Social characteristics of occupation in the sphere of culture and their influence on the project activity introduction (a case study of rural settlements of the Udmurt Republic)

The content of professional activity of employees in the sphere of culture is being transformed under the influence of changing requirements from both the local authorities and the public. The requirements for cultural institutions are designed to provide commercialization of their activity. Under these circumstances, employees try to use various forms of fundraising including federal and local grant programs. Staff of rural cultural institutions find themselves in a particularly difficult situation due to the lack of institutional and personal resources. The article aims to identify the ways of involvement of employees in rural cultural institutions in innovative forms of work, both with the local population and with tourists. Within the framework of the study, there was conducted a survey of employees of cultural institutions (N206). It has been found that staff of rural cultural institutions have social characteristics that impede the transition to innovative forms of activity. Those employees who are gradually involved in project activities prefer the role of a provider rather than an initiator. The main difficulty in innovative and market-oriented activities is connected with the generation of new ideas. The most qualified employees with a high level of education and professional experience play a crucial role in promotion of the new methods of work. Methodologists and department heads apply for funds and carry out the main part of the project activities. The ways of working with locals are characterized by rural specifics. On the one hand, contacts with other social institutions, such as local administrations and schools, are used efficiently. On the other hand, working people and small business are not sufficiently engaged in volunteering. Such help is mainly provided by low income groups, which leads to the contradiction between the values of education and profit.