The topic of the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945 remains important and relevant for Russian scholarship. The article aims to present a brief overview of the research activities of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR (GBL, now the Russian State Library) during the war, comparing them with pre-war achievements, identifying the main areas of research, and evaluating its results. On the eve of the war, the GBL was the largest scientific information base in the USSR and was part of the network of research institutions of the RSFSR. Possession of vast collections determined the priorities of its research activities: the study, scientific description, systematization, and introduction into scientific circulation of monuments of book culture, archives of outstanding historical figures, scientists, and cultural figures; development of current and retrospective bibliography; study of problems of cataloging and systematization of documents; conservation and restoration of library documents; study of issues of librarianship organization. With the onset of the Great Patriotic War, the efforts of the GBL staff, regardless of their location, were redirected to tasks primarily related to the preservation and evacuation of collections and defense measures. In June 1941, the personnel situation worsened, and structural changes were made, including within the research departments. Despite the serious adjustments and problems entailed by the Great Patriotic War, scholarly activity at the library did not cease: it took on other forms and addressed issues supporting Victory, not only on the information and library fronts. The primary indicator for assessing the GBL’s scholarly activity was the practical significance of the results obtained. Bibliographical work took first place in terms of thematic breadth and results. At the same time, the study, bibliographical, and scholarly description of archival documents, handwritten and early printed books continued; empirical data for the further development of Soviet library science and book science was actively accumulated, and the theoretical foundations of bibliographical science, collection management, readership (reading guidance), and library management were formed. For their work under difficult wartime conditions, many GBL researchers were awarded government awards.

The article aims to explore the development of underground partisan press during the Great Patriotic War in Belarus. This study draws on documents from the archival collection of Belarusian historian and academician Ivan Sergeevich Kravchenko and the collection of underground partisan newspapers held in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room of the Ya. Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences (CSL NAS) of Belarus.

Archival documents from Coll. 19 (I.S. Kravchenko), aids 1, provide insight into the origins, formation, development, and operating conditions of underground partisan printing houses, as well as the publication of partisan newspapers during the difficult wartime period. Archival sources provide informative material on this issue — reports by underground newspaper correspondents who worked in partisan printing houses during the Nazi occupation. These include reports on the work of the Brest regional newspaper Zarya and the editorial and printing offices of the newspapers Bobruisk Partizan, Narodny Mstsivets (National Avenger), Gomelskaya Pravda, and others.

Important information for researchers studying the history of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War is contained in the sources themselves — newspapers and leaflets from 1941—1945, stored in the files of the I.S. Kravchenko archival collection. These documents include copies of the first underground newspaper, Zvyazda, which was published in Nazi-occupied Minsk. The article emphasizes the leading role of party organs and their assistance in organizing underground printing houses.

The article emphasizes the propaganda role of the partisan press in the fight against the Nazi invaders. Examples of the work of partisan newspaper editors, copies of which are held in the collections of the CSL NAS of Belarus, are provided. The key conclusions are that the partisan press played a key role in preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War.

The Great Patriotic War was not only a test for the population of the Soviet Union but also a time of spiritual achievement and heroism, a time of mobilization by the Russian Orthodox Church. Despite previous years of persecution, the Church was able to support the front, bolster the morale of those under occupation, and expose the true face of fascism. In the year of the Victory anniversary, it is especially important to emphasize that the spiritual legacy of the Russian Orthodox Church is an integral part of shared historical memory and the moral foundation of modern society. In this context, the role of documentary sources — witnesses to the turmoil of war — is increasing. The limited documentary heritage dating from 1941—1945, preserved in the collections of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus named after Ya. Kolas and the library of the Minsk Theological Academy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church named after St. Cyril of Turov, offers a glimpse into church service during the war. These documents formed the basis of the book exhibition The Victory of the Cross of Christ over the Swastika: The Russian Orthodox Church During the Great Patriotic War and are reflected in its catalogue. Leaflets from 1942—1943 that reached occupied Belarus, collections of The Truth About Religion in Russia and The Russian Orthodox Church and the Great Patriotic War, and materials from the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate reveal the depth of the people’s universal resistance and prayerful support. The book exhibition and its catalogue are an important tool for preserving the memory of those who, in word and deed, affirmed truth, faith, and hope during the most difficult times. The publications on display demonstrate the role of the church in strengthening national consciousness, calling for perseverance and self-sacrifice in the name of the Motherland. By implementing such projects, libraries become guardians not only of historical memory but also of a spiritual heritage essential for understanding the Victory.

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.

