Protection of written heritage after World War II. Józef Grycz’s contribution to saving library collections

The article presents the problem related to the protection of written sources in Poland after World War II. The first attempt to draw up a legal document was made in 1944. From 1945, activities, based on legal provisions, were carried on a national scale by the Ministry of Education in a planned and organized manner. The most important actions were taken in the first period of the post-war protection of library collections, i.e. until 1946. The results of the conducted research made it possible to put forward the thesis that several million books were saved during that time. Józef Grycz made a great contribution in saving valuable written heritage. The activities, conducted in extremely difficult conditions, contributed to the reconstruction of libraries, librarianship, and Polish science.