Library of the Kuban State Agrarian University Named After I.T. Trubilin During the Great Patriotic War

During the Great Patriotic War, libraries at higher education institutions performed a tremendous amount of work, informing the public about the progress of military operations and boosting morale. The staff of these libraries continued to support the educational process and provided faculty with necessary literature. Librarians completed collections, processed incoming literature, and carried out evacuation and inventory operations. This article is devoted to the history of the library of the Kuban State Agrarian University named after I.T. Trubilin during the Great Patriotic War. Currently, information about the work of this academic library for that period is rarely found in the scientific literature. The study aims to reveal the main aspects of the library’s activities in the time of war and to consistently depict the features of its functioning. An analysis of the material condition and operating hours of the library by mid-June 1941 is provided. The specifics of the library’s work in the first years of the war, when great importance was attached to agitational and patriotic work and informing the population about the progress of military operations are reflected. Detailed information is provided on the state of preservation of the library collections of two institutes: the Krasnodar Institute of Winemaking and Viticulture (as the Kuban State Agrarian University was called at that time) and the Krasnodar Chemical-Technological Institute of the Fat Industry. In 1943, they were merged into a new higher educational institution — the Krasnodar Institute of Food Industry. Particular attention is given to the organization of the work of the institute and its library after the liberation of the city from the Nazi invaders. The article covers their location and financial situation, the interactions between the library’s various departments and students and faculty, the large-scale inventory of the unified institute’s library collection, and the resolution of literature shortages and acquisitions from 1943 to 1945. The patriotism and dedication of their staff enabled the libraries to survive the first months of the war and the occupation of the city, returning to full operation in the spring of 1943 and becoming a key element in the educational, methodological, and research work of the unified institute.

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