The Ya. Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences (CSL NAS) of Belarus houses collections containing valuable materials on the history of Belarusian science, including the archives of prominent scientists. The aim of this study is to characterize the personal collection of V.R. Tarasenko (1899—1972) from the collection of the CSL NAS of Belarus as a source on the history of archaeology in the BSSR in the 1940s. V.R. Tarasenko was a Belarusian archaeologist who studied Iron Age and Medieval antiquities and earned a Candidate of Historical Sciences (1947). The 1940s were a tragic period for Belarusian science, due to the events of the Great Patriotic War and its consequences. V.R. Tarasenko’s scientific career illustrates the conditions under which Belarusian archaeology was revived after the liberation. This paper examines a dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences (the first defense in the history of Belarusian archaeology), excavation materials from Minsk, a planned work topic at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, and official documents. V.R. Tarasenko is the author of the first comprehensive works devoted to the history of medieval Minsk based on archaeological and written data. His works are the first in Belarusian historiography to combine available information on the archaeology of the BSSR during the first millennium AD. An important factor that allowed him to resume his research was the opportunity to work with the collections of the State Historical Museum, as well as with scientific publications in the State Library of the USSR named after V.I. Lenin (now the Russian State Library), which is reflected in the materials of Coll. 40 (V.R. Tarasenko) of the CSL NAS of Belarus. An analysis of the researcher’s creative legacy testifies to Tarasenko’s contribution to Belarusian historiography, as well as to the methodological development of archeology in the BSSR in the general context of Soviet archaeological science.

The article is devoted to the scientific, methodological, bibliographical and organizational activities of V.P. Kruglikova during the Great Patriotic War. Vera Petrovna Kruglikova (1889—1972) was one of the leading national subject specialists of the Soviet period, a graduate of the Faculty of History and Philosophy (Department of Russian History) of the Moscow Higher Courses for Women, and fluent in three foreign languages (French, German and English). She began her professional career in the field of bibliography at the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR. In 1930—1934, she worked as a cataloger (subject specialist) in various departments; with her participation, the library’s subject catalogue was prepared before its display in the reading room. V.P. Kruglikova was included in a special systematization group sent to the State Central Book Chamber (SCBC) to organize centralized subject cataloging. In early 1935, V.P. Kruglikova transferred to work at the State Central Collective Office, where by the beginning of the war she had become a leading specialist in the field of centralized subject cataloging. The article focuses on V.P. Kruglikova’s work under the difficult conditions of the Great Patriotic War, when the building of the All-Union Book Chamber (UBC, formerly SCBC) and most of its operational materials (catalogues and card indexes) were destroyed after the bombing in July 1941, and a significant portion of the staff was evacuated to Chkalov (Orenburg). Remaining as part of the Moscow group, V.P. Kruglikova significantly contributed to the restoration of the centralized subject cataloging and cataloging base, without which it was impossible to maintain the quality of all state bibliographic indexes (Chronicles) published during the war. It was she who headed all the methodological work of the UBC during this period, acting not only as a talented organizer, but also as the author of fundamental methodological works. For her dedicated work during the Great Patriotic War, the chief bibliographer of the UBC, V.P. Kruglikova was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor in June 1945.

Based on materials from the personal archive of K.V. Gorev, President of the Academy of Sciences of the Belorussian SSR (AS BSSR, since 1991 — the Academy of Sciences of Belarus, since 1997 — the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, NAS of Belarus), which are housed in the Ya. Kolas Central Scientific Library of the NAS of Belarus, this article explores the activities of the AS BSSR during the evacuation of 1941—1943.

The publication addresses the activities of the scientific center during the first days of the Great Patriotic War. It establishes that the centralized evacuation of the AS BSSR did not take place due to a combination of objective and subjective factors. Key among these were the rapid advance of Wehrmacht forces, the disruption of transport communications, and the sluggishness of those authorized to organize the evacuation of material assets and citizens from the capital of the BSSR.

During the first months of the war, members of the Soviet government, the leaders of the AS BSSR, and individual employees formulated a number of proposals regarding the utilization of the scientific potential of Belarusian scientists during the Great Patriotic War. These proposals included assigning employees of the AS BSSR to research organizations operating in the rear areas of the Soviet state, establishing a branch of the AS BSSR at a scientific institution in Saratov or Kazan, and organizing the AS BSSR as an independent institution. The prevailing viewpoint was that of scientists who advocated resuming the activities of the scientific center during the evacuation. Beginning in early 1942, a number of measures were taken to establish a scientific center in the Uzbek SSR. Scientists defined the research areas for the AS BSSR during wartime and evacuation. Priority was given to studying the economy, raw materials, and agriculture of the Uzbek SSR and restoring the national economy of the BSSR. However, financial problems and the overcrowding of Tashkent with evacuated scientific institutions prevented the establishment of full-fledged work of the Belorussian scientific center in Uzbekistan, which ultimately led to the relocation of the AS BSSR to the Moscow region in 1943.

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.

Index of the Materials