Library History as a Current Topic of Scholarly Discourse

On 23—24 May 2023 the Russian State Library (RSL) hosted the International Scientific and Practical Conference “History of Libraries: New Approaches, Methods, Sources, Results” in a face-to-face format. It was organized by RSL and the Russian Library Association. The aim of the event was to contribute to the development of research work in the field of library history. The conference brought together over 200 representatives of public, academic, higher education and school libraries, institutes of culture, institutes of the Russian Academy of Science and other cultural, education and science institutions from seven CIS countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Uzbekistan and 44 Russian regions. According to the results of online broadcasting of the sessions, organised on the YouTube channel of RSL, more than 1280 views were recorded. The conference program included plenary and breakout sessions (“Library as an Object of Historical and Library Studies”, “Library Biography as a Field of Historical and Library Studies”, “History of a Single Library”, “Current State and Prospects of Research in the Field of Library History”). A special conference session was dedicated to the study of library’s history during the Great Patriotic War (1941—1945). A total of 53 reports were presented by full-time and distance participants from Azerbaijan, Belarus and 18 Russian regions. The reports of the Conference discussed the theoretical and methodological grounds for studying the history of libraries as an interdisciplinary scientific field; presented the experience and results of the research conducted both by the largest libraries — centers of library science (national and academic libraries, institutes of culture of Russia, Azerbaijan and Belarus) and other libraries of CIS member states (central regional, city, rural, university and museum libraries).

1. On Approving the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values: Decree of President of the Russian Federation of 09.11.2022, no. 809, President of Russia: official website. Available at: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/48502 (accessed 16.06.2023) (in Russ.).

2. Samarin A.Yu. (ed.) Nauchnye issledovaniya v bibliotekakh: tematika, organizatsiya, predstavlenie rezul’tatov: monografiya [Scientific Research in Libraries: Its Subject, Organization, Presentation of Results: monograph]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2023, 326 p.

3. Samarin A.Yu., Tikunova I.P. The Russian State Library’s Research Work in the Year of Science and Technology: Main Results of Research, Rumyantsevskie chteniya — 2022. Ch. 2 [Rumyantsev Readings — 2022. Part 2]. Moscow, 2022, pp. 483—491 (in Russ.).

4. Dvorkina M.Ya. The Scientific Conference “Library in the Context of History”, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2013, no. 6, pp. 98—101 (in Russ.).

5. Dvorkina M.Ya. Twenty Years of the Project “Library in the Context of History”, Biblioteka v kontekste istorii: materialy 10-i Vserossiiskoi s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem nauchnoi konferentsii, Moscow, 3—4 oktyabrya 2013 g. Ch. 1 [Library in the Context of History: Proceedings of the 10th All-Russian Research Conference with International Participation, Moscow, October 3—4, 2013. Part 1]. Moscow, 2013, pp. 3—8 (in Russ.).

6. Russian State Library, YouTube Channel. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/RussianStateLibrary/videos (accessed 24.06.2023) (in Russ.).

7. Abramov K.I. Tasks of Library Historical Science, Biblioteka v kontekste istorii: tezisy dokladov i soobshchenii tret’ei nauchnoi konferentsii. Ch. 1 [Library in the Context of History: Abstracts and Reports of the 3rd Scientific Conference. Part 1]. Moscow, 1999, pp. 7—9 (in Russ.).

8. Vaneev A.N. Library Science in Russia of the Late 20th Century: General Theoretical Concepts and Discussions. St. Petersburg, 2007, 246 p. (in Russ.).

9. Grigoriev Yu.V. To the Study of the Soviet Librarianship History, Kniga. Issledovaniya i materialy [Book. Research and Materials]. Moscow, 1966, no. 12, pp. 77—92 (in Russ.).

10. Mazuritsky A.M. Propaganda Literature about the Heroic Past of Our Country during the Great Patriotic War, Iskusstvo i kul’tura v kontekste vremeni: traditsii, innovatsii, perspektivy [Art and Culture in the Context of Time: Traditions, Innovations. Prospects]. Volgograd, 2022, pp. 300—309 (in Russ.).

11. Samarin A.Yu., Tikunova I.P. Scientific Work of the Russian State Library: Its Subjects and Presentation of Results, Nauchnye i tekhnicheskie biblioteki [Scientific and Technical Libraries], 2019, no. 8, pp. 5—19. DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2019-8-5-19 (in Russ.).

12. Levin G.L. (ed.) Ocherki razvitiya bibliograficheskoi deyatel’nosti Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki: monografiya [Essays on Bibliographic Activity of the Russian State Library: monograph]. Moscow, 2022, 734 p.

13. Antonenko A.N., Matveev M.Yu., Mikheeva G.V. (eds.) Istoriya Rossiiskoi natsional’noi biblioteki (1963—2013) [History of the National Library of Russia, 1963—2013]. St. Petersburg, 2016, 275 p.

14. Golubeva O.D. V.I. Sobolshchikov. St. Petersburg, 2001, 200 p. (in Russ.).

15. Ogneva E.M., Sharnenkova M.A. (eds.) 100 let: vse bylo, est’ i budet snova!: k 100-letiyu Lipetskoi oblastnoi universal’noi nauchnoi biblioteki [100 Years: All That Was or Is and Will Be Again!: To the 100th Anniversary of the Lipetsk Regional Universal Scientific Library]. Lipetsk, 2018, 178 p.

16. Treskina O.P., Shumilova A.V. Tsentral’naya gorodskaya biblioteka imeni M.V. Lomonosova (1911—2011 gg.): proshloe i nastoyashchee: istoricheskii ocherk [The Lomonosov Central City Library (1911—2011): Past and Present: historical essay]. Arkhangelsk, 2012, 233 p.