Aliena Abrutsina was born on October 18, 1931 in Nova-Barysau, Minsk region, in an office worker's family.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War forced the family to evacuate from Viciebsk to the Kuibyshev region (now the Samara region of the Russian Federation) in the summer of 1941. In 1946, the girl and her parents returned to Minsk, where, after finishing high school in 1950, she entered the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages (now the Minsk State Linguistic University). She obtained the qualification of the teacher of the French language.
Having received higher education, in November 1954, Aliena was accepted as a librarian of the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin. Later, from July 1961, she was transferred to the position of Senior Librarian of the Foreign Literature Department.
From the memories of Ihar Zholudzieu, Head of the Department:
“... Viera Partnova, Bella Paliakova, Liudmila Vitruk, Liena Abrutsina and Liuda Pakatsilava (Shatko) worked in the Department of Foreign Literature. Liena Abrutsina graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages a year earlier than me. She was one of the most beautiful girls at the institute...”.
Ms Abrutsina is at the far left
In 1970, her career continued in the Art Department, where she was involved in the acquisition, processing and cataloguing of gramophone records, serving readers with them. Ms Abrutsina developed instructional documentation on the organisation and operation of record libraries in the Republic's public libraries. In 1976, she wrote an instructional letter entitled "Working with gramophone records in a public library", which contained a description of the organisation of the record library, the characteristics of sound recordings and the specifics of working with them.
Large practical experience, high professionalism and commitment made it possible to put Aliena Abrutsina in charge of the Music Section since January 1974. While in this position, she was directly involved in compiling the audio library, creating a reference book for it, taking care of its technical equipment, and actively promoting gramophone records and musical literature among readers.
From the materials of Ms Abrutsina personal file:
“… Readers know Ms Abrutsina as someone who is erudite, polite, composed and has an impeccable grasp of phonetics. Her co-workers respect her for her many years of experience, her responsiveness, her integrity, her warmth..."
Her professional activities have always been closely connected with the social life of the library staff: for a long time Aliena was political information officer and trade union leader of the department, the assessor of the comrades' court of the library.
For years of fruitful work Aliena Abrutsina's name was repeatedly put on the Board of Honour, her work was marked by Certificates of Honour: in 1967 – by the Certificate of Honour of the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR and the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers; in 1972 – by the Certificate of Honour of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers.
She held the senior position for thirteen years until she retired in 1987. When she retired, Aliena returned to the library and continued to work in the Art Department for a year.
Ms Abrutsina passed away in 2002.
Bibliology Research Department
Read about the veterans and employees of the National Library of Belarus in the news section “Our History: a Portrait Gallery.”
