The First Librarian of the University Library

This article is devoted to J. Belen-de-Ballu (fr. Jacques Nicolas Belin de Ballu; 28.02.1753, Paris – 16.06.1815, St. Petersburg), who was one the first professors of Kharkiv University and the first librarian of the university's book depository. The period of his activity coincided with the foundation and the initial phase of existing (1804-1811) of the first secular educational institution in Eastern Europe. The article contains the record of his early activities as a scientist and a translator. It was one of his Lukian's translations published in six volumes in the 1880s that helped J. Belen-de-Ballu to be elected as a member of Academie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in Paris. In Kharkiv University J. Belen-de-Ballu taught Greek, Latin and French literature, Greek grammar, Italian, Greek archeology and the rules of eloquence. He was elected the dean of the department of literature of the Philosophy faculty in 1808-1809. This article also describes the history of Kharkiv imperial library foundation and the beginning of forming of its book fund. The ways of book fund receipts (gifts, donations, publications of the university typography etc.) are also investigated in the article. J. Belen-de-Ballu contributed a lot to the foundation and development of the library and the organization of library stock. He sorted the books, added them into the catalog, compiled the lists of literature and selected the books that needed interlacing. The article also contains information about the two speeches givenby J. Belen-de-Ballu on the Kharkiv university opening date (January 17, 1805) and on the solemn assembly (August 30, 1807). The first librarian of the university was also the one to research and describe 17 unique Greek manuscripts of XII-XVIII centuries that were acquired by the university in 1806. The article contains excerpts from memoirs of contemporaries about the life of the professor in the period of his activity in Kharkiv and the list of the books with autographs of Belen-de-Ballu, that are still kept in the rare books fund Central Scientific Library at the Karazin National University.