The Great Patriotic War and Libraries: Results of the Latest Scientific Research

On May 14—15, the Russian State Library (RSL) hosted the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation “Preserving the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries”, organized with the support of the Russian Library Association. The forum brought together more than 500 specialists from 63 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and South Ossetia. Colleagues presented research work on studying the history of libraries during the war years and modern activities to preserve the historical truth about the events of 1941—1945. The event was held in the format of a plenary session and three sections: “Library and Information Resources About the Great Patriotic War”, “Activities of Libraries to Preserve Historical Memory and Patriotic Education of the Population”, “Libraries and Librarians in the War Years: Pages of History”. Within the framework of the conference a round table “Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War in the Activities of Libraries of New Subjects of Russia” was held, where historical and cultural projects of libraries of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk People’s Republic and Kherson region were presented. The conference held in the Russian State Library showed that research and historical-educational activities of libraries to preserve the historical memory and heritage of the war years is a systematic work that confirms its demand by the interest of readers. The publishing house of the Russian State Library “Pashkov Dom” published a collection of conference materials. It presents articles on successful practices of libraries in the field of historical education, which can be used as methodological models and implemented in libraries of all types.

1. On the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in the Russian Federation: Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of January 16, 2025, no. 28, Ofitsial’nyi internet-portal pravovoi informatsii [Official Internet Portal of Legal Information]. Available at: http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/ 0001202501160039 (accessed 20.06.2025) (in Russ.).

2. Samarin A.Yu. (ed.) Stranitsy Pobedy: Leninka v 1941—1945 godakh: Khronika. Dokumenty. Vospominaniya [Pages of Victory: Leninka in 1941—1945: Chronicle. Documents. Memories]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, 244 p.

3. Mazuritsky A.M., Nikonorova E.V. Heroic Heritage and Consolidating Potential of Russian Libraries, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2025, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 7—23. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2025-74-1-7-23 (in Russ.).

4. Samarin A.Yu, Shibaeva E.A., Ryzhkova N.O. Projects of the Russian State Library for the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2025, vol. 74, no. 3, pp. 199—213. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2025-74-3-199-213 (in Russ.).

5. Samarin A.Yu. Preservation of Historical Memory in the Publishing Projects of the Russian State Library 2023—2024, Materialy XI Mezhdunarodnogo kongressa “Biblioteka kak fenomen kul’tury”, posvyashchennogo 80-letiyu osvobozhdeniya Belarusi ot nemetsko-fashistskikh zakhvatchikov, Minsk, 24—25 oktyabrya 2024 g. [Proceedings of the 11th International Congress “Library as a Cultural Phenomenon”, Dedicated to the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belarus from Nazi Invaders, Minsk, October 24—25, 2024]. Minsk, 2024, pp. 22—27 (in Russ.).

6. Karlova S.V. The Comprehensive Programme “We Know, Take Pride and Remember” as a Form of Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: From the Experience of Lugansk Youth Library, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 128—134 (in Russ.).

7. Levin G.L. Bibliographic Editions of the Russian State Library About the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 188—193 (in Russ.).

8. Shaposhnikov K.A. “The Immortal Regiment of the Historical Library” From the Experience of Work of the State Public Historical Library of Russia on Preserving the Memory of the Library Staff — Participants of the Great Patriotic War and Home Front Workers, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 376—380.

9. Bogomolova Yu.E. The Project “Hero of the Newspaper Page” Is a One-Stop Resource for Historical Research, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 46—50 (in Russ.).

10. Ponomarenko I.G. Internet Project “Writing the Book of Memory Together”, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 273—277 (in Russ.).

11. Bogdanova I.F., Klimovich I.E. The Project of the Brest Central City Library Named After A.S. Pushkin “In Stone, in Bronze, and in the Memory of the Heart”, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 41—45 (in Russ.).

12. Grimailo O.A., Ivanova E.S. Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War on the Example of Creating a Virtual Museum “Magadan Immortal Regiment”, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 88—91 (in Russ.).

13. Medvedeva T.V. Oral Memories of the Great Patriotic War in the Scientific Library of Moscow State University, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 218—222 (in Russ.).

14. Kononova O.V., Buyanova A.D. Front-Line Librarian Anatoly Aleksandrovich Puzych (1923—1987): The Role of Temtovsky Rural Library in Preserving the Memory of the Hero, Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, pp. 157—161 (in Russ.).

15. Yushkovets V.G. et al. Letopis’ muzhestva shakhterskogo kraya: k 80-letiyu osvobozhdeniya Donbassa ot nemetsko-fashistskikh zakhvatchikov [Chronicle of the Courage of the Mining Region: To the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Donbass from Nazi Invaders]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2023, 136 p.

16. Alieva E.B., Govorova I.A., Yushkovets V.G. (eds.) Saur-Mogila: ot legendy k podvigu [Saur-Mogila: From Legend to Feat]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, 195 p.

17. Tikunova I.P., Neryueva M.V. (eds.) Sokhranenie istoricheskoi pamyati o Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: rol’ bibliotek: materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (14—15 maya 2025 g.) [Preservation of Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (May 14—15, 2025)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2025, 417 p.