DECLINE OF CENSORSHIP IN SOVIET LATVIA 1985–1990

• Main Author: Strale, Aina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vilnius University Press 2006-12-01
• Series: Knygotyra
• Subjects: censorship; "perestroika"; Glavlit; publishing; library work; Latvia; 1985-1990
• Online Access: http://www.leidykla.eu/fileadmin/Knygotyra/47/AINA_STRALE.pdf

The liberalisation of censorship started in the middle of 1980s with the transparency (“glasnost”)policy announced by the secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Michail Gorbachev At that time the control of the literature mailed by the emigrants residing abroad was one of the main tasks of Glavlit. In 1985 the total amount of this literature was 1205 printed items. All the literature received from the foreign countries was heldin the special collections of LSSR. In 1986 Glavlit continued to execute regular control over public libraries named at that time mass libraries. The documents of this control reflect the books byrefugee authors (the people who had migrated from the USSR) that have not been sent to the special collection in due time. Though by the end of 1986 “perestroika” and “glasnost” was felt also in the work of Glavlit. On September 4 the Glavlit of the USSR passed the order obliging the censors to concentrate their attention only on the questions concerned with the protection of publishing the state and military secrets in press. The situation of the special collections changed essentially. Under the influence of the transparency (“glasnost”) public attention was focused on these collections. On September 10, 1987 the commission was established with the aim to reexamine the literature of the special collections. Till January 10, 1998 the commission had reexamined 703 books and recommended 131 of them to be placed in the open stock. The listing containing 117 titles was compiled and signed by the commission and the members of the working group. Glavlit passed the order about the legality of this listing. The books and periodical press publications mailed by refugees was still under severe control. In 1988 the readers regained gradually the literature hidden in the special collections for decades and finally got a free access to the exile literature. Although the re-estimation of the content of special collections was slow. For this reason one of the main obstacles on the way of libraries’ democratisation and free access to information was – the special collections. Glavlit itself passed orders with the aim of gradual liquidation of the special collections. The librarians felt heartache most of all about the information “arrested” and hidden in the special collections. In June 1988 the current seminar of the librarians and representatives of the committees of culture of the Baltic republics “LiLaEst” was held in Elbi (Estonia). The main topic of the seminar was special collections and the literature exterminated during the soviet time. Following the initiative of the director of the State Library Andris Vilks the order of the State Committee of Culture of LSSR was drafted “About the preservation and use of Latvian exile literature and Lettonica publications in the State Library of Latvia”. It stated that the storage of Latvian and Lettonica publications is the competence of the director of the State Library and the Acquisitions’ Board of the library. This order was passed on September 6, 1989. In his memories Andris Vilks explains this step to be caused by the desire to merge the special collections with the generally available collection in the utmost speed thus giving the readers a chance to access freely this literature. Glavlit – the Main Office for the Protection of the State Secrets against Press of the Council of Ministers of LSSR – was liquidated according to the order of the Council of Ministers of Latvia from August 10, 1990.