Scientist-Encyclopedist T.I. Rainov — the Invited Chief Bibliographer of the V.I. Lenin State Library

Abstract

On the basis of archival materials introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, the author considers the activity of the scientist-encyclopedist Timofey Ivanovich Rainov (1890, Kalchevo village, Akkerman district, Bessarabian province of the Russian Empire — 1958, Moscow), worked as visiting specialist-bibliographer of highest qualification in the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR in 1938—1941 and in 1948—1950. The paper shows that before Rainov was invited to the V.I. Lenin State Library, he passed a long way, gaining skills and competencies in the field of library science and bibliography. Unable to work freely in Soviet Russia as a philosopher and specialist in the psychology of creativity, T.I. Rainov, like other Russian intellectuals, was seeking ways to realize his research potential. In 1923, the scientist moved to Moscow, where the Library of the Socialist (Communist) Academy (later the Fundamental Library of Social Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences, FBON) became his main place of work. Possessing encyclopedic knowledge and immense erudition, he took the place of leading bibliographer. T.I. Rainov changed several professions, but, remaining invariably a researcher of scientific ideas, he repeatedly returned to the field of book studies and bibliography and completed his service in this field at the FBON. The article examines the main life circumstances that led him to the V.I. Lenin State Library, and it was found that when concluding an employment contract with him, T.I. Rainov was obliged to provide consultations “on all branches of knowledge” to both employees and readers of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR.The appendix presents the experience of compiling an article about the scientific bibliographer T.I. Rainov for the forthcoming reference book “Employees of the Russian State Library: Eminent Scientists and Workers in Culture”.