The Great Patriotic War: The History of the Russian State Library in Scientific Publications (1991—2025)

In the scientific and publishing activities of the Russian State Library (RSL), one of the important and constant topics is The Library During the Great Patriotic War. The article examines the publications of the RSL and the publications of its staff on the history of the library during the Great Patriotic War, prepared in 1991—2025. Among the book publications devoted to this issue are the collection The Voice of the Past (1991), The Memorial Book of the Russian State Library (1995), the publications The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War: Chronicle of Life (2005), The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War: Front Line (2014), Not Only with Weapons: The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War (2020), published under the editorship of L.M. Koval; the collection of memoirs Remembering Wartime Childhood (2021), prepared by the Council of Veterans of the RSL; the richly illustrated publication Pages of Victory: Leninka in 1941—1945: Chronicle. Documents. Memoirs (2025), published under the supervision of A.Yu. Samarin. Among the articles presented in the professional press, we highlight the materials published in the journal Bibliotekovedenie: Book Exhibitions During the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945 (from the History of the Russian State Library) by E.A. Tatarinova (2009, no. 5), Training of the Lenin Library Staff During the Great Patriotic War by E.B. Dudareva (2010, no. 2), The Lenin State Library of the USSR from Evacuation to the Great Victory (Following the Selected Documents and Photographic Materials of the Archives of the Russian State Library) by A.L. Divnogortsev (2015, no. 3), The Lenin State Library of the USSR During the Great Patriotic War: Preparation and Release of Bibliographic Publications by E.V. Gubina, G.L. Levin, and N.S. Maslovskaya (2020, vol. 69, no. 5). We also note the article by A.L. Divnogortsev, Lenin’s Library Employees in the Days of the Battle of Moscow, published in the journal Scientific and Technical Libraries (2016, no. 9). The activities of the State Library of the USSR named after V.I. Lenin (now the RSL) during the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945 are discussed in a number of presentations by RSL employees at the conferences Rumyantsev Readings (in various years), Book Culture: The Experience of the Past and the Problems of the Modernity: On the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. One of the key events of 2025 was the All-Russian scientific and practical conference Preserving the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: The Role of Libraries, held at the RSL, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. At the event, RSL specialists delivered 11 papers on the topic, which are presented in the conference proceedings. RSL publications are an important contribution to the history of the institution and the entire librarianship in Russia.

1. Koval L.M. et al. Golos proshlogo: Gosudarstvennaya ordena Lenina biblioteka SSSR im. V.I. Lenina v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny [Voice of the Past: The State Order of Lenin Library of the USSR Named After V.I. Lenin During the Great Patriotic War]. Moscow, GBL Publ., 1991, 135 p.

2. Koval L.M. (ed.) Kniga pamyati Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki [The Memorial Book of the Russian State Library]. Moscow, 1995, 261 p.

3. Koval L.M. (ed.) Rossiiskaya gosudarstvennaya biblioteka v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny: khronika zhizni [The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War: Chronicle of Life]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2005, 373 p.

4. Divnogortsev A.L. (ed.) Bibliotechnoe delo v Rossii v period Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny (iyun’ 1941 g. — mai 1945) [Librarianship in Russia During the Great Patriotic War (June 1941 — May 1945)]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2000, 421 p.

5. Koval L.M. (ed.) Rossiiskaya gosudarstvennaya biblioteka v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny: liniya fronta [The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War: Front Line]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2014, 180 p.

6. Koval L.M. Ne tol’ko oruzhiem: Rossiiskaya gosudarstvennaya biblioteka v gody Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny [Not Only with Weapons: The Russian State Library During the Great Patriotic War]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2020, 205 p.

7. Zhegunova O.G. (ed.) Vspominaya voennoe detstvo: veterany Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki o dnyakh Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny [Remembering Wartime Childhood: Veterans of the Russian State Library on the Days of the Great Patriotic War]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2021, 241 p.

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

9. Klevensky M.M. The State Order of Lenin Library of the USSR Named After V.I. Lenin During the Great Patriotic War, Bibliotekar’ [Librarian], 1946, no. 1, pp. 16—27 (in Russ.).

10. Soldatov V.E. Pashkov Dom as a Leader in Professional Book Publishing: Following the 2025 Competitions, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2025, vol. 74, no. 5, pp. 471—479. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2025-74-5-471-479 (in Russ.).

11. Koval L.M. Pages from the History of the Library. On the 50th Anniversary of Victory, Rumyantsevskie chteniya: materialy nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii po itogam nauchno-issledovatel’skoi raboty Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki (25—27 aprelya 1995 g.): v 2 ch. [Rumyantsev Readings: Proceedings of the Research and Practical Conference on the Results of Research Work by the Russian State Library (April 25—27, 1995): in 2 parts]. Moscow, 1998, part 1, pp. 8—16 (in Russ.).

