Developing Volunteerism in Crimean Libraries: A two-day seminar sponsored by the Gasprinsky Library in partnership with the U.S. Peace Corps

On May 24th and 25th, we held a two-day seminar at the library on developing volunteerism in Crimean libraries. Soon after I came to work at the library in the summer of 2009, my partner at the library, Nadjie Yagya, and I attended a Peace Corps sponsored training in Kyiv on how to recruit, motivate, and manage volunteers in our organizations. The seminar was attended by Peace Corps Volunteers and their organizational partners from across Ukraine. The information we obtained at that training sparked the idea to organize a seminar at our library to promote volunteerism in Crimean libraries. We invited 35 librarians from all the regions of Crimea for a two-day seminar in Simferopol to learn from some of the experts that came to our training in Kyiv.

The seminar opened with a welcome from the new Minister of Culture in Crimea, Alena Plakida, who announced the appointment of Gulnara Yagyaeva as Director of the library. Gulnara Yagyaeva had been the acting director for a year, so we were all thrilled to have her appointment finally be permanent.

The participants were eager for a chance to learn about the possibilities for volunteerism in their libraries.

With the help of Elmas Emirova translating, I presented a slide show on volunteerism in American libraries. Practically every library in America has a volunteer group called Friends of the Library which helps the library with crucial tasks, particularly fundraising.

Constantine Yastrebova from Vinnitsa talked about the partnership of his organization with the city library to promote volunteerism.

Svetlana Cobova from the Youth Resource Center in the Cherkasy region talked about how to motivate volunteers to work in libraries and organizations.

Tatiana Orobchenko, Head of Youth and Family Services in the Poltava region, discussed the legal regulations concerning volunteers working in nonprofit organizations. She also showed many examples of some of the wonderful work of volunteers in the Poltava area.


Elena Ivanchenko and Peace Corps Volunteer Cheryl Pratt from the Sovetsky Central Rayon Library in eastern Crimea presented the Peace Corps sponsored project at their library. Called "Club Bluebird," it is a youth skills building club and has a multi media center to teach web design and other computer and internet skills.

Seminar participants worked in small groups to create innovative ideas for volunteer work at their libraries. Participants from one of the groups presents their ideas to the whole group.

Participants gather on the front steps of the library for a group photograph.

The two-day seminar will be followed by "Volunteer Days" in six regions across Crimea. These Volunteer Days will give local communities a chance to highlight the work of their libraries and nonprofit organizations and to recruit volunteers to their work.

Hydyrlez--A Celebration of Spring

May 7, 2011 was the first large festival in the Simferopol region to celebrate the Crimean Tatar spring holiday called Hydyrlez. My partner at the library, Nadjie, had told me about it weeks ago, and we had made a plan to go together. However, she ended up not being able to go, so I went with another Peace Corps Volunteer, Cheryl Pratt, and my neighbor family. Staff at the Gasprinsky Library also went and set up a display of books about Hydyrlez in a booth they shared with the Crimean Tatar Art Museum.
Despite early morning chilly temperatures, the day turned into a beautiful sunny day with clouds floating across the distant green hills. Located about 20 kilometers from Simferopol, the festival was held on a large track of land with room for booths, performances, food, sports, and plenty of strolling around. The crowd was estimated at 7,000 to 10,000 people, and it was a great beginning for what will be an annual Crimean Tatar festival.

There were performances of traditional Crimean Tatar music and dance.

Beautiful crafts were for sale.

Many people enjoyed the performances on the large concert stage.

There was lots of wonderful Crimean Tatar food.

Thanks to Peace Corps Volunteer Cheryl Pratt for the photos.

The Peace Corps comes to the Library

Douglas Teschner, Director of the Peace Corps in Ukraine, meets with my counterpart, Nadjie Yagya, and head of the Bibliographic Department, Delyara Belyalova.

Doug found the Archive Department especially interesting because he used to work as an archivist. Here he is with Medine Alimova, head of the Archive Department, and Gulyara Abdurazakova.
The SNAC group--Peace Corps Volunteers over the ae of 50--gather in the Reading Hall of the Library.

