSU. 1986
The plan for the development of the university campus, proposed by Karl Ludwigovich Mufke in 1910, included the building of a fundamental library. However, before the revolution, construction of this facility never began. According to the drawings, the basement floor of the library was planned for household needs, specialized operational work was carried out on the first floor, and the second floor with double-height ceilings was occupied by the main library hall. Marble columns and antique statues were planned in the hall. The third floor, in a picturesque manner, is the employees’ workrooms. But the project approved by the construction commission was not implemented.
Interior of the fundamental library. Drawing by K.L. Müfke.
But this does not mean that the university did not have a library then. The existence of such an educational institution without a scientific library is impossible. And it appeared in the same year when the university began its work. At the end of 1909, the library's collection amounted to 1,553 titles in 2,658 volumes. The bulk of the fund was made up of gifts from faculty and individuals. For example, the Partsevskys from Moscow sent 10 boxes of books with 1,668 volumes and one box of surgical instruments to Saratov by train.
On October 27, 1909, the library was opened in the one-story house of the merchant Zamotkin, which was located on the corner of Nikolskaya and Bolshaya Sergievskaya streets (the intersection of Radishchev and Chernyshevsky).
The first library building.
Then this was more than justified, because across the road from this house there was a building of a paramedic school, where most of the university students’ classes took place while its own buildings were being built.
Literature was given to students for 1-2 days and only upon a written request from the professor; magazines were not given at home; reading them was allowed in the office of the university librarian for 1-2 hours a day on the recommendation of the professor.
Very soon there was not enough space for books, since in addition to the library, there was also a university office in the one-story house. Therefore, on August 4, 1910, the library moved to the house of the Diocesan Department on Bolshaya Sergievskaya Street No. 147 (now Chernyshevsky Street) and occupied 4 rooms on the first floor.
Second library building.
But that didn't help either. Within a year, the premises of the building ceased to meet library needs. The Library's collection at the end of 1910 amounted to 9,599 titles in the amount of 18,554 volumes. The Chairman of the University Library Commission, Professor I. A. Chuevsky, raises before the University Council the question of the need to build its own building for the University Library.
By the end of 1912, the library fund already amounted to 15,073 titles in the amount of 28,518 volumes. Member of the State Council, Acting Privy Councilor M. N. Galkin-Vrasky (Saratov governor in 1870-1879) donates his personal library. It includes rare foreign books and colorful Russian publications. There are copies with the author's signatures of V. A. Vereshchagin, Y. P. Polonsky, A. P. Chekhov.
At the beginning of 1914, the library moved to the newly built Physics Institute (III building of the university) on Moskovskaya Square, where it was allocated 6 rooms in the southern half of the second and third floors.
She had to exist in such cramped conditions for quite a long time. The issue of constructing a separate building for the library has been raised more than once. There were petitions for the transfer of various buildings nearby to the use of the library. In particular, the petitions dealt with the prison building on Astrakhanskaya and the buildings of the old barracks on Kazrmennaya (now Universitetskaya).
In 1923 (?), the university architect Karl Ludwigovich Mufke drew up a project for the completion and reconstruction of the Maminsky Church building into the fundamental library of the university.
However, it was not implemented. Mother's Church, and on its foundation.
In May-June 1928, K.L. Mufke and G.Yu. Manns developed technical specifications for the preparation of a preliminary design for a separate building of the FB SSU. In May 1929 the project was presented. At the corner of Leninskaya (now Moskovskaya) and Universitetskaya streets it was planned to build a building in the then fashionable constructivist style.
The design of the fundamental library building from 1929 by K.L. Müfke.
At the beginning of 1924, by decision of the Board of the University of the FB SSU, additional premises were allocated in the I and II buildings of the University, where library points and reading rooms were organized.
In 1938, the library's collection exceeded 1 million copies.
In 1946-1956, the library was allocated additional space in the building of the former 2nd Men's Gymnasium on the corner of Moskovskaya and Pugachevskaya streets (now secondary school No. 67). The main reading room was located here.
And only in 1957 the scientific library acquired its own building, built according to the design of architects D.F. Friedman and S.V. Istomina. The building was built in a classical style and was in harmony with the adjacent university buildings. If you look at the building from above, it resembles the shape of an open book, where “pages” diverge from the round halls at an angle of 90 degrees.
This event would not have happened if it were not for the personality of the director of the Scientific Library of SSU. Vera Aleksandrovna Artisevich headed the library for an unprecedentedly long period of time - from 1931 to 1999. In 1947, the development of the library building project began, in which she was directly involved. The project was redone more than a dozen times, and it was recommended to get rid of the abundance of “external decorations.” And in 1950, construction of the library began, which lasted 7 years.
