Legal regulations concerning the preservation and protection of library collections in Poland after World War II

The article presents the problem of the practical application of legal regulations related to the preservation and protection of written cultural heritage in Poland after World War II, within the borders of 1945. The first legislative initiatives were undertaken in 1944. The introduction of normative provisions was initiated on a patch of Polish territory free from the German occupant. The war events, changes in the shape of the country’s borders and the political system made it necessary to develop national documents in order to protect library collections, regardless of their origin. It was not an easy task to implement due to numerous difficulties and a complicated post-war reality. Based on few legislative provisions, over ten million volumes, mostly of post-German provenance, were saved until 1949. Valuable written materials were used to partially compensate for the World War II losses, rebuild libraries and Polish librarianship.