Mr Sanko was born on March 3, 1936, in the Pachabaushchyna village (now Albianka village of the Niasvizh district, Minsk region) into a farmer's family.
After graduating from Niasvizh Secondary School in 1954, the young man entered the Faculty of Philology of the Minsk Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky (now - the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University). After two years of study, the student became interested in library service and from the third year transferred to the Library Department. In 1959, he obtained the qualification of a librarian-bibliographer.
Before the life path brought Mr Sanko to the main library of the country, he changed several jobs. He tried himself as a librarian at a rural club of the Radun district in Hrodna region (now Voranava District), an inspector of the regional department of culture of the Minsk region, a library service methodist of the Palace of Culture of Belarus Council of Trade-Unions.
The fateful day for Mr Sanko was November 6, 1961, when he was admitted to the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin, to which he devoted the next twenty-five years of his life.
High professionalism and accumulated experience allowed the young man to build his career from Methodist to Chief Librarian in six years. Its interests were not limited to work at the Library: since September 1967, he successfully combined it with teaching. Mr Sanko trained the students of the Library Department of Minsk Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky, regularly read lectures at the National College of Advanced Training for the Workers of Culture (now the Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel “Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts”).
On June 1, 1973, Mr Sanko was appointed the Head of the Research Group of the State Library of BSSR named after V.I. Lenin. The group was soon reorganized into a Research Department, and since January 1974, he became its first Head.
Mr Sanko made a significant contribution to the development of the country's libraries, including the process of their centralization. He had more than three dozen published works, repeatedly gave presentations at all-union, national and regional scientific and practical conferences, seminars and meetings. His methodical publications were in high demand.
Between 1973 and 1975, Mr Sanko was a member of several government committees: under the Ministry of Culture of the USSR to develop "Basic provisions of organization of a union network of mass libraries in the country," the National Committee for the Centralization of the Library Network; Scientific and Methodical Council on Library Service at the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the BSSR.
In 1978, Mr Sanko finished the post-graduate studies of the Minsk Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky, and on June 19, 1981, he received his degree of Candidate of philosophical sciences from the Academy of Sciences of BSSR (now the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus), defending his thesis on the topic "Library and the Problems of Cultural Development of Rural Youth."
His successful endeavours at the Library were also highly appreciated: on January 23, 1984, Mr Sanko was appointed Deputy Director for Scientific Work.
In this position he worked for a short time: due to the transfer to the Belarusian State Institute of National Economy (now the Belarusian State Economic University) in September 1986, he resigned from the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin.
The entire job history of Mr Sanko at the library was connected with scientific, methodical and research activities. He was well able not only to manage the Research Department but also to coordinate research activities of the whole Republic on the issues of library science.
Excellent knowledge of Polish and English, which allowed him to go on business trips to the Polish People's Republic also showed high level of professional competence of Mr Sanko.
He had a number of state awards, including Honorary certificate of the Ministry of Culture of BSSR and Belarusian National Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers; Honorary certificate of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers; badge "For excellent work", N. Krupskaya Medal; Diploma of the Supreme Council of the BSSR.
Mr Sanko passed away in 2016.
Bibliology Research Department
Read about the veterans and employees of the National Library of Belarus in the news section “Our History: a Portrait Gallery.”
