Mintimer Shaimiev: ‘Our generation knows the value of books’
How the International Conference “Interaction of businesses, government and society with fund guards to ensure the preservation of book monuments” is being held in Kazan
The first day of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Interaction of businesses, government and society with fund guards to ensure the preservation of book monuments” has been held in the National Library of Tatarstan. Prior to that, Tatarstan State Councilor Mintimer Shaimiev donated 3,6 thousand books from his personal fund to the library and spoke about the revival of the historical heritage of Tatarstan. About the national heritage and the protection of library collections — read in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
“Discovering spirituality is a difficult path”
The conference “Interaction of businesses, government and society with fund guards to ensure the preservation of book monuments” was opened by Tatarstan State Councilor Mintimer Shaimiev, Minister of Culture of the Republic Irada Ayupova, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Reverend, Deputy Prime Minister Leila Fazleeva and Director General of the Russian State Library Vadim Duda.
“Of course, today in the modern world we very often, when we talk about the library, we usually talk about the availability of book collections. As a rule, we talk about a very comfortable environment for our readers so that they feel at home in the library," Irada Ayupova began her greeting with these words.
However, it wasn't just about books. Shaimiev spoke on the topic “Experience of interaction between government, business and society in the revival of the historical heritage of the Republic of Tatarstan”.
The first president of the republic spoke about the importance of spiritual development through the knowledge of the culture of his people. Besides, he mentioned the great work done in recent years, the development of historical monuments of Tatarstan. Among them — Sviyazhsk and Bolgar.
“Discovering spirituality is a difficult path, through what hardships, through what they just did not go, so that the country would develop, so that the people would acquire spirituality. Why am I saying this? Because we need it, we lack it. <...> This is what you need to do all your life, now such opportunities have appeared. And when we started the revival of the material heritage in Tatarstan 15 years ago, and now we have taken up the spiritual one — this is a requirement of the time," he said.
Gift to the library
At the event, Mintimer Shaimiev presented his personal book fund. He donated more than 3,500 books to the library.
Among these books, more than 200 are publicly available in the exhibition space of the classical reading room. On the title pages of some copies, one can find signatures and messages from famous figures — authors of works.
Cultural figures, such as actor Alexander Kalyagin, writer Chingiz Aytmatov, poet Bella Akhmadullina, presented these books to Shaimiev. Now he, in his turn, has transferred them to the library of Tatarstan. Also, in part of the copies, he left his own notes.
“Our generation knows the value of books. They did the right thing. We need to talk about books. Why? Because it is a source of knowledge and the works of outstanding scientists, philosophers, writers. In a word — the age-old aspirations in this industry. And there is something to learn. “Learn, learn more, learn forever” — it was told not to us, but it was said quite correctly," Shaimiev noted.