Tambov Governorate Library and the development of librarianship in Tambov in 1920–1937

We consider the stage of development of library business in the Tambov region during the formation of Soviet power. We describe the systematization in the funds of state and trade union libraries of books nationalized from private collections, the reconstruction and expansion of the network of local (district and sub-district) libraries, reading rooms, mobile libraries that contributed to educational work among the population of the region. The activities of the new government on administrative regulation of the system of relations between libraries, libraries with other cultural and educational institutions and local authorities are studied. The work shows the activities of the management of the Central Governorate Library (CGL) to improve labor discipline, the level of education and political literacy of librarians. We describe the management of the Central Governorate Library and its policy of hiring employees, the fight against the manifestation of personal conflicts of librarians in the workplace, the theft of books and careless attitude towards them. Mass events that were practiced along with the distribution of books in the library are considered: meetings of political education, excursions for pioneer children, atheistic anti-religious evenings. We describe the creation of children’s and youth departments that contributed to the development of education. It is shown that the library staff created a developed system of libraries in the region, which allowed to meet the cultural needs of the population.