Public Libraries of Ukraine in Terms of the Martial State: Losses and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to research and generalize the consequences of the destruction and loss of public libraries of Ukraine during the full-scale offensive of Russia on the territory of Ukraine from February 24, 2022. The research methodology is based on both general scientific methods - analysis, synthesis, and informative, retrospective research methods are used, which are used to monitor the state of public libraries during the Russian military aggression on the territory of Ukraine and the occupation of certain territories from February 2022. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the systematization of a wide range of actual material on the state of Ukrainian libraries during the Russian military aggression; for the first time, separate statistical data and informational materials on the loss and destruction of public libraries during the full-scale offensive of the Russian Federation from February 2022 were introduced into scientific circulation. Conclusions. Studying the consequences of the destruction and loss of public libraries since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, it is possible to determine the main trends: there is a reduction in the network of public libraries in all regions of Ukraine, especially in war zones; there are processes of destruction and damage (full or partial) of library buildings, loss of material and technical means (personal computers, duplicating equipment, multimedia equipment, furniture, etc.); the complete or partial loss of library funds by individual public libraries continues, especially in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and other frontline regions; now losses during the war are already recorded, but the determined amount of damage to public libraries is quite approximate, it will increase with the continuation of the war; regardless of the difficult situation in the conditions of martial law and the continuation of armed aggression, public libraries mobilized all available resources to carry out volunteer, social, psychological and informational activities. Given that libraries play a significant role in preserving national interests, the problem of protecting library funds in wartime is an important component of the Ukrainian state's cultural policy. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy must now, without waiting for the end of the war, to develop, together with other state structures, proposals for the restoration of damaged library buildings, the preservation of existing and the creation of new funds. The main tasks of librarians should also be to preserve for future generations the memory of the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their state during the armed Russian aggression, the systematization of documentary evidence about the combat path of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteer battalions, the activities of the territorial defense, volunteers, and the facts of the crimes of the Russian aggressors during the temporary occupation of certain regions of Ukraine.