The article examines how deeply and comprehensively the main theoretical issues are covered in Russian textbooks on general bibliographic science published (in the period of 1957—2023). The relationship between the preservation and development of scientific knowledge and the culture of the educational publication is revealed. The continuity of certain methodological solutions and the innovation of the authorʼs approaches are noted. It is emphasized that the content of the textbook is determined by the level of development of bibliographic science of the corresponding historical period. The textbook for universities is presented as a form of cultural transfer of scientific knowledge, which is expressed primarily in the transfer of experience accumulated by science and practice from generation to generation, as well as in the transfer of knowledge as a cultural value, the continuity of the culture of scientific thinking and the use of the achievements of predecessors. Some problems that have not been covered and deserved better attention of the authors of future educational publications on the theory of bibliography are also listed.

The article discusses the current problem of revealing the document collections of libraries in the Internet space in order to provide reliable information about the events of the Great Patriotic War, as well as to create high-quality information resources on military history and to promote historical knowledge among the younger generation. Examples of various online resources about the Great Patriotic War are provided. Based on the results of monitoring the websites of central regional libraries, a selective review of online projects dedicated to the anniversary of the Great Victory is presented. However, the identification of some of these projects is challenging (not only for users), leading to inaccuracies in their descriptions, information noise, and unreliable knowledge (most often, there is a lack of information about the authors, creators, and partner organizations, as well as the digital publicationʼs output data, etc.). The author emphasizes that the development of bibliographic culture and overcoming the anonymity of work in the digital environment are interconnected and essential for the professional community. The rich potential of Russian libraries should be realized in this area.

The arbitrary format symbol used in bibliographic descriptions of early printed publications is widely used in relevant publications (indexes, reference books, monographs, etc.). This article presents typical examples of the use of this symbol by renowned bibliographers of the 19th and 20th centuries and the lack of clarity in existing methodological recommendations. The author proposes adjusting these recommendations and standardizing the use of the correct representation of this element of bibliographic description in accordance with domestic tradition and current international standards.

The article examines one of the areas of Russian bibliography related to the development of bibliographic recording of publications on the genealogy of the Romanov family from the beginning of the 19th century to 2025 inclusive. During this period, not only the attitude towards the imperial dynasty and the number of recorded publications about it changed, but also the methodology for their identification, description, and systematization. It has been shown that the pre-revolutionary indexes by L.M. Savelov (1868—1947) remain relevant even today, while the bibliographers of the 1990s and 2000s were unable to achieve such a high level (due to their desire to increase the number of recorded publications without developing criteria for their selection and systematization). The experience of the Research Department of Bibliography at the Russian State Library in preparing electronic resources for the 400th anniversary of the dynasty (2013) is an inviting prospect. At the present time an annotated bibliographic index “The Romanov’s Genealogy” (2025) is published which is the first experience of the scientific registration of works on this subject. The method of preparing such edition merits thorough study.

The article is devoted to the 290th anniversary of the outstanding Russian self-taught inventor Ivan Petrovich Kulibin (1735—1818), who made a significant contribution to the development of domestic and global science and technology. Kulibin, known for his numerous inventions such as unique clocks, optical and acoustic devices, steam engines, bridge designs, and other mechanical devices, also played an important role in the advancement of book printing in Russia. The article provides an examination of his work as the chief mechanic of the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences printing house, where he was engaged in the repair, improvement, and creation of new printing presses, as well as the development of mechanisms for casting typefaces.

The study of manuscript collections in regional scientific libraries is an urgent problem in modern bibliology. The Department of Rare Books at the V.I. Lenin Ulyanovsk Regional Scientific Library holds more than 300 manuscripts dating back to the 16th to 20th centuries. One of these manuscripts, the “Collection of Spiritual Poems”, is a document with an interesting history. The manuscript was created in the mid-19th century, and the texts included in the collection are related to Freemasonry and various religious movements (Orthodoxy, Old Belief, and sectarianism). Among the sources are poems by famous Russian poets A.P. Sumarokov, M.M. Kheraskov, M.M. Vysheslavtsev, and others. A comparison of the published poems with their handwritten version revealed a number of discrepancies that indicate a possible perception of these texts “by ear” (or during correspondence). In addition, the manuscripts contain probable handwritten and oral sources of the texts included in the collection. The uniqueness of the collection is due to the special inserts, which are written by one of the owners of the manuscript.

