Ganyushkina, E.B. Library stocks and international law

Abstract: The article is devoted to library stocks, books, manuscripts and other paper media related to cultural values. This includes princeps edition, rare editions, manuscripts, diaries and etc. which are of special value for history, science, culture and distinctive character of nations. Just like paintings and sculptures, library stocks have become the center of complex relationships between countries. The author of the present article in detail analyzes the return of books belonging to the library of the Reformed College of Sarospatak from Russia to Hungary, in particular, the documents regulating the compensatory restitution procedure and their interpretation by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Ganyushkina studies also studies the issues related to the Schneerson Collection of books, manuscripts and diaries that are divided into the three groups — the collections at Russian State Military Archive, Russian State Library named after V. Lenin and the books ordered on the international interlibrary loan and never returned by the Library of Congress. The methodological basis of research involves the general scientific dialectic research method as well as systems analysis, comparative law, historical, logical analysis, the method of interpretation of international laws and others. The researcher assumes that the most valuable part of library stocks is an essential part of the cultural heritage of a sovereign state. Other than cooperation of states regarding deep sea-bed areas, the concept of the “common heritage of mankind” is implemented only in the sphere of providing access to the word treasures of different cultures. Transmission of exhibits constituting the cultural assets of state library stocks from one country to another shall be performed only if they are guaranteed to be returned to the place from where they’ve been taken. The best way to provide such guarantees is an international treaty like the Agreement for Creation of Interlibrary Loan between State Members of the CIS 1999 (effective taking into the Protocol of 2012) described by Ganyushkina in the given article.

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