Vil Zainulovich Galiev – Bibliographer, Bibliologist, Historian of Librarianship in Kazakhstan. To the 85th Anniversary of his Birth

The article is dedicated to the memory of the famous Kazakh historian Professor V. Z. Galiev (25.02.1938–22.06.2017), the author of numerous works on various aspects of the history of Kazakhstan in the late XVII – early XX centuries. The purpose of the article is to elucidate the scientist’s contribution to the study of problems of book and library culture in Kazakhstan. The researches on Russian political exile in Kazakhstan in the 19th century formed the initial core of his scientific interests. The research interest in bibliography, library science, book studies, and history of librarianship in Kazakhstan occupied the special place in his creative work. V. Z. Galiev’s works contributed to the refutation of the thesis about the absence of book and library culture in Kazakhstan in the pre-revolutionary period; they have important methodological significance for modern librarianship researchers.