The Presidential Library to bring closer Germany and Russia

Libraries and museums of Germany and the Presidential Library are planning joint projects for the exchange of rare historical materials. The specialists of the two countries discussed the issue during the visit of the Presidential Library’s delegation to the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Presidential Library has a significant experience of interacting with the institutions of Germany. In June 2011, it signed a bilateral Memorandum of understanding and cooperation with the Bavarian State Library, and in March 2012 - with the Berlin State Library. Both German libraries consider it very important to convert their holdings to the digital format, making it often upon orders of readers.

"It greatly facilitates the access to rare documents, some of which we just cannot lend," explained the Head of the Department of Eastern Europe Literature of the Berlin State Library, Olaf Haman. His department holds rare printed materials. Among the rarities is Berlin's list of one of the oldest and most complete chronicles "about the origin of the Russian land" - the First Novgorod Chronicle. According to rough estimates, the State Library of Berlin has dozens of unexplored Slavic manuscripts. To date, the possibility of digitizing and studying these materials jointly with the Presidential Library to is discussed.

The representatives of the Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library in Hamburg noted that they are also interested in joint projects with the Presidential Library to digitize historical materials. They said that the library of Hamburg has a large scope of early printed materials, books and periodicals in Russian. "We want that the materials that are now considered rare were distributed to be available to as many readers as possible", explained the library’s personnel.

They Presidential Library also discussed prospects of cooperation with the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, the institution where two former military enemies together remind us of the history of the Second World War. The permanent exhibition shows the war from the points of view of Germans and Russians. The museum exhibits brochures, wartime newspapers, permits, maps and leaflets. Materials from the collection of the Presidential Library, "The Memory of the Great Victory" could complement the exhibition for example with hand-written leaflets, reflecting the struggle of the local population with the enemy in the occupied territories. A selection of photos of the museum is one of the most significant of its collections. This group includes the works of Soviet photojournalists, such as Nikolai Khandogin, Timothy Melnik, Ivan Shagin, and photos made by German amateur photographers.

Russia's first national digital library, using the most modern technology, in the four years of its existence, has become a center for the preservation of cultural heritage in the digital environment. Foreign partners, who often have documents of a great value to researchers of Russian history, also contribute to the development of its collections. To date, the holdings of the Presidential library dispose of hundreds of unique documents, reflecting the growth and dynamics of century-long relations between Russia and Germany. Little known facts about the emergence of the Germans in Russia have been disclosed, as well as their participation in social, economic, scientific, cultural and religious life of our country. Ethnographic materials about embassies of Peter the Great, modern historical research and declassified documents of the Second World War are also of a great value. These materials, as pointed out German specialists, are quite interesting for scientists in their country.