Recognizing 25 Years in the SVI Library: Halyna Ostapchuk
Anastasia Baczynskyj (left) and Halyna Ostapchuk (right)
The difference between a good librarian and a great librarian is focus.
It might seem obvious that great librarians focus on books. In fact, the opposite is true. Good librarians focus on books. Great librarians focus on people.
A library is not simply a collection of books to organize and protect. Although libraries are among civilization’s greatest accomplishments, great librarians understand that they exist to help people make civilization better. They take the time to listen to their patrons in order to provide the exact resources needed for research, learning, and discovery. They care deeply about those they serve, knowing that readers and researchers will one day contribute to a better society. In time, that knowledge returns to the library in the form of new ideas and new information. Great librarians understand this cycle.
Pani Halyna Ostapchuk was one of them.
Halyna Ostapchuk came to the SVI Library in 2000. Born into a fiercely patriotic family, she was born in Siberia, where her parents were exiled in the mid-20th century for supporting Ukrainian independence. In 1961, at the age of eleven, her family returned to Ukraine. Intelligent and naturally curious, Halyna was a model student who read widely and approached her studies with dedication. After graduating, she began working at the Architectural Museum in Lviv, where she gained invaluable experience with Ukrainian history, culture, and collections.
In the early 1980s, she met her husband, Victor. His academic career led them to travel between North America and Europe for many years. When fate eventually brought them to Canada, Halyna applied for a position at the SVI Library. Andrew Gregorovich immediately recognized her as the perfect fit. With her hiring, the transformation of the SVI Library began.
A library is much like a garden. You seed it with new books, tend to it, sort through it, and sometimes dig deeply to find what you need. You get down on your hands and knees, get your hands dirty, and guard against pests. Even the process of discarding books is called “weeding.” When Halyna arrived, the SVI Library relied on a general paper-based catalog, with no special collections or archival conservation practices. The collection was vast and varied, and there was a great deal of ground to break.
Halyna set to work immediately. She inspired members of the Ukrainian academic community to support her efforts, including the late Andrij Makuch, the late Wasyl Sydorenko, Nadia Sydorenko, Ksenia Kiebuzinski, and many others at Ukrainian institutions around the world. With their help, she created a professionally organized library with a fully digitized catalog, following Library of Congress guidelines to better align with major Ukrainian collections. Today, SVI holds one of the most up-to-date community Ukrainian collections in Canada.
The magnitude of this work cannot be overstated. Cultivating a collection is demanding and often backbreaking, but as any gardener knows, it is a labour of love. Halyna understood that this work was not for her benefit, but for the benefit of others.
Others like me.
I wrote my Master’s thesis at the University of Toronto on the Ukrainian community in Toronto. Because the topic was highly specialized, I conducted most of my research at the SVI Library. It was there that I first met Pani Halyna. Her knowledge went far beyond pointing me toward the right books. She showed me the exact pages I needed, guided me to the right sources and the right people, fact-checked my work, and allowed me to spend countless hours in the library. She gave her time generously and with care.
She understood that books matter only if they help people create more knowledge.
Halyna Ostapchuk’s magnum opus was the creation of a world-class library. But that is not her true legacy. Her legacy lives in the research made possible through her guidance. Like an orchard, the true fruits of her labour can be found in the pages of books written with her help, now resting on the very shelves she cultivated. Mine is just one among many.
As the new librarian at SVI, I hope to continue in her footsteps by serving people while tending the garden she helped grow. She understood that the tree of knowledge at SVI can give rise to entire forests of truth. And our civilization needs those forests now more than ever.
We at SVI extend our deepest gratitude to Pani Halyna for 25 years of service to our library, our community, and our world.
by Anastasia Baczynskyj
New SVI Librarian
Our team at SVI would like to extend a warm welcome to Anastasia Baczynskyj, who joined us as our Librarian in September!
Library Hours
Monday 9 AM – 4 PM
Tuesday 11 AM – 7 PM
Wednesday 9 AM – 5 PM
Thursday 9 AM – 5 PM
Friday 9 AM – 4 PM
Our library holds a wide range of Ukrainian books in Ukrainian and in English, as well as books about Ukraine. You’ll also find graphic novels, new translations, academic titles, research materials, vinyl records, and more.
Whether you’re here for inspiration, research, learning, or simply a good read or listen, our wonderful librarians are here to help you navigate our collection!
