Betty Ronayne

California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) is a leader in establishing cooperative education programs in the former Soviet Union. CSUS librarians are active participants in several of these projects. This article describes my three-week visit to Vladivostok in 1997 as part of a collaborative project initiated in 1996 and funded by a USIA grant through 1999.

Russia's first academic degree program in public administration was initiated by CSUS in collaboration with the Far Eastern State Technical University (FESTU) Department of World Politics and Law. FESTU, located in the port city of Vladivostok, has long been renowned for its scientific and technical programs, particularly in the maritime fields. The social sciences, however, were neglected in Russia throughout the Soviet era. There is no established tradition of respect for public service; consequently, few teaching models exist in Russia for such fields as law and public policy. Our innovative partner-ship with FESTU has as its centerpiece an exchange agreement that brings FESTU scholars to Sacramento where they observe the State legislative process in action and learn new teaching techniques . CSUS faculty visit FESTU as lecturers and consultants. The purpose of my trip was to assess the library and research support for faculty and students in the new public administration program.

Background

Vladivostok lies at the outermost edge of Russia's Far Eastern Frontier, sometimes referred to as "the end of Russia." This city of 650,000 clings to the hills that rim the Pacific coastline overlooking the Sea of Japan. Shipping, fishing, and manufacturing are Vladivostok‘s primary industries. With its museums, galleries, theaters, and libraries the city is also the cultural center of the Primorsky Region. It was not always so. During the Soviet period Vladivostok's strategic importance as headquarters of the Russian Navy kept it a closed city – so completely closed that it was even off limits to other Russians who lived outside the area. Surely libraries in such a regulated environment would be organized to restrict rather than to facilitate access. Nothing in my pre-departure research indicated otherwise, albeit most of the available information on Russian libraries has focused on the Moscow/St. Petersburg area, separated from Vladivostok by more than 6,000 miles and nine time zones.

Advocating for open-access proved unnecessary, however. Materials were freely available in open stacks; and from bibliographic instruction to user services, the three libraries I visited in Vladivostok were surprisingly similar to their American counterparts. Although the MLS degree is not offered in Russia, all the librarians with whom I spoke were highly qualified with at least one advanced degree. They articulated universal concerns: budget difficulties, space problems, equipment needs, technology deficits. Amid all these shortages the only surplus was in personnel. There was no backlog even in a labor-intensive environment of card catalog maintenance and manual indexing of journals – not a commercial enterprise in Russia. This abundance of human resources was not limited to libraries but was apparent everywhere. In museums, in restaurants, in train stations and in department stores the disproportionate number of employees to patrons was evident. Work continued despite the prolonged wage delays.

Main University Library

FESTU's 8,000 students and 800+ faculty are served by the University Library's comprehensive research-level collection that includes the most complete holdings of technical books in the Far East. Materials are organized by one of the two nationally standardized cataloging systems and shelved in open stacks. Each year the University Library lends more than one million books and journals. Before Perestroika the University Library was adding 50,000 new books each year. But Russia's economic turmoil has created such fiscal constraints that it was impossible to keep the library collections current. Acquisitions dropped to only 11,000 volumes annually, including donations and textbooks. It is an established practice for Russian academic libraries to provide all required textbooks for students. This paralyzing lack of funds affected the University Library on many levels. Almost as acute as the need for current materials was the need for space. Shelves were completely full and overflowed onto the floor. A new multi-story library building remained empty more than a year after completion because there were no funds for shelves and moving. But the dire immediate need, according to the Associate Director, was for photocopiers.

My formal meeting with the University Library's eighty staff and administrators concluded with questions for me. In addition to queries about my library, they wanted to know my salary and benefits and whether I belong to a union. They were eager to tell me about their benefits. As union members they are entitled to 31 vacation days annually, four months paid sick leave, and three years paid maternity leave, the first seven months on full salary. A stipend is paid until the child is 18. There was no mention of wage delays or other deprivations that continue to be pervasive. Throughout my visit, if such difficulties were acknowledged at all, it was with equanimity or wry humor. Courtesy and pride preclude the gracious Russians from complaining, but I constantly heard the phrase "before Perestroika".

Departmental Library, World Politics and Law

Half of the 500 volumes in the tiny departmental library were English language books purchased in Sacramento with grant funds to support the new public administration program. To supplement the departmental holdings, I have since set up procedures for shipping carefully chosen, de-selected gift books from CSUS to FESTU. Books on resume writing and interview skills have been well received, as the job search is not yet a familiar process in Russia. The Soviet system educated or trained students for specific jobs according to the needs of the prevailing Five Year Plan.

The faculty of World Politics and Law were eager to learn Internet searching and requested that I present a workshop. Complicated preparations were necessary, including an appointment with the University president to obtain permission to use the Internet computer. Just as all arrangements were completed, an extended power outage occurred that lasted throughout the remainder of my visit. My impromptu workshop became a lecture; demonstration and hands-on were postponed until the FESTU faculty visited CSUS the following spring. Lesson: Be prepared with a variety of alternative teaching methods and materials.

