The purpose of this article is to actualize information on Personal archival fonds of agrarian scientists (not only those preserved in the National Scientific Agricultural Library of the NAAS but also in other domestic archives and libraries) as integrated sets of documents, considering their informational potential for agrarian biographical studies. The author argues that a thorough study and, most importantly, the versatile use of personal archival collections of scientists with a variety of documents (including ego-sources – letters, memoirs, memoirs, diaries, etc.) not only makes it possible to reconstruct the scientific biography of a scientist and objectively describe his «creative laboratory», but also establishes the foundations for research in intellectual history.

The article analyzes the thematic and typological content of personal archival collections of scientists, among which unpublished works, reviews, recollections, documents on scientific activities, working and illustrative materials, photographic documents, correspondence, etc.

A selection of 37 personal archival collections of agrarian scientists and agronomists (including those of P. M. Vasilenko, P. A. Vlasyuk, S. Z. Ghzhytskyi, L. K. Greben, A. I. Zadontsev, O. V. Kvasnytskyi, P. S. Pohrebniak, V. M. Remeslo, L. P. Sokalskyi, O. N. Sokolovskyi, S. M. Khodetskyi, and others) is presented. Materials are stored in the Institute of Archival Studies (hereinafter referred to as IAS VNLU) and the Institute of Manuscripts of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as IM VULU), the Central State Archives of Higher Authorities and Governments of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as CSAHA of Ukraine), and the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as CSAMLA). They represent a valuable informational resource for researchers engaged in agrarian biography and the history of agricultural science.

As a case study, the personal archival collection of the prominent geneticist and plant breeder, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR V. P. Zosymovych (1899–1981), preserved at the IAS VNLU (collection No. 241), is examined. The analysis illustrates the structure and contents of personal archival collections and assesses the extent to which these materials have been utilized in the academic circulation for the preparation of scientific biographies of the scholar.

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