The Presidential Library’s Regional Center opened in Veliky Novgorod

Friday, December 14, 2018, the Regional Center (RC) of the Presidential Library based on the Novgorod Regional Universal Research Library (Veliky Novgorod, Kremlin, 4) was opened. In addition, a remote electronic reading room in the city of Valdai operates in the region and a remote electronic reading room is being prepared for opening based on the Novgorod State United Museum-Reserve.

The center will allow building a streamlined system of interaction between local libraries and educational institutions using the resources of the Presidential Library. One of its tasks will also be the creation of thematic digital collections related to the history and culture of Novgorod Region.

The opening of the RC is timed to the 185th anniversary of the establishment of the Provincial Public Library in the city. This memorable date is the anniversary of not only a separate library, but an important event for the entire Russian national culture - the establishment of provincial and district public libraries, which provided access to books for a wide circle of readers. The Provincial Public Library in Novgorod is one of the first ones opened by the initiative of the President of the Free Economic Society, Admiral N. S. Mordvinov, and by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 1830s.

Today, the Novgorod Regional Universal Research Library preserves the traditions of reading and book culture and is the largest information center in the region.

In addition to the solemn opening ceremony of the Regional Center for Access to Information Resources of the Presidential Library, on December 14 a meeting and a concert dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the Provincial Public Library were held here. Representatives of government and public organizations, the media, library partners, and creative teams of Novgorod Region were invited to the celebration.

The Presidential Library's portal contains the collection “Novgorod Region: Pages of History”, which includes research, statistical materials, archival documents, cartographic and audio materials reflecting the socio-economic and political aspects of the history of Novgorod Region for several centuries. It also presents the current Charter of Novgorod Region.

Materials of the Presidential Library are available to everyone from almost anywhere in the world. The regional and foreign network of the institution is represented in all 85 regions of the Russian Federation and in more than 30 countries of the world, over 800 centers of access to the resources of the Presidential Library. The Presidential Library’s collections today number nearly 700 thousand units of storage.