Officers Library of the Military Assembly of the Leib Guard 1st Artillery Brigade

The Artillery Department had good organization and condition of libraries and librarianship. The Officers library of the Military assembly of the Leib Guard 1st artillery brigade may serve as an example. There is considered its activity in the second half of the 19th — early 20th century, there is also analyzed “Regulations on the Officers Assembly of the Leib Guard 1st Artillery Brigade” of 1893 and “Particular Rules of the Officers Assembly of the Leib Guard 1st Artillery Brigade” of 1903 and 1908 regarding the structure and activity of libraries.

Librarian was elected by the Officers society. There was a membership fee to the needs of library, as well as the lump-sum payment “For the library”. The decision to purchase the books to the library was taken by the Administrative Committee depending on the funds and the number of readers wishing to use the particular publications. The main catalogue was reissued in every 3—5 and then 7 years. All the new arrivals were amended to the supplement to the main directory. Books could be loaned from the library in the amount not exceeding six volumes, for 30 days period of use, and for 10 days if there were demands from other readers for these publications, and educational books — for 2 months. It was forbidden to make notes in the books. In the case of damage or loss of the edition the reader had to reimburse the full price of the book. In the summer the part of the library books was transported to the Krasnoselsky camp. The periodicals collection was constantly replenished.

The first catalogue of books was compiled by Staff Captain I.P. Gribunin, and then supplemented by Lieutenant N.M. Furman. N.M. Furman also prepared three additions to the main catalogue. In 1901, Staff Captain I.S. Veshnyakov reissued systematic catalogue of library books, containing 2577 titles, and prepared four additions to it. The duties of the head of library included the maintenance of catalogue; the Librarian was also responsible for all property, for establishing reporting and presenting proposals on the work of library. In 1908 there was published the systematic catalogue, which included 5771 titles. The Military assembly of brigade had also a museum. 

1. Katalog knig biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady: 1-go sentyabrya 1893 g. [Catalogue of Books of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade: September 1, 1893]. St. Petersburg, Parovaya Skoropechatnya G.P. Pozharova Publ., 1893, 89 p.

2. Dopolnenie № 1. Katalog knig biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady, izdannyi v 1893 g.: 1-go yanvarya 1894 g. [Supplement No. 1. Catalogue of Books of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade, Published in 1893: January 1, 1894]. St. Petersburg, 1894, 4 p.

3. Dopolnenie № 2 (i № 3) kataloga knig biblioteki leibgvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady, izdannogo v 1893 g. [Supplement No. 2 (and No. 3) of the Catalogue of Books of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade, Published in 1893]. St. Petersburg, 1896, 5, 7 p.

4. Sistematicheskii katalog biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady [Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade]. St. Petersburg, Parovaya Skoropechatnya G.P. Pozharova Publ., 1901, [2], V, 84 p.

5. Dopolnenie k Sistematicheskomu katalogu biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady: po 1-e avgusta 1902 g. [Supplement to the Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade: till August 1, 1902]. St. Petersburg, 1902, 6 p.

6. Dopolnenie k Sistematicheskomu katalogu biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady: po 1-e avgusta 1903 g. [Supplement to the Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade: till August 1, 1903]. St. Petersburg, 1903, 10 p.

7. Dopolnenie k Sistematicheskomu katalogu biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady: po 1-e avgusta 1904 g. [Supplement to the Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade: till August 1, 1904]. St. Petersburg, 1904, 17 p.

8. Dopolnenie k Sistematicheskomu katalogu biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady po 1-e avgusta 1905 g. [Supplement to the Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade: till August 1, 1905]. St. Petersburg, 1905, 28 p.

9. Chastnye pravila ofitserskogo sobraniya leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady v dopolnenie k “Polozheniyu ob ofitserskikh sobraniyakh v otdel’nykh chastyakh voisk” [Specific Rules of the Officers Assembly of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade in Addition to the “Regulations on Officers Assemblies in Certain Military Units”]. St. Petersburg, Amerikanskaya Skoropechatnya Publ., 1903, 37 p.

10. Chastnye pravila ofitserskogo sobraniya leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady v dopolnenie k “Polozheniyu ob ofitserskikh sobraniyakh v otdel’nykh chastyakh voisk” [Specific Rules of the Officers Assembly of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade in Addition to the “Regulations on Officers Assemblies in Certain Military Units”]. St. Petersburg, 1908, 40 p.

11. Sistematicheskii katalog biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady [Systematic Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade]. St. Petersburg, 1908, 183, III p.

12. Dopolnenie k katalogu biblioteki leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady [Supplement to the Catalogue of the Library of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade]. St. Petersburg, 1911, 42 p.

13. Ergolsky A. Biblioteki v voiskovykh chastyakh [Libraries in Military Units], Voennyi sbornik [Military Collection], 1912, no. 9, pp. 92.

14. Panchenko A.M. “Muzei dolzhen davat’ naglyadnuyu i velichestvennuyu kartinu slavnogo proshlogo brigady” (Ob istoricheskom muzee s bibliotekoi pri nem leib-gvardii 1-i artilleriiskoi brigady Russkoi armii) [“The Museum Should Give a Clear and Majestic View of the Glorious Past of the Brigade” (About the Historical Museum with a Library in It of the Leib Guard of the 1st Artillery Brigade of the Russian Army)], Istoriya i istoriografiya Rossii i Sibiri v issledovatel’skom i obrazovatel’nom kontekstakh: materialy Vseros. nauch.-prakt. konf. (Novosibirsk, 15—16 apr. 2014 g.) [Proceedings of the All-Russian Sci.-Prac. Conf. “The History and Historiography of Russia and Siberia in Research and Educational Contexts” (Novosibirsk, April 15—16, 2014)]. Novosibirsk, FGBOU VPO “NGPU” Publ., 2014, pp. 291— 297.

15. Ob ustroistve voennykh sobranii i obshchikh ofitserskikh stolov [On the Structure of Military Assemblies and General Officers Tables], Voennyi sbornik [Military Collection], 1871, no. 9, p. 75.