Saving Guardians

Officials will return the status to scientific staff of museums and libraries

The heads of leading Russian museums and libraries obtained a promise from the authorities to completely “rehabilitate” the profession of museum research assistant. Yesterday, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development Alexander Safonov promised that scientific employees of museums and libraries, “forgotten” by officials when compiling the federal register of positions in culture, art and cinematography, will still be taken into account when finalizing the classifier of professions. Order No. 570 of the Ministry of Health and Social Development, which in essence deprived tens of thousands of cultural workers of their status, which caused a lot of indignant reviews, will not be withdrawn, but will undergo correction. “Within a month and a half, we will develop, together with the professional community, additions to the order of the ministry, which will more clearly and fully take into account all professions that take place in museums and libraries in Russia and are related to scientific activities,” Mr. Safonov assured.

In order for officials to pay attention to the inadequacy of the document that came out from their pens, museum workers needed to use all their personal charm and authority in power circles. Moreover, eminent cultural figures had to turn to the top officials of the state. At the end of March in Kaliningrad, at a meeting of the presidium of the Union of Museums of Russia, an appeal was adopted to President Vladimir Putin with a demand to restore the full status of a researcher.

And the opinion of the professional community was heard. It is noteworthy, however, that now the departments that have encroached on the custodians of museum and library culture are trying to shift responsibility for the mistake to their “subcontractors.” In particular, Vremya Novostey’s source in the Ministry of Health and Social Development claims that Tatyana Golikova’s department was just a consolidator of the classifier of professions, and proposals for specific positions were made by line ministries. Thus, officials of the Ministry of Culture “forgot” to mention the supposed positions of museum research staff. In turn, Alexander Safonov assured that the Ministry of Health and Social Development has now “managed to establish principles of interaction” with the Union of Museums of Russia and the Russian Library Association; the comments of professional communities are recognized as fair and will be taken into account.

Apparently, the leaders of professional associations were satisfied with the results of the meeting held yesterday at the Ministry of Health and Social Development, who achieved a kind of “safe conduct” for scientific employees of libraries and museums. Executive Director of the Union of Museums of Russia Lyudmila Alexandrova and Head of the Russian Library Association Vladimir Zaitsev expressed the hope that now the work of museum and library researchers will not only be recognized as significant for culture, but also appreciated.

Ivan GORDEEV