About the Heritage of Klavdiya Alexandrovna Novikova in the Holdings of the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

The study of the donated collection of K.A. Novikova (1913—1984), a leading northern scholar and specialist in Tungus-Manchurian languages, was carried out. The scientist’s collection was given to the National Library (NL) of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) by K.A. Novikova’s younger daughter I.L. Bochanova (Sobolevskaya) in 1993 in the amount of 328 books and 37 manuscripts. At present it is part of the gift collection of the NL of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). These are unique materials reflecting the owner’s individuality, his scientific interests, and also acting as a document of their era, an invaluable cultural artefact. The concepts of ‘donation’ and ‘donated collection’ are clarified. Types of review and analytical materials devoted to books and manuscripts of the collection are revealed. Cultural knowledge about their owners, readers, researchers, etc. is expanded by new interpretations and practices of rare editions.The history of creation, transfer and use of K.A. Novikova’s donation in the holdings of the NL of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is shown. Its formation and functioning are analyzed. Many books have gift inscriptions of the authors, which reveal the relationship between the owner and his contemporaries and at the same time serve as evidence of the history of the book collection formation. The data of the analysis of the demand for the books of the collection from the electronic library of the NL of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for the last 5 years are given. The composition of the main scientific works on Even language and folklore and manuscripts, which contain a variety of information, has been studied. The materials of the collection are of cultural value. The heritage of the northern indigenous peoples is an asset of our country’s history and culture.