Biblioteka-chital'nia kooperativa [Reading rooms for co-operative societies] by Orlov, N. A

Petrograd: Knigoizdatel'stvo kooperativnoi literatury Mysl', 1918. Octavo (21 × 14 cm). Original printed wrappers; 64 pp. Wrappers lightly stained; still a very good copy. Scarce guide on establishing and maintaining smaller libraries as part of local co-operative societies, which were popular through the Soviet Union in the 1910s and 1920s. The author posits the need to consider the spiritual needs, as well as political literacy, of Soviet workers. He outlines possible forms of reading rooms or lending libraries and gives answers questions such as how to organize and manage a library, the role of a librarian in workers' education, and ways of cultivating political consciousness. Also included are technical information on running a library, sample membership forms and catalog cards, information on book subscription and acquisition, and the financial aspect of librarianship. Also valuable is the extensive publisher's list, on five pages, of publications related both to the Socialist-Revolutionary (SR) movement and the cooperative movement. Scarce; not traced through KVK or OCLC.