Cultural and educational activities of libraries in the post-revolutionary city (the case of Saratov in 1917–1920)

The author examines the process of formation of the Soviet library system, in particular the functioning of local libraries. The author shows the dynamics of the development of libraries in the city of Saratov in the first post-revolutionary decade, highlights the problems and specificity of their formation: social orientation, funding. The attitude of the people to libraries is revealed, the analysis of the formation of demand for the culture of reading and reading activity is carried out. Particular attention is paid to the problem of ideological influence on the acquisition of library collections, the revision (cleansing) of the book composition. The desire of the Bolsheviks to use libraries to represent their power through the librarian activities associated with the new Soviet holidays is shown. The role of library staff is determined, their level of training, main task of the library employee is indicated – the conduct of cultural and propaganda activities.