The process of formation of the personnel potential of the libraries of Buryatia in the period of 1920—1930-ies is of considerable interest due to the lack of systematic information on the topic, the insufficiency and fragmentation of the available information. The purpose of the article is consideration of the development of staffing situation in the library institutions of the Republic, analysis of the forms and methods of training of library specialists in the first decades of the formation of the Autonomous Republic. Based on archival documents and materials of periodicals, the article recreates a certain chronology of events related to the solution of staffing issues in the library sector. The author considers the forms of training and retraining of library workers, the content of the methodical work of libraries, the problems associated with the lack of qualified personnel and the measures taken to resolve them. The article presents some quantitative data on the personnel composition of libraries and training activities held in the Republic.In the studied period, there was a multiple expansion of library personnel. In the mid-1920-ies, 15 people worked in the central libraries — regional and aimak (district) — subordinated to the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR, in the state public libraries functioning in 1938 — 47 people. The staff of all library institutions of the Republic in 1934 included 155 people, in 1939 — 195 people. In the mid-1920-ies, the overwhelming majority of the personnel of central libraries consisted of novice librarians. Over time, the situation has improved; however, problems with personnel retention did not leave the agenda, for example, in the second half of the 1930-ies in the Republican library.The regional library, the Department of political and education work of Buryat-Mongolian People’s Commissariat of Education carried on most of the activities in the field of training and professional development of library staff; since 1936 the regional political-educational school in the town of Kyakhta had participated in that work. There were used various types and forms of personnel training; the special role was assigned to the courses of varying duration, workshops and seminars. In the 1920—30-ies, the staffing situation in the libraries of Buryatia remained rather complicated. Its characteristic features were the shortage of qualified personnel, high attrition of library workers and lack of systematic approach to improving the professional level of library staff.