Construction of the library. 1952
Vera Alexandrovna made a huge contribution to librarianship not only in Saratov, but throughout the Soviet Union, making the SSU Scientific Library one of the largest book repositories in the country. In 1969, the library received Zonal status - responsible for the work of all scientific libraries in the vast territory of the southeast of the European part of the USSR.
In 1999, after the death of Vera Aleksandrovna Artisevich, the library was named after her, and in 2000 a memorial plaque was unveiled on the building.
Memorial plaque
The total area of the library is 10,897 sq.m., there are 908 seats in 14 reading rooms and a media room, 116 computers. There are about 20 departments. The interiors of the library are no less impressive than the exterior! Stucco molding, columns, chandeliers, statues, parquet. Everything is done in the best traditions of Stalinist architecture.
Today the library's collection numbers more than 3.2 million items. The department of rare books and manuscripts accounts for more than 50 thousand copies. These are books of not only local or Russian, but also global significance, dating back even to the 15th century. There are signatures of famous writers and autographs of such historical figures as Catherine II, Napoleon Bonaparte.
But more about this in the next post, in which we will look inside the library.
Used:
1. Davydov V.I., Semenov V.S. “Saratov Historical and Architectural”, 2nd ed., S.: 2012
2. Website “Photos of old Saratov (oldsaratov.ru)
3. Blog of Denis Zhabkin. (
Everyone who happened to study at Saratov State University named after. N.G. Chernyshevsky, at least once visited this building at the intersection of Moskovskaya and Universitetskaya. My studies began and ended here. Here I wrote my introductory essay and here I spent long hours preparing to defend my thesis.
And now, years later, thanks to the club “Not Far Away,” we again managed to return to the walls of this majestic building, which stores knowledge consisting of billions of letters and millions of books - the Zonal Scientific Library named after. V.A. Artisevich Saratov State University
However, the amount of stucco in the building is enormous on all floors, and this is not at all surprising. The development of the project and construction of the building that the library occupies today took place in the late forties - the first half of the fifties of the last century, when the “Stalinist Empire style” was present in the architecture. This is what the library lobby looks like, for example:
Some details
Before this, the library, the decision to create which was made back in 1909, was literally huddled in different rooms. First she placed in one room of the house of the merchant Zamotkin at Nikolskaya St., no. 1. Today this is the street. Radishchev, but the building itself has not survived
While literature for students was issued for only 1-2 days and only upon a written application from the professor; magazines were not delivered to home at allwere issued, their reading was allowed in the office of the university librarian for 1-2 hours a day, also on the recommendation of the professor.
By the way, the book listed under inventory number 1 in the library collections was the dictionary of Brogkaus and Efron
On August 4, 1910, the Library moved to a small two-story house of the diocesan department on Sergievskaya Street No. 147 (now Chernyshevsky Street) and occupied This house has 4 rooms on the first floor. The university office was temporarily located on the second floor. As stated in the report on the state and activities of the Imperial Nikolaev Saratov University for 1910, 691 rubles 98 kopecks were spent on cabinets, chairs, one sofa and other necessary items, so “in general, 1193 rubles are currently spent on furnishing the library premises 53 kopecks."
The library had to move again in 1914. Now on campus - in building of the newly built Physics Institute of Saratov University onMoskovskaya Square (third building of SSU). During the move, 6 rooms, a corridor and some other premises of the building were allocated.Subsequently the library occupied
the entire third floor, attics and other rooms, adapting them for various library purposes. It was in these premises that the library settled for many years.
In the mid-thirties, the reading rooms, which were located, among other things, in the faculties of history and chemistry, could accommodate only 163 visitors. There weren't enough places that additional had to be organized in the lobby and corridor of the academic building. There was no place to house all the expanding book collections. But by the end of 1936, the library’s book depositories already numbered just over a million copies of various publications.
The question of constructing a separate building has been raised more than once over several decades. It was first brought before the University Council in 1911 by the chairman of the University Library Commission, Professor I. A. Chuevsky.
In 1914 it was introducedsketch design of a building for a two and a half library floors. He was prepared architect-builder K. L. Muefkeat the proposal of the Library Commission and the decision of the University Council. However, due towartime implementation of this project was postponed 
The next time the issue of a new building was thoroughly returned to in the twenties. The new project was also developed by Müfke. The plan for the new building was presented to the Library Council in May 1929. But it was not destined to come true.
Only after the end of World War II did the question of constructing a separate building for the library move forward. In the first half of 1947, preparatory work began for future possible construction. The city department of architecture of the City Council, in agreement with the University, allocated areas on the campus for future development. Next year The USSR Ministry of Higher Education wasa draft design for the new building of the Scientific Library of SSU was prepared and adopted.
