Волошин Д. - Бібліотеки в умовах війни: історичний аспект (2025)

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Voloshyn Dmytro

Libraries during a War: a Historical Aspect

Abstract: The historical experience of library activities in Ukraine and beyond under conditions of war, occupation, and political repression serves as an important source for understanding the role of libraries in preserving national culture, education, and identity. Of particular interest is the experience of libraries in three contexts: during occupation regimes on the territory of Ukraine, when libraries were destroyed, censored, looted, or used by occupying authorities for propaganda; outside Ukraine, in camps for prisoner-of-war, internment, and displaced persons, where libraries played the role of educational and cultural centers for preserving national identity and community self-organization; and under state censorship and ideological pressure during wartime and political persecution in the Russian Empire and the USSR, when library activities were under strict control, subjected to ideological influence, and used as both a tool of propaganda and intellectual resistance. The study of library activities in such extreme conditions demonstrates that libraries have already developed practices for operating in situations similar to contemporary challenges. They were in operation even under occupation and censorship, facilitated the distribution of literature, organized the preservation of book collections, and provided informational support to scholars, military personnel, and citizens. Examination of libraries experience not only allows to reconstruct a comprehensive picture of library functioning during crisis periods but also contributes to understanding their social role as centers for preserving cultural memory, shaping national consciousness, and providing informational resistance. The relevance of this research is driven by the need to comprehend historical library practices in critical periods and their role in supporting national culture under conditions of war and censorship. Systematizing this experience contributes to developing modern strategies for the functioning of libraries in crisis situations, particularly during wars, information confrontations, and under political pressure. The aim of the article is to collect, systematize, and scientifically analyze the experience of library operations under occupation, self-organization in camps outside Ukraine, and work under state censorship.

Keywords: evacuation of library collections, war, prisoner-of-war camps, DP (Displaced Persons) libraries, libraries of Ukrainian emigration, ideological control.


Author(s) citation:

Cite:
Voloshyn Dmytro (2025). Libraries during a War: a Historical Aspect. Academic Papers of V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine, (74) 143-175. (In Ukrainan). doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/np.74.143

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