Yuri Sergeevich Zubov: The Universe of a Scholar, Educator, and Human Being (1924 – 2006)

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the scholarly legacy and multifaceted activities of the outstanding Russian bibliographer Yuri Sergeevich Zubov (1924–2006). Through systematic study of a wide range of sources, including archival documents, the scholar’s published works, memoirs of contemporaries, and periodical materials, the work reconstructs his unique contribution to the development of humanities knowledge in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Special attention is paid to Zubov’s theoretical and methodological developments that fundamentally influenced the formation of modern library and information disciplines and shaped new research directions. The central place is given to a detailed analysis of Zubov’s key concepts, such as the innovative theory of bibliography as a system of «condensed knowledge» developed in the 1980s; the information-psychological model of artistic personality development; and the theoretical foundations of information culture as an independent interdisciplinary field of knowledge. The focus is on the study of the scholar’s fundamental works, including the first-ever textbook in global practice, «Bibliography of Art» (1973), co-authored with E. P. Pogorelaya and A. A. Turovskaya, and the monograph «Bibliography and the Aesthetic Development of Personality» (1979), which was awarded a prize by the USSR Ministry of Education. The pedagogical system of Yu. S. Zubov is presented, comprising his unique methodology for teaching library and bibliographic disciplines that enabled the training of a whole generation of researchers – under his supervision, 17 candidate dissertations were successfully defended. On particular interest is his organizational activity in establishing and leading the Department of Information Culture at the International Academy of Informatization, organizing a series of international scientific conferences, and publishing the ongoing collection «Problems of Information Culture», which became an important platform for scholarly discussions. The article emphasizes the synthesis in Yu. S. Zubov’s personality of qualities of an outstanding theoretical scholar, talented teacher-mentor, participant of the Great Patriotic War (awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class), and subtle lyrical poet (publications in the collection « Shore of Dreams»). In conclusion, the enduring significance of Yu. S. Zubov’s scientific legacy for the development of modern bibliographic studies is highlighted. The continuing relevance of his research on aesthetic personality development, theoretical work on information culture, and pedagogical methods for teaching bibliographic disciplines is noted. Particular importance is given to preserving and developing the traditions of his scientific school at the Moscow State Institute of Culture, where in-depth study of his proposed methodological approaches continues. At the same time, the most important research task remains the comprehensive understanding of Yu. S. Zubov’s work as a unique phenomenon that organically combined rigorous scientific methodology, innovative pedagogical solutions, and a poetic worldview.