In 2021, Moscow will again take part in the all-Russian campaign “Give books with love”, the capital will donate about 20 thousand copies of books published as part of the city publishing program to libraries throughout Russia. This was reported to the Moscow City News Agency by the deputy of the Moscow City Duma, People's Artist of Russia Yevgeny Gerasimov.
“The all-Russian campaign“Give books with love”is timed to the 14th of February. Cultural workers know that this is not only a holiday for lovers, but also International Bookmaking Day. Moscow has been participating in this action for many years, but this year we will set a record for the number of books donated to libraries. We have prepared 20 thousand copies of scientific, educational, fiction and children's literature, mainly dedicated to our city. These are well-published classic - paper - books and are especially valuable to librarians and readers alike. Despite the fact that the digital age is in the yard, paper books have a number of indisputable advantages: they are recognized by all generations, not only those who, like my peers, grew up in the “analog” world,”said Evgeny Gerasimov. According to the deputy of the capital's parliament, books in the traditional form are more hygienic for eyesight, which is why doctors today recommend primarily paper editions for children.
“The second absolute advantage of paper books is independence from Internet sites, telecommunications infrastructure and even electricity. The content of the printed book always remains the same as on the day of its release - in the current era of "post-truth" this is especially relevant, "Gerasimov added. The parliamentarian noted that today many Western publishing houses, electronic libraries and modern electronic reading platforms are switching to a subscription model and reserve the right to dispose of books, even those already downloaded by the reader.
“A book can be removed from the user's device without his knowledge in a number of cases - and, perhaps, soon we will face full-fledged censorship, when publications declared politically incorrect will be seized from millions of devices at once by the decision of transnational corporations. Here, the traditional paper form of publication has a clear advantage: we know from history that not a single published book could be completely destroyed, because at least one copy of the circulation always remained unharmed, even when books were burned at the stake during the darkest periods of history. It is this property that Mikhail Bulgakov immortalized with his phrase "Manuscripts do not burn." For this, we continue and will continue to support the network of traditional libraries,”emphasized Evgeny Gerasimov. He also recalled that over the past 10 years, a campaign has been underway in the capital to rebuild libraries, they are acquiring a modern form and augmented functionality. In particular, the Moscow Library Centers program continues in 2021, within the framework of which the city's district libraries are being reconstructed and refurbished. Without losing their main function of storing knowledge in a traditional form, libraries are also becoming centers of cultural life in their regions.