The Presidential Library is open six days a week

Since September 2018, the Electronic Reading Room of the Presidential Library is open from Monday to Saturday with one day-off on Sunday. Thus, the Presidential Library rises a new level of growth, once again confirming the openness and accessibility of its institution.

Such a decision, supported by the founder - the Presidential Administrative Directorate, was made by the institution's management, in view of an increased demand for the Presidential Library's electronic resources. The Library currently keeps 700 000 units of storage, or 70 million scans. These are documents on the history of Russian statehood from ancient times to the present day. Interest in these documents grows: more and more residents of St. Petersburg, people from Russia and even abroad, hope to study the history of our country using specific sources. Particular interest is attracted to digitized archival materials: the collections of Pyotr Stolypin, Nicholas II, documents of the first years of the Soviet regime and those which cast light on the Great Patriotic War. This year marks 25th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of Russia, and many users would like to see the inaugural copy of the Basic Law featuring signatures of the heads of our state. Its electronic copy is stored on the servers of the Presidential Library and is available to all readers.

It stands to mention, that the Electronic Reading Room in St. Petersburg is connected with more than 700 centers of remote access to the Presidential Library collections in 85 regions of the Russian Federation and 30 countries. The Presidential Library, as it was intended at the opening in 2009, has become the connecting link of the information space of the whole Russia: it integrates and provides unique materials, and today about half of them are available on the portal. Restrictions are related to the protection of free access under the Copyright Law and the requests of the holders of the originals.

The previous electronic reading room hours of operation in the Presidential Library, three days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, were established from the opening day, May 27, 2009. However, for the last several years, the library almost daily provides excursions, organizes events, holds multimedia lessons, lectures, meetings of the cinema club. So the new hours of operation are a confirmation of the fact: the period of establishment of the institution was replaced by a time of active development.

Full information about events, announcements, news of the Presidential Library, joining excursion, documents to be scanned, and many other details is available on the website https://www.prlib.ru/ There you will find literature you are interested in, and will be able to register in the electronic reading room from September 3 from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 19:00 (entrance to the building is available until 18:00), for enquiries +7 (812) 305-16-31. To become a reader of the Presidential Library, it is enough to have a passport.