Straipsnyje nagrinėjama Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Vrublevskių bibliotekos (tuomet – Lietuvos
TSR mokslų akademijos bibliotekos) 1950–1960 m. skaitytojų „Pageidavimų knyga“, kurioje atsiskleidžia
to meto skaitytojų poreikiai ir lūkesčiai, jų aptarnavimo ir darbo Bibliotekoje vertinimas.
The main and most important function of a modern library is the provision of the reader (user) services,
therefore the dialogue between the library and its readers becomes progressively more significant. Even back
in the early Soviet time period, the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (then the
Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR) sought to receive feedback from its readers in
order to learn more about the readers’ needs and expectations and to respond to them appropriately. The
article analyzes the “Book of Suggestions” containing readers’ feedback from 1950–1960. This A4 format
notebook consists of 10 folia filled with handwriting and contains 56 suggestions, complaints and notes of
thanks written in Lithuanian and Russian (the latter comprise a third of all the inscriptions). Based primarily
on this source, the article aims to look at the Library with the eyes of its readers in 1950–1960: to provide
insights into their expectations and needs, and to find out how they evaluated reader services and what they
deem important in the Library.
The analysis of the “Book of Suggestions” and other sources shows that the Library was open to feedback,
while the “Book”, being instrumental in finding out readers’ needs and expectations, became one
of the ways to achieve dialogue between the Library and the reading community. The “Book of Suggestions”
throws light on technical (physical access) issues raised by the readers: insufficiency of heating,
quiet, and light; work routines of the cloakroom; neglect of the houseplants, etc. The arguments put forth
by the readers include such considerations as their health priorities and hygiene requirements. Other readers’
suggestions (mounting a public clock and a mirror, permission to leave coats and galoshes in the cloakroom)
throw a vivid light onto the everyday life of the Library and the scientific intelligentsia in the early
Soviet period. The “Book of Suggestions” contains even more wishes and concrete proposals regarding various
professional (intellectual access) issues, for example, the Library’s working hours or the organization of
the catalogue. In this way, regular readers influenced and formed the face of the Library. The Library not
only made effort to receive feedback, but also would respond to it and would comply with those wishes,
proposals and criticism, which were well-founded. This is shown by the responses by the staff of the Library
inscribed in the “Book of Suggestions”. In addition to the above-mentioned kind of messages, the Book contains
numerous praises of the Library, highly appreciated by the readers because of the quiet and coziness, the
copious collections, the new arrivals exhibition. The readers would thank the staff for the fast and polite service,
for the sensitive and pleasant attitude. Therefore, the “Book of Suggestions” not only gives insight into
the ever-changing readers’ needs, but also shows the care displayed by the Library towards its readers, the
efforts taken by the staff to provide the best conditions for their work.
