Libraries of Tomsk Sunday schools of 19th - early 20th centuries

In the middle of the 19th century Russia had various forms of teaching children and adults the spiritual and moral education and literacy on Sundays: Sunday talks, readings, lectures with presentations. During this period, Sunday schools of general education began to appear as independent schools. In Tomsk, the first Sunday schools opened in the 1860s. But after a couple of years they closed. Once again, this type of education appeared in the city in 1881, when two Sunday schools (male and female) opened. The School Boards of these institutions set up school libraries. However, there were no funds for the establishment of libraries. Therefore, Sunday School Boards represented by Chairman of the College Commission P.I. Makushin addressed to Tomsk Duma with a request for money to form school book collections, and for permission to purchase books that were not in the Ministerial catalog for Sunday adult school. Tomsk City Duma granted the permission. To form libraries in Sunday schools, it began to annually give 100 rubles to a school. However, due to financial problems, in the period from 1891-1892 to January 1899, Tomsk City Duma gave only 50 rubles a year for each institution. Despite all the measures taken the funds of the libraries of Tomsk Sunday schools were scarce. Every year they were updated and renewed, but still needed more books, which was difficult to satisfy due to the little money. Thus, we can say that School Boards understood the need in book collections formation in schools, which resulted in opening libraries at Tomsk Sunday schools.

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