Dmitry Nikolaevich Chaushansky

In 1936, Chaushansky was employed by the Rare Books Department of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR, where he worked till the end of his life. During those years, Chaushansky’s activities were remarkable for both their scope and diversity:

• acquiring books for the Department of Rare Books, as well as for the entire Library;
• developing specific approaches to classification, cataloguing and bibliographic processing of rare books;
• arranging exhibitions, tours, lectures, and tutorials.

Chaushansky was tireless in his search for book “treasures” meant for his beloved Library n.a. Lenin.

His service to the chosen cause was temporarily interrupted by the war. At the beginning of it, Chaushansky volunteered for the Moscow People’s Militia. At the end of October 1941, he was seriously wounded near Serpukhov and ended up in hospital. Only after long-term treatment, released from military service, he returned to his library duties, which expanded significantly.

In 1945, he was given a special assignment by the Committee for Cultural and Educational Institutions under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, and was sent to Germany, where he primarily purchased scientific literature, both antique and modern, for the largest libraries of the USSR.

The order that dispatched Soviet specialists to Germany was issued on 5 May 1945, a few days before the end of the war. The Director of the Research Institute of Museology A.D. Manevsky was appointed the Commissioner. He was accompanied by a whole group of experts, including the Director of the Library for Foreign Literature Margarita Ivanovna Rudomino.

Later on, he went to Switzerland and returned to Moscow with an extensive collection of books by N.A. Rubakin, which the owner had bequeathed to the Library.

Unfortunately, only few of D.N. Chaushansky’s thoughts and contemplations were written down and published. A scholarly bibliognost and promoter of the art of the book, he expressed himself most fully through the spoken word. A valuable part of his heritage, i.e. tours, brilliant commentary on book exhibitions, in-depth reviews of some wonderful published works, all this remained only in the memory of his listeners, as well as countless grains of knowledge, such as tutorials, conversations, or on-the-go answers, that he generously gave out to anyone who sought his advice and help.

However, not everything was forever lost. His reviews and essays, as well as studies on the history of the illustrated book in Russia and in the West, were published in journals and in collections of articles.

D.N. Chaushansky always strove to connect science with real-life demands, he enjoyed engaging with the audience and interacting with people face-to-face.

His sudden death on 10 July 1957 was a bitter blow to anyone who knew this extraordinarily vigorous and creative person.

Dmitry Nikolaevich was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and the Medal for the Defense of Moscow. His name was put on the Commemorative plaque of the RSL and entered into the memorial book of the RSL.

Referencies:
1. OR RGB, F. 598 Chaushansky D.N.
2. Stefanovich V.N. D.N. Chaushansky // Book. Research and materials. – 1972. – Issue 23
3. Rudomino A. Half a century in captivity and the Letters of M.I. Rudomino from Germany 1945-1946 // Our heritage. – 1994. - №32