Maxim Gorky Municipal Public Library

FESTU is fortunate in its location near the city center, a short bus ride to the magnificent, historic Gorky Municipal Public Library. On the day of my visit, students quietly absorbed in homework filled its spacious reading room. This research library's collection is a rich resource for the city and for FESTU. The Gorky serves 30,000 users per year and circulates 780,000 books annually. These numbers do not include children's books. Special libraries for children are funded by a separate state agency; the Gorky is funded mainly through the national Russian Ministry of Culture. Service has a high priority. Librarians provide free research support for agencies and businesses; meeting rooms are provided free to community groups. Librarians publish and mail a monthly newsletter as well as bibliographies and guides.

A public online catalog contains MARC-format records with access via 486-level PCs, in addition to the traditional card catalog. Two parallel catalog systems are maintained because, as the library director told me, "Librarians distrust computers." Nevertheless, the Gorky has made significant progress toward full automation and is clearly more technologically advanced than the FESTU library.

Before Perestroika, Russian libraries had limited contacts with foreign libraries. In recent years international cooperation has greatly increased. Today, the Gorky's Automation Department interacts with libraries worldwide via FAX and electronic mail, and participates in the International Book Exchange and interlibrary loan. Exchange agreements with several American libraries include a program that provides for the Gorky's librarians to receive training at the University of Hawaii library. Vladivostok is a closed city no longer. FESTU has also established several collaborations with universities in Pacific Rim countries, including San Diego State University and Washington State University, as well as institutions in Australia, Japan, Great Britain, and China.

Throughout my visit I was treated as an honored guest, invited by the convivial Russians to frequent parties and banquets, and escorted about the city. Having no Russian language skills, I was provided with a interpreter, Denis, a first year FESTU student in the public administration program who had recently spent an exchange year in Chicago. He was proud of his American wardrobe and his command of American colloquialisms. After I gently corrected his pronunciation of "Peace Corpse," he often asked me to check his usage or to define unfamiliar words: schmoozing, upscale, jet-setter. I still get these queries from Denis by e-mail, along with requests for articles on his research topic. The few English speakers I met were eager to chat with me, for most had never encountered a "native" English speaker. I received several compliments on my "beautiful American accent." Their English locution was formal and grammatically perfect, uncontaminated by the jargon and verbal tics that often clutter American conversation. My lack of Russian language made every meeting, interview, and conversation time-consuming. Each exchange required at least twice the time of direct communication.

Conclusion

Although faculty and students at FESTU have a variety of traditional library research options in the departmental library, the university library, and the Gorky Municipal Public Library, currency of these collections is a serious problem. This lack of current resources could be mitigated by improved access to the Internet. At the time of my visit, the lack of basic technology supported by a reliable infrastructure was the most significant barrier to research. FESTU had only sporadic access to the Internet through two computers located in a building that had the most frequent and prolonged power outages on campus.

I stay in touch with FESTU through e-mail, letters, FESTU exchange scholars, and the Vladivostok News online. Daily life continues to be filled with economic difficulties and other deprivations. Infrastructure problems have been more acute in Vladivostok than in other parts of Russia, due at least in part to a political feud between President Yeltsin and the "rebellious" Primorsky Regional governor (New York Times, Sacramento Bee, (6/11/97)). Nevertheless, FESTU has made important and encouraging advances during the past two years. Recently, the Department of World Politics and Law was officially designated "The Pacific Institute of World Politics and Law" in a televised ceremony in Vladivostok attended by local and foreign dignitaries. A new major has been added, and enrollment at the Institute has increased by almost 30% to 300. Not only is the new library building now occupied, it has Internet workstations and the campus communication systems have been upgraded. FESTU's scientists and researchers, previously impeded by deteriorating infrastructure and geographic isolation from the technological progress accruing in Russia's western cities, can now begin to participate more fully in the international scholarly dialogue. Students in the public administration program that CSUS helped to create are preparing to build careers that will engender pride in public service and encourage civic responsibility.

Epilogue

Technological progress continues at FESTU. In spring 2001 the first Web-based, synchronous video conference occurred between CSU Sacramento and FESTU faculty and students. Distance education has become a priority at both universities and the successful video conference points toward future collaborations. My interpreter, Denis, received his degree from FESTU in 2001 and has applied for admission to the MBA program at the University of Utah.

Dr. Cristy Jensen, CSUS Professor of Public Policy and Administration, wrote the USIA grant that funded this program. Her understanding and affinity for our colleagues in Vladivostok enriched my trip and indirectly contributed to this article.

About the Author

Betty Ronayne is Education Reference Librarian at California State University at Sacremento.
Email: bronayne [at] csus [dot] edu

© 2000 Betty Ronayne

Top of Page | Table of Contents