Subject catalogues as presented in Polish librarianship magazines in the Stalinist period

Abstract

In Polish librarianship the 1950s are usually connected with a change in the function of the catalogue – from informative to educational or even propagandist one. Professional journals („Poradnik Bibliotekarza”, „Bibliotekarz”, „Przegląd Biblioteczny”) advised their reader to saturate their catalogues with Marxist content. The treatment of items included in catalogues, aimed at removing from them „inappropriate” works and promoting the existence of those corresponding with current ideology, made it diffi cult or even impossible to use written resources gathered in libraries. From articles in the afore mentioned journals one can infer that the aim of such doctoring catalogues was transforming them into a tool of ideology – not information. As a result, catalogues were selective, or alternatively there should be two types of catalogue: the complete one for internal use only, to which access was strictly controlled and limited and the other one – selected – for the general public. Marxism was ment to take the most prominent place in the systems of classifi cation; further, there were recommended subsections which were to emphasise the role of the communist party and revolutionary thought. Models were taken from the USSR. Such actions stemmed from the belief that a book might be signifi cant tool of propaganda. Therefore a librarian was to become a censor and a propagandist. There is evidence which shows that manipulated catalogues actually made it diffi cult or even impossible for readers to use books.