Throughout 1949, the project was refined. RThe head of the project group, architect D.F. Fridman, and the project architect, S.V. Istomin, carefully considered all the proposals and comments of the library director V.A. Artisevich, therefore, due to technological improvements, the project was reworked 15 times.
Finally, On December 31, 1949, after a series of working meetings and consultations in the Directorate for Architectural Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the project for the construction of the building of the National Library of the SSU was approved. The construction of the building was included in the title of civil works for 1950, and allocated the necessary funds for this.
Not only the builders, but also the workers themselves took part in digging the foundation pit. The library archives contain photographs in which director V.A. Artisevich takes part in excavation work together with employees who are not busy with their official duties that day
Laying the foundation of the building of the National Library of SSU (1950). Photo from here
By the end of 1951, the ground and first floors were completed, in 1952-53 the third floor and the walls of the fourth were erected, and in 1954 the roof of the building was completed.
Construction of the third floor of the building of the National Library of SSU
Thanks to the support of MP and Deputy Minister of Higher Education of the USSR M.A. Prokofiev, by order of Minister V.P. Elyutin, the construction of the National Library of SSU for 1955 is included in the list of the most important construction projects in the country with the prospect of increasing funding.
In the same year, part of the electrical fittings and equipment (chandeliers, sconces, pendants, floor lamps) manufactured in the workshops of the USSR Art Fund was brought to Saratov. H drawings of library equipmentFor the internal structure of the librarywere developedwith the support of the Kyiv Library named after the CPSU. Furniture factories in Saratov were directly involved in the production of library furniture (tables, chairs, cabinets, exhibition stands and library counters). Some of this furniture can still be found in the library building.
Either the year or the inventory number
On January 22, 1956, the departmental commission accepted the entire first section of the building of the National Library of SSU. In the same year, the first departments began moving to new premises. The process of transferring publications and various materials continued for two whole years. The transfer of the library's main book stock was carried out using a cart on rope cables, which was moved using a hand winch from the window of the third building to the window of the new building.
The complete transfer and placement of all library departments in the new building of the National Library of SSU was completed in January-February 1958.
Today the library has 12 reading rooms, which can accommodate more than 900 readers at a time. In total, according to data for 2012, a single library card was23,184 people. The library's holdings are simply huge and amount to more than 3 million copies.
Of course, today reading rooms are not as popular as they were a couple of decades ago. But, as they say in the library, its book depositories contain something that cannot be found on the Internet. And by the second year, students understand this.
Next time we'll walk through some of the halls of science.
University Library Online
Electronic library system (ELS)“ University library online» . EBS specializes in educational and scientific literature for higher and secondary vocational education and fully complies with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for Higher Education regarding the formation of funds of basic and additional literature. Syktyvkar State University has access to publications included in base part EBS. The resource is available on the university network and from home computers using a login and password after mandatory registration.
Juright
Student Advisor
Electronic library system " Student Advisor» offers textbooks for higher medical and pharmacological education. The resource is available on the university network and from home computers using a login and password after mandatory registration. Registration information can be obtained from the Institute of Natural Sciences Library Services Department.
IVIS
Universal databases of electronic periodicals: “Bulletin of Moscow State University”, “Bulletin of St. Petersburg State University”, “Individual publications” of IVIS LLC. Access at http://dlib.eastview.com.
Grebennikon
Electronic library of periodicals on marketing, management, finance and personnel management. Access at http://grebennikon.ru/.
Scientific electronic library eLIBRARY.RU
eLIBRARY.RU is the largest electronic library of scientific publications in Russia, with rich capabilities for searching and obtaining information. Today, eLIBRARY.RU subscribers have access to full-text versions of about 4,000 foreign and 3,900 domestic scientific journals, abstracts of publications in almost 20 thousand journals, as well as descriptions of one and a half million foreign and Russian dissertations.
Scientific electronic library CyberLeninka
CyberLeninka is an open access scientific electronic library (Open Access), the main objectives of which are the popularization of science and scientific activity, public control of the quality of scientific publications, the development of interdisciplinary research, a modern institute of scientific review and increasing the citation of Russian science. CyberLeninka is built on the basis of the Open Science paradigm.
Springer Scientific Publications Database
Syktyvkar University has access to a database of scientific publications Springer. On the university’s local network you can access archival and current materials from the following electronic collections:
- Springer Journals(http://link.springer.com/) Full-text collection of Springer electronic journals in various fields of knowledge.
- Springer Protocols(http://www.springerprotocols.com/) A collection of scientific protocols in various fields of knowledge Springer Protocols.
- Springer Materials(http://materials.springer.com/) Springer Materials Collection of Physical Sciences and Engineering Research Materials (The Landolt-Bornstein Database)
- zbMATH (
