Some Facts About Libraries in the USSR: Impressions from a Recent Visit

Abstract

In the heart of Moscow, a few minutes' walk from the dark‐red walls and golden cupolas of the Kremlin, stand two buildings which immediately arrest attention. One is a graceful 18th century palace; the other, connected with it by a subterranean passage, symbolizes the present by its straight and soaring lines. About 400 miles away, in the centre of Leningrad, at the busy crossroads of the Nevski and Sadovaya Street, a whole corner is taken up by a white‐pillared, silver‐grey structure in classical style. These two widely differing blocks house the two principal State libraries of the USSR: the one bearing the name of Lenin in the capital, the other named after the famous writer Saltykov‐Shchedrin in the former metropolis. I have recently visited both and obtained some information on library matters in the Soviet Union.

Citation

GOTTLIEB, W.W. (1959), "Some Facts About Libraries in the USSR: Impressions from a Recent Visit", Library Review, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 98-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb012303