Adam Sakolchik was born on May 1, 1896, in the village of Ugly, Samokhvalovichi volost, Minsk uyezd, Minsk province (now the village of Uhly, Minsk region).
He graduated from a two-year school in Samokhvalovichsky, a teacher’s seminary in Nesvizh (1915) and the infantry school of ensigns in Moscow (1916).
As an officer in the Russian imperial army, he participated in the First World and Civil Wars in Ukraine and Belarus, and the Soviet-Polish War.
He worked as a teacher of mathematics, history, geography, physical education, and was a director of various schools in Minsk.
In 1925, he graduated from Belarusian State University with a high school teacher’ degree in geography and history. He taught geography at the BSU workers' faculty, Minsk Medical Institute (1930–1933), and the Higher Communist Agricultural School of Belarus (1933–1941). Also he was a part-time bibliographer at the BSSR State Library named after Lenin (1940).
He was a member of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945), senior lieutenant of the administrative service, fought at the Kalinin and 2nd Ukrainian fronts and took part in the liberation of Ukraine, Romania and Czechoslovakia.
From 1946 to 1948, he was a head of the BSSR Book Chamber at the State Library of the BSSR named after Lenin. Later he headed the office and department of Belarusian literature and bibliography (1948–1961) and was a chief bibliographer at the department (1961–1964). He was engaged in the post-war formation of the library, the development of Belarusian bibliography and public life. He retired in 1965. Adam Sakolchik had fifty three years of work experience, eighteen of which he dedicated to the library.
Adam Sakolchik is the co-author of two textbooks on physical geography, author of five books, and co-author of two works on the universal and industrial retrospective bibliography of Belarus. Even as a pensioner, he prepared for publication three of his six bibliographic works. At an advanced age, he regularly worked on his books within the walls of his Alma Mater.
His masterwork The Pre-October Book in Russian about Belarus (in Russian: Дооктябрьская книга на русском языке о Белоруссии) is the first universal bibliography devoted to the past of Belarus. Sakolchik's fundamental bibliographic works are constantly demanded by scientists, library specialists, university teachers and students.
Adam Sakolchik was awarded medals фтв diplomas of the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR, the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Directorate of the State Library of the BSSR named after Lenin.
Adam Sakolchik was a highly-cultured person, modest, fair and respectful with a subtle sense of humor. At work and at home, he spoke Belarusian. He devoted his leisure time to books, self-education and parenting, was an avid mushroomer and loved his native nature.
Adam Sakolchik died on January 8, 1983, at the age of 86, was buried in the cemetery of the village of Samokhvalovichi.
The National Library offers a project dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of Adam Sakolchik. Details information about the bibliographer’s life and work is available on the site.
Bibliography Research Department
