Šiauliai County Povilas Višinskis Public Library is a member of the Lithuanian Research Libraries Association and the Association of County Public Libraries. It serves as a regional center for public library activity research, methodological support, interlibrary loan, bibliography, local history, and information services. The library employs 86 staff members, of whom 64 are librarians. Forty-six employees are members of the Lithuanian Librarians’ Association.
History
The largest library in Northern Lithuania was established on October 1, 1950. Under the then-existing Soviet administrative system, it was founded as a regional institution. After the abolition of regions in 1953, it was reorganized into Šiauliai Public Library. The first premises were located at Dvaro St. 77, on the first floor of a small two-story building. It housed the administration, the Acquisition and Processing Department, and the Lending Department. In 1954, the library was also given the second floor, where a 20-seat reading room was set up. At the beginning, the library employed 12 librarians, only one of whom held a higher education degree.
In 1961, additional premises were allocated at Varpo St. 29, in a new residential building. The library administration moved there, a 44-seat reading room was opened, and both the Methodology Office and the Bibliography Department began operating. In later years, the city provided several warehouses for the storage of collections, and in 1962, the City Music Library, which had operated in the Cultural Center, was merged with the public library.
In 1966, new premises on Ežero Street were assigned to the Children’s Literature Department. By early 1977, the library’s departments were spread across nine different locations in Šiauliai.
At the end of 1977, a purpose-built, modern three-story library building was completed at Aušros Avenue 62. Its floor space was almost five times larger than the former premises. The project was designed by chief architect Enrikas Tamoševičius, built by Construction Trust No. 2 of Šiauliai, with architect Apolonija Nistelienė consulting on interior design. The official opening of the new building took place on January 6, 1978.
In 1989, the library was named after Povilas Višinskis, an enlightened figure of the nation, a public and cultural activist. In 1990, a mosaic portrait of Povilas Višinskis, created by Vitolis Trušis, adorned the library.
From 1990 to 2008, scientific conferences titled “Povilas Višinskis Readings” were held every two years. Since 1991, the Povilas Višinskis scholarship has been awarded to the most talented humanities student at Šiauliai University.
In 1995, after the establishment of counties in Lithuania, the library became Šiauliai County Povilas Višinskis Public Library. Its activities were overseen by the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania.
To preserve culturally and artistically valuable bookplates, the Ex Libris Museum was established in 2001.
In 2002, the library joined the Lithuanian Integrated Library Information System (LIBIS). That same year, LIBIS subsystems for acquisition and cataloging were installed. The library also began subscribing to Lithuanian and international databases.
From January 1, 2006, to July 1, 2010, the library was under the administration of the Šiauliai County Governor. After county administrations were abolished, the county libraries of Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, and Šiauliai were returned to the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania and became regional library centers.
In December 2014, the reconstruction and modernization of ŠAVB were completed. On December 18, a large circular logo was installed on the library façade, featuring a green-and-white clover leaf and a book (designed by artist Vytautas Vincentas Timinskas), with the inscription ŠIAULIŲ APSKRITIES P. VIŠINSKIO VIEŠOJI BIBLIOTEKA. Illuminated at night, the logo is visible from afar.
In 2014, the Ex Libris Museum was reorganized into the Gerardas Bagdonavičius Ex Libris Collection (GBEF). To promote interest in books and bookplates, a GBEF blog was launched.
Collections
As the library premises expanded, so did its collections. The initial collection consisted of over 14,000 items received from the Republic Library Collector and purchased in Šiauliai and Radviliškis bookstores. In 1950, 1,635 items worth 12,759.27 rubles were received from the Library Collector.
In 1956, the library began subscribing to foreign periodicals, most of them in German and Polish. From 1961, it received a mandatory copy from the local “Titnagas” printing house, and from 1990 until December 11, 2006, it received the national mandatory deposit copy.
During the Soviet period, the library was not officially permitted to hold a so-called “special collection,” but such materials were secretly gathered. Books and journal collections were donated by Vincas Vaitekūnas, Vladas Zdzichauskas, Peliksas Bugailiškis, Morta Povylienė (the wife of Antanas Povylius), among others. Special collection items were also purchased at the Kaunas Antiquarian Bookstore and auctions. Among these acquisitions were nine volumes of the Lithuanian Encyclopedia, all pre-war issues of Šiaulių Metraštis (Šiauliai Chronicle), and others. The library preserves the personal archive of architect and poet V. J. Nistelis, the book collection of polyglot Professor V. Sirtautas, and the archive of teacher, writer, and founder of the “Žiemgala” community museum in Žeimelis, Juozas Šliavas.
Currently, the library’s collection consists of over 530,000 items of various documents.
Directors
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1950–1955 – Valentina Kanonovič-Sidorovič
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1955–1963 – Valerija Vilkienė-Dichavičienė
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1963–1989 – Janina Kaškelienė
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1989–2005 – Eugenija Rimkūnienė
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2006–2016 – Rūta Žirgulytė
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Since June 2016 – Prof. Dr. Bronius Maskuliūnas
