The collection of rare and valuable publications as a source of historical and book studies

Abstract

Relevance of research. The article presents a retrospective analysis of the book heritage preserved in the fund collection of the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia scientific library, with an emphasis on the analysis of relevant documents. The importance of provenance as a historical source in the study of library funds is highlighted. The work performed included the attribution of old prints and rare editions in different directions, which highlight certain characteristics and features of the editions. The relevant ownership documents, catalogues, registers, as well as other sources of information were used in the process of attribution, which could certify the authenticity and value of book copies. The results of the performed analysis made it possible to study and reveal the composition and value of the book heritage preserved in the fund of the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, scientific library. The purpose of the research is to generalize, systematize the information resource of the rare editions fund of the library and preserve the documentary heritage of the medical field for modern and future generations, to reproduce the connections between educational and medical institutions through the activities of the outstanding doctors of the 19th century. Research methodology is based on the search, analysis, study and generalization of information about the private collections of the outstanding scientists and doctors, their lifetime publications, biographical information about the authors and owners of the collections. For analytical and synthetic processing of materials, archival materials, encyclopedic and reference literature, periodicals, collections of rare and valuable publications, and other materials were used. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the fund of rare and valuable publications of the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University library was not researched. Thanks to a systematic and complex approach to its study, a database was formed, where information about the documents is presented in detail in the bibliographic records. The conclusions. Through the scientific study of publications and their provenances, the library reveals the historical heritage of the medical field. Developments in this direction are designed for students of the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia, where the course «History of Ukraine and Ukrainian culture. Historical and cultural heritage and traditions of the university» was launched in 2022. The research on the topic based on rare and valuable publications will expand the knowledge of the history of medicine and will be valuable to the scientific community and students of medical institutions.