Peace Corps Director Doug Teschner talks with the Volunteers while SNAC president, Jim Eleazer, looks on.
Last week there was a meeting of older (over the age of 50) Peace Corps Volunteers in Simferopol. The group, called SNAC (Social Networking Action Committee), meets three times a year in different regions of Ukraine in order to discuss business but also to tour the local area. I had offered to host the meeting in Simferopol with the idea of acquainting the Volunteers with Crimean Tatar history and culture.
Twenty-six Volunteers arrived on Friday, April 15th, along with the Director of the Peace Corps in Ukraine, Doug Teschner. I met Doug at the train station, took him to his hotel, and then brought him to the library. Unfortunately, the acting Director of the library, Gulnara Yagyaeva, was out of town and couldn’t meet with Doug, but the department heads all had tea with him and discussed the library activities. Afterwards, we took him on a tour of the building. He was very impressed by the library—its mission, staff, and resources—and by the work I and my counterpart do together.
Later in the afternoon, the entire group assembled in the Reading Hall of the library for a short meeting, plus I gave a presentation on the Crimean Tatar history and culture in preparation for our excursion the next day to the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisaray and other Crimean Tatar historic sites. Being Americans, they were a somewhat noisy group, as there was animated discussion on many issues. But the Volunteers enjoyed seeing the library and some had also earlier in the day toured the Crimean Tatar Art Museum, who had a Peace Corps Volunteer a few years ago. We also went to another former Peace Corps Volunteer site, a Crimean Tatar crafts cooperative in Bakhchisaray (where I was happy to see people buying presents for themselves and family).
Though the weather didn’t exactly cooperate (we are having quite a cold and rainy spring here), it was a successful meeting, and I think fulfilled my goal of educating at least one group of Peace Corps Volunteers about the Crimean Tatar people.

Library Fair in Kyiv

My counterpart at the library, Nadjie Yagya, and I were invited by the Peace Corps to take part in a presentation about Peace Corps Volunteers working with libraries at the first annual Bibliomist Library Fair in Kyiv on Monday, April 11th. We eagerly accepted and arrived early Monday morning accompanied by another Crimean Peace Corps Volunteer, Cheryl Pratt, from the Sovetskiy rayon library and her counterpart, Lena Ivanchenko.

We gather with other Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts.

The Library Innovations and E-Governance Fair attracted over 500 participants. Forty libraries with Bibliomist projects had booths at the fair, including the Orlova Children’s Library in Simferopol where I work one day a week. Besides the information booths at the fair, there were a number of concurrent workshops. Nadjie and I attended a workshop on grant opportunities for libraries, and even though I understood little because it was conducted in Ukrainian, I was pleased to see Nadjie busy scribbling notes about possibilities for grants.
In our workshop, four Volunteers and their counterparts talked about our work together in our libraries and the possibilities for library cooperation with Peace Corps Volunteers. It was well attended by very interested librarians, and afterwards many talked with the Peace Corps office representative about how to apply to have a Volunteer at their library.

Nadjie and I describing the work we do together at the Gasprinskiy Library.


After returning to Simferopol, Nadjie tells library colleagues about the Bibliomist Fair.

Ismail Gasprinsky's 160th Birthday

Gulnara Yagyaeva, Deputy Director of the Gasprinsky Library, opens the anniversary event.

The month of March marked the 160th anniversary of the birth of the famous Crimean Tatar educator, writer, and public figure, Ismail Gasprinsky. Ismail Gasprinsky is considered to be the father of the modern Crimean Tatar nation, and our library is named in his honor. See my blog post in July 2010, “Who is Ismail Gasprinsky?” for more details about his life.
To commemorate this anniversary, the Gasprinskiy Library organized a series of events the week of March 21st, beginning with a ceremonial laying of a wreath at the Gasprinsky monument located on the Sagir River in the heart of Simferopol. A special documentary photograph exhibit was on display in the library reading room, titled “The Legacy of I. Gasprinsky,” along with books by and about Gasprinsky and copies of some of his writings.


