Russia, 2004

No trip to Russia is complete without visiting Red Square. The word "red" doesn't refer to the color of the bricks or to Communism. In Russian, the square is called Krasnaya Ploschad. The word krasnaya means both " red" and "beautiful," and the latter, referring to St. Basil's Cathedral at the southern end of the square, was the original meaning.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Emperor Alexander I decided to build a cathedral to commemorate the Russian victory in 1812. General construction didn't begin until 1839, and it continued until 1883. In 1930 it was decided to demolish the cathedral and build the Palace of the Soviets in it's place. The building was demolished on December 5th, 1931. In 1994 construction began on rebuilding the cathedral, and today the cathedral is a prominent architectural part of the Moscow landscape.

Library Director Bryan J. McCormick addresses the staff at the National Library of Chuvashia. Bryan talked about the library, it's programs, it's involvement in the Open World program, marketing of library services, and the role of the public library. The staff asked several questions about American libraries, with most of them related to the programs and services libraries offer in the US, differences in American and Russian libraries, and differences in staff roles and assignments.

Bryan J. McCormick, Library Director, and Dave Smith, reporter for the Fairmont Sentinel, started a fundraiser entitled Our Sister Libraries. This was a program in which librarians from Russia who had visited the Martin County Library System could submit a grant program outlining something they wanted to try and bring back to their library based on what they learned from their trip to the US. In this photo, Library Director McCormick is presenting $250 to the National Library of Chuvashia which will help them to create a Library Board.

Photo taken with the Department Heads at the National Library of Chuvashia during the presentation of funds being donated to the library on behalf of the Our Sister Libraries program.

Bryan spent some time visiting with the administration and staff of the Cheboksary Public Library. This library provides basic services to the residents of Cheboksary, and they maintain several branch libraries throughout the city. This particular library is working towards being fully automated (no card catalog). One nice feature in the library was a well-maintained bookstore with proceeds going towards library programs and projects.

Almost every library in Russia has computers available for public use, and most of them have Internet access. In this photo a young child is using the computer to access a learning database at the main library in Marposad.

Every library creates databases that hold historial information about their region and their towns and villages. In the Marposad district the librarians have created several databases outlining the district's historical facts and figures. In this instance, we are viewing a database celebrating the achievements of Andrian Nikolaev, the first cosmonaut from the Republic of Chuvashia and a resident of the Marposad district.

The Chuvash people have a long and rich heritage dating back for hundreds of years. They have their own customs, including their own language, and in this photo you can see these Chuvash people wearing their handcrafted cultural costumes. Upon arriving at this library, Bryan was greeted with Chuvash traditional songs, music and dancing.

Every library that Bryan visited showed overwhelming interest and hospitality. In this photo the staff at the Marposad District have just presented Bryan with several gifts, including one special story written by a young child who frequents this library in occasion of Bryan's visit to this district.

All libraries in Russia are very interested in collaborating with libraries in the United States, whether it's something as simple as exchanging letters between youngsters who visit the library, or participating in a joint grant project. In this photo Bryan is signing a letter of agreement between the Martin County Library System and the Marposad District Library, acknowledging their mutual interest in working together on a collaborative project.

Marposad is a small town situated east of Cheboksary, and lies on the Volga River. This photo was taken from the town square on a somewhat chilly and rainy day, with the Volga River flowing in the background.

Nina Dolgova, 2nd from left, was a 2003 delegate from the Open World program who visited Fairmont and the Martin County Library District. In this photo they are touring the main library in Yadrin, where Nina created a display case entitled "America and Russia--Creating a Bridge of Partnership." On display were items Nina received while visiting the US, including newspaper articles and tourism brochures from Fairmont.

While in Yadrin, Bryan visited the local historical museum, which at one time was the home of a prominent businessman, but has since been converted into a museum. The museum housed information regarding the history of Yadrin, and had several rooms dedicated to local individuals who went on to distinguished careers in medicine, theatre, and the military.

At this model library in the Yadrin District, Bryan is presented with several gifts, including this book detailing the customs of the Chuvash people. The Republic of Chuvashia was made it a priority to recognize well performing libraries, providing them with additional computers and materials. This particular library, located in a small village, was one such library that won a model library grant. Unlike the larger libraries in the cities that have separate libraries for adults and children, this model library services both children and adults, and they allow materials to be checked out to their patrons (most libraries in Russia do not allow materials to be checked out to patrons, they must be used while at the library).

This library in a small town in the Yadrin District lost it's electricity for a short while one afternoon, but the children stayed anyway because they wanted to meet the "American." When Bryan visited this library he said to the children "You must really love your library if you're willing to sit here in the dark."

Most of the children study English as a second language, so they were able to ask Bryan simple questions, such as what is the weather like where he lived, and what type of music did he listen to?

The Russian people are famous for their hospitality, and Bryan was treated like royalty by his hosts.

This photograph was taken at a cabin in the rural area of Chuvashia, near a honey bee farm. The group tried a local 'honey beer' and cooked shish-kebobs over an open fire.

The cabin was built like a traditional Russian cabin, and is used often by people from the city who need to get away for a little while and relax.

This page was created on Nov. 18th, 2004.