Russian National Library (St. Petersburg): history, funds, address
National Library (St. Petersburg) in Maythis year celebrated its 220 anniversary. Founded by the Decree of Catherine II in the last month of the spring of 1795, the library is still one of the largest in the world.
Different names
National Library (St. Petersburg) withthe moment of its foundation and until 1917 was called the Imperial Public Library. For the period of the existence of Soviet power, the name changed several times - until 1925 the largest book depository was called the Russian Public Library, since 1932 the library was named Saltykov-Shchedrin, and then, for 70 years, until 1992, was called the State Public Library. Throughout its existence, the oldest library in Russia has sought to recruit funds and, most importantly, to provide free access to them.
For the benefit of education
National Library (St. Petersburg) nowon stocks of funds is the second book depository of Russia. As of early 2012, the National Library of Russia had a fund of 36.5 million copies, including 400,000 manuscripts, 7,000 books published before 1501, the so-called incunabula. From its inception to the present day, this library is the scientific, research, information and cultural center of the Russian Federation.
Almost 30 years it took an enlightenedEmpress (1766-1795) to approve the submitted to her project. For a year and a half before her death, this wonderful act brought the line under the "brilliant century" of her reign. Construction began immediately after the approval of the project and lasted for 15 years.
The first in many respects
A beautiful building grew at the intersection of Sadovayastreets and Nevsky Prospekt, that is, in the heart of the capital. In the building erected on the project of E. T. Sokolov (Musical Theater is in the mansion of his work) the first National Library is located. St. Petersburg was attached to the civilized capitals of Europe. One of the undeniable merits of the library is the fact that the first in our country manual on library classification was created to replenish and systemize its funds.
And the legislative act on mandatory delivery fromThe aim of the systematic replenishment of funds in the library of copies (in the amount of 2 units) of any printed matter published in Russia by its origin is also due to the first library.
Formation of unique funds
Its opening was planned for 1812, but according toknown reasons took place in 1814-m. The National Library (St. Petersburg), whose address is known not only to every inhabitant of the Northern capital, but also to many guests of the amazing city, is located on Ostrovsky Square, 1/3, was formed as a historical ensemble by 1900. It should be noted such an interesting fact: the Foreign Collections Foundation was founded by the Zaluski Brothers Library, which was located in Warsaw and was one of the first public libraries in the world.
It could only compare to the three royallibraries of Europe, located in London, Paris and Munich. In 1794, after the suppression of the insurrection Kosciusko Suvorov. 400 000 volumes were declared the property of the Russian Empire. The pearl of the funds is the Voltaire Library, which was purchased by Catherine II in 1778 from Denis Voltaire, the niece and heiress of the great thinker. A special ship she was brought to Russia and placed in the Hermitage, and the order of Alexander II was transferred to the Imperial Public Library.
Center for Cultural Life and Innovation
Only in the first 30 years of the library's existencereaders have received more than 100 000 copies of books. Naturally, its funds were continuously increasing, as was the number of visitors, and in the years 1832-1835 a second building was commissioned, the facade of which was on the Ekaterininsky Garden. And in the second half of the XIX century, the funds, thanks to numerous book gifts, began to increase in avalanche - in the 50 years, 30 times compared with the entire first half of the XIX century. By 1917, the library had the largest number of manuscripts in Russia. The National Public Library (St. Petersburg) was the first in Russia, where class privileges were abolished - it began to be visited by women. In the years 1860-1862 another building was built according to VI Sobolevshchikov's project, which closed the inner courtyard around the perimeter. All the innovations of the library business appeared here.
Time of adversity
From 1917 to 1930, the storage facilities were activewere replenished at the expense of nationalized private collections and assemblies of monasteries and state institutions, although due to printed products, the growth of funds almost completely ceased and was restored only after 1930.
Library staff were subjected to repression,which continued even during the Great Patriotic War, which inflicted huge losses on the funds. But even in the days of the blockade, the library worked and served the readers.
The urgent need for new premises
The State National Library (St. Petersburg) was renamed again in 1991 by the decree of Boris Yeltsin. Now it is called the Russian National Library.
Needless to say, buildings whose agepassed for 200 years, decayed and became dangerous for the storage of many valuable specimens. Therefore, even in the twentieth century, the issue of building a new building that meets all modern requirements was acute. In 1970, the decision to build a new building was made, and within 10 years the design of the new building was being developed, and then for the same number of years it was being built. And only in 2003 the first stage of the new building was opened (it included all reading rooms and a book depository, which contained 10 million books at the time of its opening).
The new building did not solve all the problems
In a new building (this building of the library has becomecalled) moved the National Library (St. Petersburg). "Victory Park" is a metro station in the immediate vicinity (as is Victory Park itself, located opposite) to the 9-storeyed building of the new book depository, capable of accommodating up to 12 million books. Reading rooms and other office space are located in smaller buildings. The repository is the dominant of the whole project. Under this building was allocated a plot of 4.6 hectares. In the old buildings of the library, located at 11 addresses, it was stored up to 22.7 million books.
Naturally, they were overloaded. But the introduction of a new modern library building did not solve all the problems - still some of the funds are located at 9 addresses, sometimes in rented buildings, in emergency condition. In 2009, an agreement was signed on the construction of a new 11-storey book depository, which will be located next to the existing complex near Victory Park.
Innovation Center
The new beautiful building is comfortably locatedThe Russian National Library (St. Petersburg). The address of this building is: Moscow Ave, 165, building. 2. The new building of the National Library is the center of innovative projects, which allowed to raise the service to a completely new level. The electronic library room, opened in 2006, electronic catalogs, connection to the Vivaldi digital libraries network in 2011 - all this brings the NLR to the highest international level. In this building is the headquarters of the Russian Association of Libraries.
