Kherson Regional Scientific Library in flames, November 2023 Photo courtesy of Oles Gonchar Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library

Last month marked the start of the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

In the two years of semi-occupation and warfare, public libraries in Ukraine have established themselves as actors in state defense. Among the first institutions to reopen after the war began, libraries continue to operate despite a shortage of funds and staff, and in the areas close to the front line, continuing shelling. Libraries provide humanitarian help and legal and psychological assistance; they house internally displaced people and keep communities together. Libraries also protect Ukraine’s information front. In opposition to Russia’s disinformation campaigns aimed at confusing and demoralizing Ukrainian people, libraries strive to share vital information to communities, and to educate on navigating information landscapes. The heroic resistance of Ukrainian libraries to the Russian invasion has made them targets of the Russian military.

On November 12, 2023, the Kherson Regional Scientific Library was destroyed by an aimed Russian attack. A guided rocket demolished its upper floors, igniting a fire. The Russians continued to shell the building while a local team put the fire out.

Known to Ukrainians as “Goncharivka,” the library housed collections in 45 languages prior to the war. As the only state repository of ethnographic and historical sources on Southern Ukraine, it included records on the recent history of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory annexed and occupied by Russia since 2014. Some of these records could have been used at tribunal trials.

The Goncharivka survived numerous attacks since the start of the war: it was shelled and looted. This time, however, the blow has completely devastated it. By eradicating this library, Russia has left a wound on Ukraine of a significance comparable to the destruction of the New York Public Library, home to historical treasures such as a draft of the Declaration of Independence.

“We cannot comprehend or accept what has happened,” said Tetiana Svatula, who worked in the library since 1983. “For me, the library was my life. It’s like losing a dear person.”

Annihilation of the Goncharivka library is only one of many such incidents; thus far 131 Ukrainian libraries have been fully destroyed, while close to 750 have experienced significant damage. Collection losses are estimated to be over 1.5 million. To repair the damage would take at least 2.6 million dollars, according to Ukrainian library expert Valentina Zdanovska.

While annihilation of libraries has historically featured as a component of war, this war revealed a new form of destruction, where the invader corrupts the library into an instrument of aggression. In occupied Ukraine, libraries are increasingly used as a means of spreading Russian propaganda. The Russian government has spent millions to publish sources justifying the war, to control Ukrainians in occupied areas and also to mobilize the population at home. With the closure of many schools in the occupied lands, libraries also are forced to conduct events celebrating Russia and diminishing the history of Ukraine, encouraging youth to turn away from their roots.

Kherson Regional Scientific Library in late February Photo courtesy of Oles Gonchar Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library

The resilience of libraries manifests the resilience of a nation. The experiences of Ukrainian libraries inspire while also they evoke grim scenarios. The practices of employing the library to control communities is apparent in different forms worldwide. Even here in the United States, an increase in book banning regimes and revisionist approaches to the history of race relations in states such as Texas and Florida aim to turn schools and libraries into tools of mass manipulation. While these tactics take a more subtle form than what we see in Russia and occupied Ukraine, the intent is similar.

Our response to the corruption of libraries determines the vitality of our communities. As librarians persist in evaluating collections and educating audiences in Ukraine, we must also be cautious of the notions that our libraries perpetuate, by omission or by content. We have a responsibility to truthfully convey events and histories as they occurred, at least to allow future generations to learn and make informed decisions.

Dr. Ulia Gosart (uliagt@gmail.com) is a Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Collaboration at the San José State University (SJSU) School of Information, and has supported Ukrainian librarians since the start of the war by fundraising, publishing and appearing in the media. She teaches at SJSU. Rachel Fu is a graduate student at the SJSU School of Information, and a research assistant at the Center for Community Engagement and Collaboration.