Mrs. Evgenia Valkovich was born in 1930 in the Zapolyaki Village of the Molodechno district, Minsk region. Like many Belarusians born at that time, the girl had to endure all the horrors of the war: occupation, material deprivation, the arrest of her father by the Germans, and much more.
The post-war youth was not easy either: in 1947 she had to work as a checking station time-keeper of the Molodechno station and take evening classes.
In 1950, Evgenia entered the Library Department of the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky. After graduation in 1954, she was sent to work as a Library Inspector at the Gomel Region Administration of Culture. The young specialist was immediately elected Secretary of the Komsomol Organization of the Administration of Culture. She actively participated in amateur performances, continued her studies (she graduated from the Evening University of Marxism-Leninism at the Gomel District Party Committee). In September 1960, she transferred to the Gomel Region Library, but only worked there until the end of 1960, when she married Mikhail Valkovich and moved to Minsk.
In 1961, almost on her birthday, Evgenia Valkovich began her work at the BSSR State Library named after V.I. Lenin (SLB BSSR). A new storage building was being completed at Kirov Street, and a new staff schedule had been approved, with a large number of Book Storing Department employees at that time. E. Valkovich was admitted to the position of Senior Librarian of this department by Order No. 10 dated February 4, 1961. “A gift of fate,” she says briefly about this event.
A year and a half later, on September 5, 1962, she was transferred to the position of Academic Secretary of the Library. She put all her soul and energy into this work. The first-ever report on the results of the work of the BSSR State Library, which can be found in the NLB catalogue, was prepared by E. Valkovich (together with I. Sankova, Deputy Director of the Library). She also wrote the first guide to the SLB BSSR, which for many years was an irreplaceable manual for every reader.
High professionalism and excellent knowledge of a foreign language allowed Evgenia Valkovich to become Head of the Department of Foreign Literature (DFL) in 1973. In those years, this department was somewhat different from other departments of the Library. Not only was it an interdisciplinary department, almost a library within the library, it was also staffed mainly with foreign language institutes graduates who had their own ideas about the library and the place of the department in it. Having had almost twenty years of library experience at that time, Evgenia Valkovich clearly saw the need for serious changes in the department's activities, including the update of the foreign publications acquisition profile of the library, optimization of the recent additions processing, improvement of the reference aids, etc.
DFL was a systematic center of foreign literature for all libraries throughout the country. It was in contact with international organizations, received, processed and stored UN materials as its depository, provided information on additions to the nationwide summary catalogues, etc. One could only imagine how Evgenia Valkovich managed all of this. She was able to create a friendly and efficient team of like-minded people, which is also one of her greatest achievements.
Evgenia Valkovich, like most people of her generation, is characterized by a pro-active attitude: she became Chairperson of the Library's Trade Union Committee in 1965, combining this difficult work with her official duties. She repeatedly chaired the Workers’ Deputies District Election Committee, was a member of the Library Party Committee and wall newspaper editorial board, conducted Polish language courses to the employees, and so much more. She always remained a friendly and cheerful person who was eager to participate in public and cultural life.
She was awarded Certificates of Merit by the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR and the Belarusian National Committee of the Cultural Workers Trade Union (1967, 1980), Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Cultural Workers Trade Union (1972).
In 1985, E. Valkovich took a well-deserved rest but has continuously participated in the life of the Department of Foreign Literature. She has taken a keen interest in its problems and has always attended Library celebrations. In 35 years since her retirement, she has never forgotten to congratulate her foreigners on their birthdays, say kind words, and cheer them with optimism and a good mood.
The staff of the National Library of Belarus wholeheartedly congratulates Mrs. Valkovich on her anniversary and wishes her good health, long life, and inexhaustible energy!
Reference and Information Service Department