On March 24th, a two-hour program was conducted in the library with scholars presenting their work on Gasprinsky’s life. The program was attended by the Head of the institutions of culture, arts and national cultural policies of the Ministry of Culture and Arts Elena Emirova, much of the library staff, writers, teachers, representatives of the Crimean Tatar intelligentsia, media and other guests.
Speakers included: Ceiran Useinov, head of the Council of National Education Association of Crimean Tatar Educators and author of the Crimean Tatar/Ukrainian/Russian Dictionary who presented books to the library; Ismail Kerimov, professor and head of the Crimean Tatar and Turkish Literature Department at Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University (who gave a fiery presentation on ancient Crimean Tatar languages which I so wish I could have understood); Edem Ablaeva who presented the book Ismail Gasprinskiy - Humanist, Educator, and Teacher to the library; Tavrida National University professor Gulnara Seytvanievoy who presented a gift to the library of a disc devoted to the life and work of Ismail Gasprinsky; Gasprinsky librarians Lily Kadyrova and Zarema Islyamova who talked about the library’s collections of the work of Ismail Gasprinsky.
As usual, I had a difficult time understanding much of the presentations, but this time I had the assistance of Elmas, who has recently come to work at the library and speaks fairly good English. Also, of course, my Russian is improving, and I could even catch a few words in Crimean Tatar. And the enthusiasm and interest of those presenting and attending is never lost on me. As one woman who spoke briefly about Crimean Tatar schools, said: “No language equals no people.”

Peace Corps Newsletter highlights our library project

The Peace Corps office in Ukraine publishes a bimonthly newsletter titled From the Field, which highlights Peace Corps Volunteer achievements across Ukraine. In the last issue, our Peace Corps sponsored project at the library, Training for Crimean Librarians on Crimean Tatar Language, History, and Culture, was honored to be chosen as the cover story. Please click on From the Field Peace Corps Newsletter listed under Websites of Interest to see a copy of the newsletter. And thanks very much to Peace Corps Volunteer Cheryl Pratt who did such a great job writing the story.

The Library creates a 5-year Plan

I have spent the last two weeks working on translating the Library’s 5-Year Plan (called a “Concept” here) into English. I do not have the language skills to do Russian translations, so I depend on Google translate, hope it is somewhat correct, and then rewrite the translation so it is understandable for English readers. Sometimes when I don’t understand what is translated, I try other online programs and ask my fellow workers here at the library, but even so, I do know much gets “lost in translation.” However, I think that at least in this case, the major ideas came through.
I have added the translated 5-Year Plan to the Pages on my blog, but here are a few highlights. The Plan clearly states the library's mission: “The I. Gasprinsky Crimean Tatar Library is responsible for the preservation, growth, and transfer to present and future generations, of the intellectual wealth, native language, and culture of the Crimean Tatars,” or more simply, “the keeper of the memory of the Crimean Tatar people.” To continue to fulfill this mission, a number of directions for the library are presented: preservation and digitizing of historic documents; bringing the library into the “electronic age” with increased development of its online presence; improving the library environment to make it more user friendly and accessible to the disabled; maintenance and needed repairs to the library building, which is a historical monument; construction of additional book storage; reaching out to the remote Crimean Tatar settlements; promoting ethnic tolerance across the peninsula. For elaboration of these ideas and to find out other interests of the library, please read the 5-Year Plan. It is also available in the original Russian on the library’s website.
I will be gone from Crimea for the next two weeks, first to a training in Kyiv sponsored by the Peace Corps on HIV/AIDS prevention, which I am attending with my counterpart from the Orlova Children’s Library in Simferopol where I work one day a week. Following the training, I will be going to the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine to attend a “close of service” conference with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers who are ending their service in June of this year. I have elected to stay an additional year but am still required to attend the conference. And it will be a chance to see the beautiful Carpathian Mountains in the winter.