Library buildings and equipment in Professor Helena Więckowska’s sphere of interest

Profesor Helena Więckowska (1897–1984) była z pewnością jedną z najbardziej znaczących postaci w polskim bibliotekarstwie, w okresie powojennym. Wniosła także istotny wkład w rozwój polskiej bibliologii i wydatnie przyczyniła się do ukształtowania systemu akademickiego kształcenia bibliotekarzy. Bibliografia Jej dorobku naukowego liczy 221 pozycji. Są w nim rozprawy, artykuły, recenzje, hasła w słownikach i encyklopediach. Jest to również dorobek zróżnicowany tematycznie, co potwierdza trafność określenia „bibliolog praktyk”, użytego wobec dokonań Profesor Więckowskiej przez Krzysztofa Migonia.“As to the newly founded Committee on Library Building, Mrs. Więckowska, the Polish Vice-president of IFLA, was appointed Chairman”, Joachim Wieder was reporting in “Libri” (1960, no 3) from the twenty-sixth Session of the IFLA Council in Lund. Before this, in her science activity and even in her work in National Library in Warsaw and as the head of Łódź University Library she did not go in for the library building. In the new IFLA Committee prof. Więckowska noticed her activity in the field of suggestion and organization the work on: 1. International comparative and systematic study on construction and equipment (investigation into the practical utilization and profitableness of modern technical equipment and machinery in libraries, duplicating machines, safety devices, conveyer, speaking and searching equipment, air-conditioning plants and protection against sun rays, furniture for registering, shelving and displaying library materials); 2. Information on building projects (information on publications about the construction and equipment of libraries, current information on new library buildings, international study tours to library buildings); 3. Cooperation between the architects and librarians; 4. Advisory activity and organization of the international conferences. As a Chairman of the IFLA Committee on Library Buildings and Eqipment Helena Więckowska was invited to some meetings on this, for instance: in Kazimierz on the Vistula, 1962 (national seminar – librarians with architects), in Prague, 1964 and Warsaw, 1965 (specialists from the socialists countries), in Warsaw – Łódź – Cracow, 1964 (IFLA international conference on the large libraries – buildings and equipment of the national and academic libraries). During all of these meetings she was always speaking as an author of a paper or in discussion. In Poland, prof. Więckowska was helpful in approximation of the world achievements in library architecture, technical equipment and machinery. Thanks her Polish librarians could get to know the latest world’s library trends, keep the nearly contacts with the colleagues from abroad and solve the problems in their work. Professor Helena Więckowska never regarded herself as a specialist on library building and equipment, so, when her tenure of office in the IFLA Committee was terminated, she returned her activity to these areas of librarianship, which WERE in her interest.Publikacja współfinansowana przez Bibliotekę UŁ oraz Wydział Filologiczny UŁ