RARE BOOKS COLLECTION OF THE CENTRAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY OF THE IRKUTSK SCIENTIFIC CENTER OF SB RAS,AS AN INFORMATION SOURCE OF SCIENCE

The Central Scientific Library of the Irkutsk Scientific Center SB RAS has an extensive collection of literature on various topics of scientific research of academic institutions of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region. This library is the successor of the Library of the East Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. With the organization of the Branch its own scientific library was being created. Acquisitions to the library stocks were carried out by its first head A. S. Chumicheva. The first books of the library were books from the exchange stocks of the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Leningrad), special libraries’ sector of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow); books from other institutions’ libraries all over the country; trophy books from Germany; books from personal libraries of scientists, rare book stores; since 1958 books began to come to hand from the State Public Scientific and Technological Library of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). The first library accumulations were the source of material that Russian science had in the period of its making on the Irkutsk soil, and an especially stored part of the library stock. There is a currently increasing interest of specialists in rare books’ collections organization, storage and use. A particularly valuable publication is the book, dated 1676, the life-time publication of the French geographer Pierre Duval (1618–1683). In 2019 its ex-libris was studied. They managed to determine the owner of the book and the history of the library. The ex-libris is heraldic, coat of arms belongs to Franciszek Velepolsky (1732–1809), and the book is from the Pinchuv Majorata library. In the library collections there are publications by prominent domestic and foreign scientists of the XIX–XX centuries, including Nobel laureates; books from personal libraries with notes of owners; autographed books, books with dedicatory inscriptions, bookplates. Works of scientific organizations of the XIX–XX centuries, reports of expeditions, and works of scientists about Siberia are of interest. Most of academic journals are presented starting since the first years of their publication. The collection of rare books is being replenished thanks to readers’ donations.