Library Activities of the Altai Professional Societies and Cooperatives in the Early 20th Century

The article describes the peculiarities of the culturaleducational (non-commercial) activities of the Altai professional societies and cooperatives in the early 20th century. The brief characteristics of those societies, as well as the directions of their cultural-educational work are given. Special attention is drawn to the contribution of the professional societies and cooperatives to the development of libraries in Altai, the dates of the establishment of various libraries are indicated. On the basis of the archive documents of (issued by) the Biysk Society of Mutual Aid to Salesmen, the framework for establishing libraries is clarified: from submitting a petition to obtaining an authorization certificate. The role of cooperatives in the cultural development of the Altai region, primarily in rural areas, is noted. Members of cooperatives and credit partnerships initiated the establishment of public libraries; the Society for the Promotion of Free Rural Reading Houses’ Establishment in the Tomsk Province provided organizational and methodical assistance in this area. It is concluded that non-commercial activities of cooperatives contributed to the expansion of the rural libraries’ network in Altai in 1913–1917.DOI 10.14258/izvasu(2017)5-15