The Triumph of the Spirit... (Bibliographers of the National Library of Russia During the Great Patriotic War)

In the light of the tasks of revealing the historical truth about the Great Patriotic War (1941—1945), the work of the bibliographers of the National Library of Russia (the Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library) during the war, especially during the Siege of Leningrad, is reviewed, and their multifaceted bibliographic activities (including scientific ones) are presented. The article analyzes the reference and bibliographic services provided by representatives of the rear services and the front, the preparation of literature lists based on requests from organizations and individual readers, and the special importance of bibliographic information on military topics during that period, as well as in order to overcome the consequences of wounds and starvation. The names of the authors of the most significant bibliographic manuals are indicated. The steadfastness of the bibliographers who worked in the library and made, as far as possible, an invaluable contribution to ensuring the Great Victory was emphasized.