Due to Lilia's high standards of professionalism, her depth of knowledge, and her busy personal life, she has earned the respect of all those who have known her and worked with her for a long time. A well-known scholar and librarian, she has worked her way up from teacher to professor and has earned respect and authority not only among the Russian library community, but widely beyond its borders.
Born in 1938 in the village of Zamoshye, Soligorsk district, Minsk region, to a family of teachers. After studying for a year at the Smilovichi Agriculturalу Technical School (now the Smilovichi State Agricultural College), Yves Uzdens entered the Library Department of the A.M. Gorky Minsk State Pedagogical Institute (now the M. Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University), where she graduated in 1961. She worked as a library inspector in the Minsk Regional Department of Culture, a methodologist in the Minsk Regional Library named after A.S. Pushkin, the chief librarian of the scientific and methodological department of the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin (now the National Library of Belarus).
Lilia is far left, with colleagues near the old building of the National Library
Having gained some practical experience during a twelve–year library experience, she entered the postgraduate program at the Pedagogical Institute in 1972. When she graduated in 1976, she had worked as a teacher at the Library Faculty (now the Faculty of Information and Document Communications) Minsk Institute of Culture (now the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts). She successfully defended her PhD thesis and received the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences in 1979, and obtained the academic title of associate professor in 1984. She has worked as a professor at the Department of Library Science since 1994 (now the Department of Information and Analytical Activities).
It is difficult to overestimate the personal contribution of Lilia as a scientist, expert and analyst, author of about 400 scientific papers in the Belarusian and foreign press, educational and scientific–practical manuals on the essence of the library profession, the social role of libraries in society, books and reading in different ethnic groups, education and training of library users, innovative and traditional technologies in the use of information resources of libraries and access to them, advertising of library products, library terminology.
Lilia at the scientific and practical conference in Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts
One of the areas of Lilia's research is terminology in the field of librarianship, library science and book science. For the first time in Belarus, she co-authored the Russian–Belarusian Dictionary of Library and Bibliographic Terms (1992) and “Tlumachalny slownik bibliyatechnykh i bibliyagrafichnykh terminay (2000).
Much of the scientist's efforts are devoted to the study of the history of development of libraries in Belarus. It was through the prism of libraries that Lilia showed the long, complex, difficult, sometimes tragic path of the people to the knowledge society.
The analysis of the study of the reader and reading over the centuries provided L.A. Demeshko with a rich material on the content of reading, topics, and reader requests, and made it possible to trace the evolution of information and library services for users, the improvement of its forms and content, and the introduction and use of computer and social technologies.
Many articles published by Lilia in the journals "Adukatsyja i vykhavanne", "Vesnik adukatsyi", "Biblijateka prapanue", "Prablemy vykhavannia", "Satsyjalna–pedagagichnaja rabota" are devoted to pedagogical problems – the role of the library in the upbringing of a child's personality, its visual and reading culture, and the problem of family reading. The articles offer interesting methods, the latest technologies, and findings in the practical activities of libraries.
The history of the development and formation of higher library education in Belarus is quite consistent and focused on L.A. Demeshko. The content of the librarian's profession also attracted the researcher's attention.
L. Demeshko had taught at the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts for 36 years and had been the head of the research work of the department for 36 years. She developed directions and methods for five major cathedral comprehensive studies during this time, in which she took an active part by herself.
Lilia managed to harmoniously combine fruitful teaching activities with the management of PhD and master's theses. Thanks to this, young graduate students had a unique opportunity to communicate with her, absorb deep knowledge and rich experience, which she shared without reserve. Under her scientific supervision, one PhD and seventeen master's theses in library science were defended.
Congratulations to Lilia on the 80th anniversary of the teaching staff of the Faculty of Information and Document Communications of Belarussian State University of Culture and Arts
Lilia's creative nature is evident in everything. She wrote poems as a student, and dedicated them to her friends. She writes poems now. Her poems – lyrical, imbued with love for her mother, native land, the Belarusian language, friends and colleagues are published on the pages of periodicals, in the collection of "Melodies" (1996) by Belarussian Sate University of Culture and Arts, issues of the creative association of the University "Buket" – "Zavirukha Kropel" (2004), "Kaliva" (2005), “Kvetka w Megapolise" (2006), "Dar ziamny" (2007), "Vesnitsy" (2008). The best gift for the 75th anniversary of L. Demeshko was a collection of poems "Mne zhytse wjawliaetsa polem" (2012), which includes her best poems dedicated to the Motherland, friends, colleagues.
Lilia is in the first row, far left, among the teaching staff and graduates of the Faculty of Information and Document Communications of Belarussian State University of Culture and Arts
L.A. Demeshko's contribution to the development of the country's librarianship and work on the preservation of cultural and historical heritage were highly appreciated by the state. This is evidenced by the awards presented to her: the medal dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin "For Labor Merit" (1970), the Certificate of Honor of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus "For many years of fruitful scientific and pedagogical activity" (1995).
Lilia's high professionalism was awarded with the Certificate of Honor of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus "For significant achievements in research and teaching activities" (1998), the Diploma of the Ministry of National Education "For scientific guidance of student works awarded at national competitions" (1990), the Diploma of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus "For quality management of students' scientific research activities (1997).
L. Demeshko was awarded the title "Best Scientist of the Faculty of Information and Document Communications of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts" in the nomination "Scientist of the Year" in 2008, and "Best Teacher of the Department of Information and Document Management of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts" in the nomination "Teacher of the Year" in 2009.
Lilia is extended the warmest congratulations on her anniversary by the entire National Library of Belarus staff, who also sends her best wishes for continued health, unending vitality, and strength as well as for creative inspiration, wellbeing, and joy each and every day!
The article was provided by Olga Kakshinskaya, Chief librarian
of the Library Science Department
Read about veterans and employees of the National Library of Belarus in the section "Portraits: the history of the library in faces".
