Do you think that the most important resource of our library is the people working there? Yes, not books, but employees invisibly inscribed in the history of the library, because their contribution is valuable even after decades.
On the day of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Iraida Aleksandrovna Korzenko, we will try to recreate the portrait of a hardworking leader, a loving grandmother and a true professional.
Iraida Aleksandrovna Korzenko worked at the National Library from 1957 to 1976, 14 of 19 years she headed the book storage department. Many librarians being students began their journey under the wing of Iraida Alexandrovna. One of the first of them was Tatyana Lipitina, and then Svetlana Korenkova, Lyudmila Oleichik and Alla Pivovar joined the team of librarians. Many years later, they are faithful to their profession and their beloved department. According to the employees, this quality was instilled by Iraida Aleksandrovna.
T.L.: We all came to the largest and youngest department of the library. At that time it was very difficult and prestigious to get here, to the temple of science, "Leninka", as they said then. I came to the library in March 1969. We were still quite greenhorns. Basically, everyone went through the school of library life in the book depository. I came to work for Irina Alexandrovna, as if to my mother.
A.P.: We did not call her Iraida, but Irina Alexandrovna, so she introduced herself.
T.L.: Irina Aleksandrovna said: "Baby, you have come to the heart of the library". Book storage can now be lost among other departments, but it really is the heart of the library. Take away millions of our books and there will be no library. Irina Alexandrovna said that this would become my matter of life and now I have been working here for 50 years.
Former subordinates of Iraida Alexandrovna say that work was harder in the old building, because even before the library was opened, readers waited in line on the street, trying to order a book and take a place in the reading room. The book storage department was large, and the work in it was the most time-consuming. Over the 14 years of work of Iraida Aleksandrovna as the head of the department, the annual book issuance of the department has grown from 230 thousand to 540 thousand. It is difficult to imagine how many reader requests were sent to the book storage every day. Nevertheless, Iraida Aleksandrovna recognized regular visitors even by handwriting in the order form.
S.K.: Irina Aleksandrovna was very work addict. Our department in the old library building belonged to a newspaper room. She worked a lot there, was on duty.
L.O.: In the periodicals department on the 5th floor there was always a “backlog”. Irina Alexandrovna always went to work there.
The words of the former subordinates of Iraida Aleksandrovna Korzenko are supported by numerous awards, including the Certificate of Honor of the Supreme Council of the BSSR (1972), the medal "For Valiant Labor" (1970) "For Labor Valour" (1976), "Veteran of Labor" (1976), and diplomas of the Ministry Culture, Ministry of Education, Library, Committee of the Union of Cultural Workers, and many others.
The preciest of all the awards about her professional and human qualities is one joky document signed by the management and colleagues - the Regulation on the employee leaving for a well-deserved rest of her own free will. It proposes to send instead of Iraida Aleksandrovna “two other employees who, although they have not reached the appropriate age but have not wanted to work for a long time”, and it also states: “You hurry over, Irina Aleksandrovna!”
A.P. .: I came in 1975. First impressions of Irina Aleksandrovna are very warm. She was with a sense of humor, intelligent: she never raised her voice, did not say anything that would offend or humiliate a person. I liked to ask about children. She kept everyone in her head: children, husbands, parents. She could give a good advice. By the way, she cooked deliciously - I remember her khachapuri as of now. She invited us to her on birthday, and everyone came.
T.L.: She also cooked magnificent rolls with rhubarb for guests.
L.O.: My future husband was at arms, I cried between the shelves. Irina Alexandrovna came to me and reassured me.
However, Iraida Alexandrovna instilled a love for library work not only to her employees, but also to her own granddaughter. The smell of old magazines, the library atmosphere impressed little Julia so much that after years she came to work at the National Library.S.K.: She laid in us a love of the profession for life, kindness, care and memory of each other. We maintain relationships with all our colleagues who have already retired, call back, in the know. This humanity remained, the seed of kindness.
Julia Borisovna Tverdokhlebova, head of the Special Collections Safekeeping Department, shared valuable memories. How not to believe in the destination when you hear a similar story ?!
Iraida Aleksandrovna is my mother’s mother. Dad's mother also worked in the library, as well as her sister and husband. My grandmothers did not know each other before the parents met, but it turned out. Iraida Aleksandrovna brought me to the library from childhood, since then I have a love for books and for a book storage. It seemed to me that my grandmother’s storage had a special smell.
The work was really difficult. Then there was no e-catalog yet, readers filled in the order requirements that came to the librarians in written form. Mountains of books were gathered, which then had to be delivered on to the reading rooms.
I came to work in the old building library 25 years ago, on the same floor where my grandmother worked. I do not have a library education. After graduating from the faculty of applied mathematics of BSU, I worked according to my specialty. But I would like to work into the library. I started working in the book storage department since 1994 and have not regretted a single day that I came here. When they proposed to head this department, I realized that it was my destination. I even come across documents that my grandmother worked with.
Retired employees had the opportunity to work part-time in the library in the summer, and grandmother always came there. Grandfather is a military pilot, constantly at work, so the house and cottage was seen by my granmother. She was a real hard worker. I never heard complaints from her. In addition, Iraida Alexandrovna took part in party life, absolutely sincerely and consciously.
Sincerity was in all that she did.She attracted people; they come to her birthdays not because they felt a duty, but because they wanted to come. She was a real grandmother, always thinking about her grandchildren, daughters, sons-in-law. It was she who taught me to preserve and to bake. I still keep my grandmother’s hand-written recipes.
Interview by Jana Paliaschchuk.
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