Elena Ivanovna Roerich
Public Library of
Uymonskaya Valley of Altai

Elena Ivanovna Roerich
Public Library was created in 1997. In its basis was laid a private library of Leonid Kaloshin which numbered then about 3000 volumes. It's situated in Ust-Koksa village, a "capital" of Uymon valley in the mountain Altai. It turned out occasionally that the date of the library's official establishment coincided with Helen Roerich birthday - the 12th of February. The status of a juridical person allowed to make a request for help in a number of central Russian libraries. Some of them have generously shared the books and magazines from their reserve funds. Some publishing houses are helping, such as "Sphera", International Roerich Center, "Terra", "Agni". By now the library's funds number about 25 000 volumes, and more than half of them are educational literature and schoolbooks. A local teacher said that the library is one of the best pedagogical libraries in Gorno-Altai republic. This is mostly owing to Ushinsky library. Thousands of books were granted by some schools in Moscow. As a result of this, our library could afford to transfer gratis more than 11000 schoolbooks to the local schools of Uymonsky Valley, which feel great lack of them.
In the year of official registration we took part in a contest of projects of the "Culture and Art" program of the Open Society Institute and won a grant. Thanks to that we could acquire a computer, TV, videotape recorder, portable electric power station and make two trips to Moscow for the new books. One such a trip gives 5000-6000 books. The books are being sent by train in a container to Biysk, then reloaded in a lorry (granted by our friends from Novosibirsk) and more than 250 miles carried by steep mountain roads and passes to Ust-Koksa.

In the August, 2000 the number of the readers has reached 1000. Except Ust-Koksa itself the residents of more than 20 other villages are users of the library. More than half of the readers are children. They love to come here much, one boy said once, "How I like to stay here, I just wouldn't go". We have a telescope through which the schoolboys and girls observe Moon, Jupiter with its satellites etc. The library has carried out several contests of the children paintings.
The library occupies the whole building - 3 rooms of about 60 sq. meters. The place however is lacking, and a number of packs with books stand not unpacked. Two years ago a foundation was laid for the book depository. But because of lack of money the construction is for a while stopped. The only source of livelihood is a humble pension of the founder, aided by the occasional donations of the friends. The other problem is personnel. We need librarians able to work on computer, a gardener, watchman, beekeeper and joiner. Conditions of the contract will be discussed by letters or phone.