Libraries and ecology in post-soviet Russia

Abstract

In this case study of the ecological programs of the Bryansk Regional Public Library System, I used qualitative research methods including observation, interviews, and archival research. I collected data from 2002 to 2007 with the bulk of the data gathered in the summer and fall of 2006. The libraries in Bryansk have been working with ecological information and education since the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 and started a systematic program of ecological education in 1995. The types of ecological education activities that the libraries engage in range from the more traditional library activities such as developing collections, hosting seminars, and working with partners to much more hand-on activities such as taking field trips to nature preserves with library users and actually cleaning up the local stream or planting trees. Through these activities, libraries have become active participants in the ecological community in Bryansk.

Citation

Knutson, E.M. (2009), "Libraries and ecology in post-soviet Russia", Graves, W., Nyce, J.M., Golden, J. and Williams, D.E. (Ed.) Advances in Library Administration and Organization (Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Vol. 27), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 161-191. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-0671(2009)0000027014