Among the children’s book sets in the Russian State Library collection are two unique artifacts: “My Library” (1944) and “My Little Library” (1945). They became gifts for children of those years, reminders of peacetime.These play sets are ready-made mini-libraries made up of several small brochures (the first was published in Moscow, and the second was prepared in Kazakhstan but also printed in Moscow). This article examines these items from the collection of the Russian State Library’s Rare Book Research Department (Book Museum), conducts a comparative analysis, and determines their cultural and historical significance.

Newspapers published during the Great Patriotic War are a valuable source of information (articles and photographs help uncover new facts about the heroism of Soviet citizens and the atrocities of the Nazis). The newspaper “In Defense of Leningrad” (1941, July — October) was the organ of the Leningrad People’s Militia Army. Its publication was short-lived, but it contains unique information about the volunteers who joined the People’s Militia in the first days of the war, as well as the residents of Leningrad who continued to work and protect their hometown. This article provides a brief overview of the newspaper’s history and its staff and lists a number of significant materials. The author used the collections of the Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg, the collections of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Russia, as well as the resources of the National Electronic Library.

The article is devoted to the correspondence between the outstanding Russian bibliophile and bibliographer D.V. Ulyaninsky (1861—1918) and the philologist, one of the founders of the Pushkin House, B.L. Modzalevsky (1874—1928). 23 letters from D.V. Ulyaninsky, kept in the Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and one letter from B.L. Modzalevsky, deposited in the Manuscript Department of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, are introduced into scholarly circulation. The epistolary messages contain information about mutual book gifts and the exchange of bibliographic information. D.V. Ulyaninsky showed constant interest in the publications of B.L. Modzalevsky, the collection “Pushkin and His Contemporaries” that he edited, and academic publications. In turn, he donated his own works, a rare edition of A.S. Pushkin’s “Poltava”, and publications by genealogist V.I. Chernopyatov. The correspondence reveals the history of the creation and publication of D.V. Ulyaninsky’s only work on Pushkin studies — the article “Bibliographical Note on Pushkin’s Poem “The Bridegroom” in the collection “Pushkin and His Contemporaries”. It expands our understanding of the scholarly, bibliographical, and bibliophilic work of,D.V. Ulyaninsky and B.L. Modzalevsky and is a valuable source for the history of Russian book culture in the early 20th century.

Based on 55 epistolary texts, the article reconstructs in detail the history of the relationship between L.M. Savelov (1868—1947), a prominent genealogist, historian of the nobility, and founder of genealogical bibliography in Russia, and P.P. Shibanov (1864— 1935), a prominent antiquarian bookseller and publisher of the journal “Bibliographic Notes”, in the years 1891—1905. They are identified not only as business contacts, but also as a form of scientific dialogue that stimulated the development of Russian bibliography. The article shows the booksellerʼs contribution to the formation of the scholarʼs library, as well as his participation in the compilation, publication, and distribution of the scholarʼs indexes on the history and genealogy of the Russian nobility.The article describes numerous conflicts that arose during their interactions, primarily due to delays in fulfilling orders. The significant influence of P.P. Shibanov on the development of L.M. Savelovʼs bibliographic interests and his involvement in the activities of the Moscow Bibliographic Circle is noted. The article concludes that a consistent and comprehensive analysis of epistolary sources is necessary to modernize the current understanding of the history of bibliophilia, book culture, and Russian bibliography at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

This article presents an overview of the presentations from the roundtable discussion “Science and Libraries During the Great Patriotic War”, held on October 2, 2025, by the Russian State Library jointly with the Yakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The central theme of the event was the accumulation and systematization of knowledge and practical experience during the war in various scientific fields, including library science, bibliology, and bibliography. Emphasis was placed on documents—witnesses of the era, enabling contemporary scholars to see the historical situation through the eyes of their creators. Using striking examples, the speakers demonstrated the inexhaustible potential of libraries as repositories of unique factual material on social and scientific life during the war. Preserving the historical truth and memory of the Great Patriotic War is a special focus for libraries in Russia and Belarus.

The article is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of Galina Vasilyevna Mikheeva, the famous historian of bibliography, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. She is the author, compiler and editor of more than 700 works on the theory, history and methodology of bibliography, the heritage of the Russian diaspora, the history of the National Library of Russia, the history of Russian libraries during the Great Patriotic War. Among her recent works, the monograph “The National Library of Russia During the Great Patriotic War” (2020), the patriotic educational project “The Great Russian Word” (2023) and eight books published in the series “Figures of the National Library of Russia” stand out. A list of the main printed works of G.V. Mikheeva for 2000—2025 is attached to the article.

Compiled by Yu.N. Baranchuk