12. Divnogortsev A.L. The V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR During the Great Patriotic War (Following the Unpublished Archival Documents), Rumyantsevskie chteniya: tezisy dokladov i soobshchenii nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii “Kniga i kul’tura mira v Rossii” (20—21 aprelya 2000 g.) [Rumyantsev Readings: Proceedings of the Research and Practical Conference “Books and World Culture in Russia” (April 20—21, 2000)]. Moscow, 2000, pp. 254—257 (in Russ.).

13. Tatarinova E.A. Book Exhibitions During the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945 (from History of the Russian State Library), Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2009, no. 5, pp. 110—115. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2009-0-5-110-115 (in Russ.).

14. Tatarinova E.A. Vystavochnaya deyatel’nost’ Moskovskogo publichnogo i Rumyantsevskogo muzeev — Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki, 1861—2000 (osnovnye tendentsii razvitiya i preemstvennosti) [Exhibition Activity of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museum — Russian State Library, 1861—2000 (Main Development and Succession Trends)], Cand. his. sci. diss. abstr. Moscow, 2009, 24 p.

15. Dudareva E.B. Training of the Lenin Library Staff During the Great Patriotic War, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2010, no. 2, pp. 122—126. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2010-0-2-122-126 (in Russ.).

16. Dudareva E.B. Stanovlenie professional’noi obrazovatel’noi deyatel’nosti Gosudarstvennoi biblioteki SSSR im. V.I. Lenina: 1920-e — 1940-e gg. [The Development of Professional and Educational Activities of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR: 1920s—1940s], Cand. ped. sci. diss. abstr. Moscow, 2010, 24 p.

17. Divnogortsev A.L. The Lenin State Library of the USSR from Evacuation to the Great Victory (Following the Selected Documents and Photographic Materials of the Archives of the Russian State Library), Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2015, no. 3, pp. 96—103. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2015-0-3-96-103 (in Russ.).

18. Divnogortsev A.L. Lenin’s Library Employees in the Days of the Battle of Moscow, Nauchnye i tekhnicheskie biblioteki [Scientific and Technical Libraries], 2016, no. 9, pp. 111—117. DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2016-9-109-115 (in Russ.).

19. Divnogortsev A.L. International Book Exchange of Lenin State Library During the Great Patriotic War, Knizhnaya kul’tura: opyt proshlogo i problemy sovremennosti: k 70-letiyu Pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: materialy VI Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii, Moscow, 29—30 oktyabrya 2015 g.: v 2 ch. [Book Culture: The Experience of the Past and the Problems of the Modernity: On the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Proceedings of the 6th International Scientific Conference, Moscow, October 29—30, 2015: in 2 parts]. Moscow, 2015, part 1, pp. 84—88 (in Russ.).

20. Divnogortsev A.L. “We’ll Remember the Harsh Autumn...”: (On the 75th Anniversary of the Battle for Moscow), Rumyantsevskie chteniya — 2016: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii Rossiiskoi gosudarstvennoi biblioteki (12—13 aprelya 2016): v 2 ch. [Rumyantsev Readings — 2016: Proceedings of the International Research and Practical Conference of the Russian State Library (April 12—13, 2016): in 2 parts]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2016, part 1, pp. 187—191 (in Russ.).

21. Kabanova N.M. To the History of the Main Library of the Country During the Great Patriotic War, Rumyantsevskie chteniya — 2020: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (21—24 aprelya 2020): v 2 ch. [Rumyantsev Readings — 2020: Proceedings of the International Research and Practical Conference (April 21—24, 2020): in 2 parts]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2020, part 1, pp. 372—377 (in Russ.).

22. Khaitseva L.B. The Library Science Office of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR in the Period From 1935 to 1945, Rumyantsevskie chteniya — 2020: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (21—24 aprelya 2020): v 2 ch. [Rumyantsev Readings — 2020: Proceedings of the International Research and Practical Conference (April 21—24, 2020): in 2 parts]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2020, part 2, pp. 453—459 (in Russ.).

23. Malakhova I.V. The Molotov Branch of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR During the Great Patriotic War, Rumyantsevskie chteniya — 2021: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (21—23 aprelya 2021): v 2 ch. [Rumyantsev Readings — 2021: Proceedings of the International Research and Practical Conference (April 21—23, 2021): in 2 parts]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2021, part 2, pp. 12—18 (in Russ.).

24. Kubryak E.N. Evacuation of Book Collections and Archival Documents from the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR During the Great Patriotic War, Otechestvennye Arkhivy, 2025, no. 4, pp. 14—22 (in Russ.).

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38. Babicheva M.E. Promoting Fiction About the Great Patriotic War Through Advisory Bibliography, Preserving the 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. 10—14 (in Russ.).

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