On May 22–23, within the framework of the ХXII International Cyril and Methodius Readings, the annual science and practical conference “Spiritual revival of society and the Orthodox book” was held.
15 years ago the holding of this conference was blessed by Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev), now the Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. The conference topics are related to the spiritual and educational mission of libraries, their activities in the field of spiritual, moral and patriotic education according to Orthodox traditions.
Along with the main topic – ”The book and reading in the spiritual culture of the nation”, this year’s conference, like the Cyril and Methodius Readings in the whole, was devoted to the 500th anniversary of the Belarusian book-printing.
The forum annually gathers nearly 100 participants from all the regions of Belarus: librarians of public, university, church libraries, university teachers, teachers of secondary schools, theological seminaries and Sunday schools, priests, philosophers, philologists, historians, art critics, lawyers and other specialists, and also writers, poets and publishers.
The permanent curator of the conference – archpriest Igor Korostelev, the senior priest of the parish in honor of Our Lady Icon “Joy of All who Sorrow” where the event is held. On May 22nd the conference started with the welcoming address of parson Igor who congratulated the attendees on the holiday of Nicolas the Miracle Worker relics, and also noted the significance of librarians’ efforts for the spiritual education of society.
The conference was moderated by Olga Rynkevich, the chief librarian of the National Library of Belarus; priest Vladimir Borisevich, head of parish libraries section of the publishing department of the Grodno Eparchy; priest Ioann Veygo, PhD, cleric of the Mikhaylovsky Church in Slutsk; Svetlana Vinogradova, the head of the Central Library of the Belarusian Exarchate.
The solemn opening of the ХXIII International Cyril and Methodius Readings was held at the National Library of Belarus. The conference, which was conducted at the Central Library of the Belarusian Exarchate, was attended by over 40 specialists of Belarusian public libraries.
The most interesting were the reports of Antonina Antonenko, the professor of the Mogilev Medical College, and Tatiana Borisenko, the head of educative and methodological cabinet of the Mogilev Eparchy (Просветитель земли белорусской. К 300-летию святителя Георгия (Конисского)), and also the guests from Russia, professors of the Moscow Pedagogical Academy – PhD Julia Nefedova, (Значение трудов схиархимандрита Иоанна (Маслова) для современной педагогики) and M.A. Nikita Denisiuk (Учение о спасении святителя Тихона Задонского как основа православной педагогики).
At the conference the employees of public libraries shared their experience in spiritual education and working with Orthodox literature: Elena Antonchik, the head of the Linovo Rural Library (Воспитание культуры чтения православной литературы среди детей и молодежи); Olga Bakunovich, the librarian of branch library number 3 in Polotsk (Особенности организации и проведения Дня православной книги “Духовное наследие князей Острожских”); Zhanna Grishukevich, the head the branch library in the village of Youratishki (Просветительская деятельность публичной библиотеки посредством православной литературы (из опыта работы библиотеки-филиала г.п. Юратишки)); Elena Trusiva, the chief librarian of the spiritual and educational center of the Borisov Central Regional Library named after I. Kolodeev (О взаимодействии публичных и церковных библиотек в рамках методического объединения библиотекарей Борисовского района, работающих с православной книгой); Valentina Tsegalko, the head of section of the Slutsk Regional Central Library (Кніга як духоўная апора ў жыцці чалавека: вопыт асветніцкай дзейнасці аддзела абслугоўвання і інфармацыі чытачоў Слуцкай раённай цэнтральнай бібліятэкі).
The representatives of educational institutions also presented their reports at the conference: Alla Shakhray, the head of school library number 152 in Minsk (Роль православной книги в духовно-нравственном воспитании школьников (из опыта работы школьного библиотекаря)); Pavel Poreyko, the 2nd year student of the Belarusian State Medical University (curators: Associate Professors Galina Boyko and Larisa Paliy) (Образ для подражания: к 140-летию со дня рождения святителя Луки (Войно-Ясенецкого)); Xenia Baranova, the educator of an Orthodox group of kindergarten number 61 in Minsk (Неделя библиотеки в детском саду); Nadiezhda Hodarchuk, the director of the library of the Grodno State Agrarian University and teacher of the Sunday School in the parish of the Beheading of John the Baptist Church (Опыт сотрудничества с воскресной школой) and others.
This year’s conference has demonstrated once again its high scientific and practical level. The reports and discussions touched upon a wide range of spiritual and moral issues relevant to modern society: Orthodox traditions as the basis of the spiritual culture of the Belarusian people, the spirituality of society, children’s introduction to reading, the issues of library activity in the sphere of spiritual and moral education, and many others.
The problems of the reports, their pronounced spiritual and educational character showed a creative approach, the search for innovative forms of work, and most importantly the demand for systematic and purposeful activity of libraries for the spiritual and moral education of society.
Also a meeting of the Coordination Council for Library Activity under the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechization of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, headed by Bishop Beniamin of Borisov and Maryna Gorka, was held within the framework of the conference.
The Central Library of the Belarusian Exarchate also prepared an exhibition of Orthodox books and offered a workshop on automated information library systems for church libraries.
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