Historical background

History of Kherson State Maritime Academy Library

1834 – (year of foundation) library of Kherson Merchant Shipping School

1904 – Library of Ocean Naval School

1920 – Library of Kherson Technical School of Marine Transport

1930 – Library of Kherson Maritime Technical School

1944 – Library of Kherson Maritime School of the Ministry of the Merchant Fleet of the USSR

1970 – Library of Kherson Naval School after Lieutenant Schmidt

1996 – Library of Kherson Maritime College

2007 – Library of Kherson State Maritime Institute

2011 – Library of Kherson State Maritime Academy

KSMA Library has a long history, having always been a faithful assistant to cadets and teachers in their mastering of knowledge.

The history of KSMA Library dates back to 1834, when a Merchant Shipping School was founded. Unfortunately, the work of the library in the first years of its foundation and in the XIX century is almost unknown.

According to State Archives of the Kherson region, in September 1845 Emperor Nicholas I inspected the territory of Kherson Merchant Shipping School and the library, zoological and mineralogical collections,  and navigational instruments. This fact proves the existence of Library in the first years of Kherson Merchant Shipping School work.

In July 1881, a new room was built for Kherson third-class voyagers. There were nine rooms in the new building; one of them was the museum, where the most valuable things were stored, including a thousand copies of scientific and historical books as well as fiction and textbooks.

In late eighties of XIX century, the library of third-class voyagers was significantly replenished with textbooks, popular and fiction books, and periodicals. In 1887, the library had 1,573 items of books, including 647 textbooks.

During the revolutionary events of 1905-1907, students of Ocean Naval School sent a petition to the head with demands, relating the library as well:

  • urgently compile textbooks for seafaring schools and provide them in sufficient number;
  • expand the catalog of the library and at the request of students lend them the books without hindrance;
  • arrange a reading room with enough newspapers…

In 1907, the facilities of the school improved: electric lighting was installed, the premises with a recreation hall, library, and tool room were built.

During the First World War, Civil War and the intervention, Ocean Naval School preserved its property and in 1920, the school had a 5,000-volume library and a full-time librarian.

During the Second World War, and the occupation of Kherson, Kherson Maritime Technical School did not work as its building as well as training and laboratory facilities were destroyed. The entire book fund and the library documents were destroyed.

The school, and hence the library were reopened in 1944. Thanks to the efforts of technical libraries of different cities of the country, the library fund began to form and grow. At the beginning of the 1944-1945 academic year, there were 3362 items in the library.

In the 1950s -1960s the fund was replenished with educational literature, and a fairly large fund of fiction was formed in the library.

1970s – 1980s was the period of library development and intensive increase of the book fund. Library working standards increased, and the book fund was actively replenished. The library constantly improved the forms and methods of its work. Differentiated reader service was introduced. Open access to fiction was introduced at the subscription department.

In 2007, the fund of former shipbuilding technical school with location at Kherson State Maritime Institute (now building 1 of KSMA) was signed off to KSMI library. At the same time, the College library became the part of KSMI library system. Since 2011 it belongs to KSMA library system.

Unique book editions from the funds of Kherson State Maritime Academy Library

  1. Abel T. B. Ostoychivost’ i morekhodnost sudov. – M.: Gostransizdat, 1935. – 272 s. (Stability and navigation of ships.)
  2. Anglo-russkiy slovar  po obshchemu mashinostroyeniyu /pod red. N. S. Acherkana. – M.: Glavnaya redaktsiya tekh. entsiklopediy i slovarey, 1937. – 575 s. (The English-Russian Dictionary of General Engineering)
  3. Gogol N. V. Taras Bulba : povest. Avtolitografii Ye. Kibrika. – M. – L., Detizdat, 1948. – 154 s. il. (Taras Bulba: a story. Autolithographs by E. Kibrik with pictures)
  4. Hrakov  B. M. Skify / AN URSR, Instytut arkheolohii. – Kyiv: Akademiia nauk KRSR, 1947.  – 95 s.: yl. (Scythians / Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Institute of Archeology. – Kyiv: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1947. – 95 p.: pic.)
  5. Gorchakov A. V., Vashurova T. A., Shayeva M. I. Termicheskaya obrabotka i ispolzovaniye zameniteley bystrorezhushchey stali. – M.: Chernaya metallurgiya. – 1941 s. (Heat treatment and the use of substitutes for high-speed steel, Moscow: Ferrous metallurgy, 1941 p.)
  6. Dembovetskiy V. E. Kratkaya istoriya korablya. – M.-L.: Ogiz gostransizdat, 1932. – 152 s.
  7. (Brief history of the ship. – M. – L.: Ogiz State Publishing House, 1932. – 152 p.)
  8. Kartiny Drezdenskoy galerei: vystavka v Gos. muzeye izobrazit. iskusstv im. A. S. Pushkina v Moskve 2 maya – 20 avgusta 1955 goda. – 87 reproduktsii. (Pictures of Dresden Gallery: an exhibition in Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow May 2 – August 20, 1955. – 87 items.)
  9. Lisyanskiy,  Yu. F. Puteshestviye vokrug sveta na korable « Neva» v 1803-1806 godakh / Yu. F. Lisyanskiy. – M.: OGIZ, 1947. – 294 s.: il. (Travel around the world on the Neva ship in 1803-1806 – M.: OGIZ, 1947. – 294 p.: pic.)
  10. Okorskiy L. S. Sudovyye sistemy. – M.: Oborongiz, 1947. – 480 s. (Ship systems. – M.: Oborongiz, 1947. – 480 p.)
  11. Perlya Z. Lineynyy korabl’. – M.: Voyenizdat, 1948. – 151s. (Battleship. – Moscow: Military Publishing, 1948. –151 p.)
  12. Perlia Z. Boiovi korabli: Istoriia boiovykh korabliv. – Lviv, 1948. – 256 s.  maliunky. (History of warships. – Lviv, 1948. – 256 p.: pic.)
  13. Sakellary N. A. Navyhatsyya: uchebnyk dlya Vtuzov y morskykh tekhnykumov pod red. P. V. Messer. – 4-e yzd., pererab. y dop. – L. – M.: Hos. trans.-tekh. yzdat, 1937. – 296 s. (Navigation: a textbook for universities and marine technical schools, ed. P. W. Messer. – 4th ed., Revised and supplemented. – L. – M.: State publishing, 1937. – 296 p.)
  14. Slovo o polku Ihorovie/ Fotokopiia vydannia 1800 r./ Pereklad M. K. Hrunskoho. – K.: Derzh. vyd-vo khudozh. lit-ry Ukrainy, 1952. – 117 s. (The Tale of Igor’s Campaign/ Photocopy of 1800 edition / Translated by M. K. Grunsky. – K.: Fiction State Publishing House of Ukraine, 1952. – 117 p.)
  15. Tekhnicheskaya entsiklopediya. T. 15/ Gl. red. L. K. Martens. – M.: Sov. Entsiklopediya, 1931. – 943 s. (Technical encyclopedia. Volume 15 / Ch. ed. L. K. Martens. – M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1931. – 943 p.)
  16. Yunker V. V. Puteshestviya po Afrike (1877-1878 i 1879-1886): sokrashchennoye izdaniye. – M.: Ogiz, 1949. – 503 s. (Travels in Africa (1877-1878 and 1879-1886): abridged edition. – M.: Ogiz, 1949. – 503 p.)