Cabinet of Marxism-Leninism in Saltykov-Schedrin State Public Library

Years of completion of the reconstruction of the national economy and the construction of socialism in the USSR - the 1930’s - set before the country the task of educating a new person. An exceptional role in its solution was played by libraries, which were to contribute to the creation of qualified personnel for all branches of the national economy, the cultivation of a new Soviet intelligentsia that professes Marxist-Leninist ideology. Special tasks before the libraries put the publication in 1938 of the «Short Course of the History of the CPSU (b)», it was subject to compulsory study in class in all educational institutions and circles. On November 14, 1938, the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) adopted a resolution on the formulation of party propaganda in connection with the release of the «Short Course on the History of the CPSU (b)», which officially put the «Short Course» at the basis of the propaganda of Marxism-Leninism, structures related to the sphere of ideology, to deploy active activities for this purpose. In this regard, as a direct implementation of the resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) in the Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library (now - National Library of Russia) on March 9, 1939, the Cabinet of Marxism-Leninism is being created. Its history was first recreated in the article. In it, out of the main funds of the Library, were the editions of the works of the founders of Marxism-Leninism handed over, thereby forming a unique collection. In addition to serving its readers, the Cabinet of Marxism-Leninism provided methodological, consultative and bibliographic assistance to other libraries of Leningrad. In early 1952, the Cabinet of Marxism-Leninism ceased to exist as a special unit, its fund was transferred as an independent sector to the Main Russian Book Fund. This collection, numbering more than 9 thousand units, serves as a material basis for studying the history of the CPSU (b) in its Stalinist interpretation. It represents a certain interest for historians of the book and publishing, allowing to analyze objectively the publishing policy of the state in the period of completion of the construction of socialism in the USSR.