Ms Salaujova was born in the village of Zakuplenie, Klichau district, Mahiliou region, in a turbulent time for our country – in the first year of the Great Patriotic War. Most of the war children had to spend their childhood in evacuation, on the move, through hunger and loss of loved ones... Those terrible events touched Ms Salaujova's family too: in 1945 her father died at the front.
In 1958, Hanna graduated from Douhaje Secondary School and entered the correspondence department of the Mahiliou Cultural Education School named after N.K. Krupskaya (now Mahiliou State College of Arts) the following year. Simultaneously with her studies, she worked as head of the Maksimovichy and later of the Douhaje village clubs.
Hanna continued her professional education and in 1966 graduated with honors from the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky (now the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after M. Tank), with qualification a librarian-bibliographer of the highest qualification.
Immediately after graduation, at the request of the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR, the young graduate came to work in the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin (now the National Library of Belarus) at the position of Librarian in the Loan Department of Scientific books and Interlibrary Loan. She worked in this structural unit for the next four years.
Hanna was attracted to bibliographic work from the very beginning of her professional career. This is evidenced in her personal file: in her second year in the Library, she wrote an application for transfer to the Department of Belarusian Literature and Bibliography, as she wanted "to work with local history bibliography", which she was "most interested in at the Institute". Unfortunately, however, this was denied to her at the time.
In 1970 she had the opportunity to do what she loved: she was promoted to the position of Senior Bibliographer in the Reference, Bibliographic and Informational Work Department. Here she kept a file cabinet of journal and newspaper articles, provided reference services to readers, and contributed to the preparation of bibliographic indexes.
When, in 1979, the department set up a section for catalogue and card service, she became its head and ran it for the next 7 years.
Ms Hanna Salaujova at the celebration in honor of the 60th anniversary of the lLbrary.1982.
A highly professional and experienced librarian, she spent a great deal of time providing methodological assistance to the country's librarians, and was a speaker at seminars and meetings among librarians of various ministries and departments.
Ms Salaujova's professional biography was always closely intertwined with the social life of the library staff: she was repeatedly elected to the trade union committee and headed the production section. As Chair of the Library's Mentor Council, she generously shared her experience and creative approach to the profession with young bibliographers. She was awarded the badge "Best Youth Mentor" for this area of her work.
From 1988 to 1999, Ms Salaujova headed the Reference and Information Department.
Reference and Information Department. 1996.
During the 1990s, new information technologies were rapidly introduced into the activities of libraries in Belarus. In the National Library of Belarus, the first computers appeared at the beginning of the last decade of the twentieth century. Under Ms Salaujova's thoughtful leadership, the Reference and Informatoin Department was actively involved in the work of introducing an automated library information system into the library's activities.
The significance of Ms Salaujova's professional contribution is clearly demonstrated by her service record from that period: "... She is one of the main designers of the National Library's electronic catalogue structure. She made a number of suggestions for introducing new information technologies, improving customer services while automating library processes...".
Having reached retirement age, Ms Salaujova continued to work in the bibliographic field for another 6 years.
"A very wise and friendly woman, a great worker and clever woman. She was always able to organize work in the team, easily managing even the most complex technological processes, inspiring the young generation of specialists by her example", is how Ms Sviatlana Ivashchanka recalls Ms Hanna Salaujova with deep respect.
On behalf of the entire staff of the National Library of Belarus we offer our sincerest congratulations to Ms Hanna Salaujova on this wonderful anniversary! May every day be happy and joyful, filled with the love and care of family and friends. Long years of good health, happiness, joy of the heart and joy of the soul.
Bibliology Research Department
This publication uses photos from the archives of the Reference and Information Service Department.
Ms Hanna Salaujova passed away on the October 25,2023.
