Members of Council for Culture and Arts under Volgograd Regional Duma: Volgograd libraries are to be preserved

Participants of the Council for Culture and Arts under the Volgograd Regional Duma note the need to maintain libraries in Volgograd and the lack of urban programme for their optimization.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier, the Volgograd authorities announced the plans to consolidate libraries by closing a number of their branches. On February 16 and 23, solo pickets against the above measure were held in the city.

Nina Shashko, Director of the Volgograd Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Maxim Gorky, has declared inadmissibility of closing the libraries in Volgograd. "Libraries are the only free institutions. They primarily work for vulnerable people who cannot buy books or subscribe to newspapers and magazines," she has explained.

Viktor Gepfner, Minister of Culture of the Volgograd Region, has emphasized that the Volgograd Region also conducts the process of optimizing the libraries; however, the libraries never leave their premises.

According to him, "in Volgograd, we observe that the funds that are taken out of the libraries go to some unknown destination." "Should there be a commission, which would examine the funds for presence of rare books and materials, then, it would be understandable. And at present, the libraries are cut on an emotional explosion. In any case, it should not be done," states the Minister.