Moldova celebrated the National Reading Day on February 14. The date coincides with the International Book Giving Day, as well as the birthday of poet Grigore Vieru, who would have turned 90 this year.
February marks the National Reading Campaign: the Ministry of Culture believes the initiative emphasizes the importance of reading as an essential skill for lifelong learning. National Reading Day aims to bring together educational and cultural institutions and private businesses to create a community of well-informed people. Therefore, virtually every library and bookstore in the country is included in the campaign.
This year, the National Reading Promotion Campaign “Let’s Read Together!” has been launched for the 14th time, and the third edition of the Open Book Project is also underway.
Promotion of books and reading has been the main activity of the Lomonosov Library of Russian Literature and Culture for more than 75 years. Presentation, interactive forms of events make reading and books attractive and relevant in the eyes of visitors of all ages.
Library Director Margarita Shchelchkova told about the programs related to book promotion. One of them is the traditional “Chişinăul citeşte” (“Chişinău reads”), a long-standing campaign of the Municipal Library named after B. P. Hasdeu, of which Lomonosovca is a branch. The main goal is to popularize national literary values, reading culture and to create a community of Chisinau readers. The program is designed for three categories: children, young people and adults, for whom every year the Municipal Library selects books by authors of the Republic who write in Romanian. The Lomonosov Library, whose readership is predominantly Russian-speaking, provides three books written in Russian for reading in this program.
“This year we have chosen the works of writers from the Association of Russian Writers of RM. These are the book “The Enchantress” by Natalia Rogatkina – for children, the story “My Daughter, My Sister” by Natalia Novohatnei for young people and “S Golden Fish” by Sergey Sulin for adults,” says Margarita Iurievna. – The books are read by a certain group of Lomonosovka users, then their presentations, meetings with the authors, and discussions are organized. Children from elementary schools read the book aloud with librarians, discuss its characters, draw illustrations to the work. And this great work is completed by reading conferences for each age group at the end of the year”.
There are also two reading clubs at the Lomonosov Library. The most famous is the oldest, more than half a century old, Universul booklovers’ club, which meets twice a month, on Sunday afternoons. Its members take a responsible approach to speeches, presenting thoroughly prepared reports on the literati, the year’s jubilees, and their works. The reports are compiled with the help of library books containing facts unfamiliar to the general public. A very informative format, we can say, exciting all who come to the club. And first of all, interesting to its “old-timers” – those participants who visit the club since the times of its management by the unforgettable Eugene Rozhko, who passed away. Now the club has a wonderful chairman – writer, member of the Russian Union of Journalists Anatoly Labunsky, several works of which have already been read by the readers of the library within the framework of this program.
The library takes the most direct part in the work of the club, providing an opportunity at each meeting to get acquainted with books from the Fiction Department.
The Book Club, a reading club that brings together mainly young people interested in contemporary literature, meets monthly at the library. Meetings are held in the form of discussions, the club is very popular and the number of its members is constantly increasing.
For about fifteen years the library has been running a literary and musical lounge “Elegy”, the “heroes” of which, in particular, are poets-jubilees of the month, both well-known to the public and not so venerable names of Russian and world literature. In addition, none of the literary events of the library can do without traditional exhibitions of art works from the library’s collections. The staff of Lomonosovka regularly posts informative reviews of books and novelties on its blog and Facebook account.
Thus, Lomonosovka promotes the “source of knowledge” in all aspects. Its staff does everything to make the library a truly cultural center. Readers know this and appreciate it.
List of the most popular books by contemporary authors, recommended for reading by authoritative writers (Compiled at the request of Logos Press by Alla Rudenko, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Theory of Literature, Faculty of Literature, Moscow State Linguistic University).
– Е. Vodolazkin: “The Aviator”, “Tool of Language. About People and Words”, “Chagin”;
– А. Volos: “Return to Panjrud”;
– A. Ivanov: “Vegetation”, “Tobol”;
– Ks. Burzhskaya: “Ways of Communication”;
– Guzel Yakhina: “Echelon to Samarkand”;
– З. Prilepin: “The Abode”;
– L. Yuzefovich: “Filallin”;
– A. Salnikov: “Indirectly”;
– M. Elizarov: “Pasternak”;
– В. Zalotukha: “Candle”;
– M. Tarkovsky: “Hike”.
