Shortly before the 90th anniversary of Leningrad Oblast General Director of the Presidential Library Alexander Vershinin met with its pressmen

The editors of regional newspapers for the first time have met with General Director of the Presidential Library, which traditionally undertakes much work with journalists from the Leningrad Oblast, in the library premises at 3 Senate Square. A meeting was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Leningrad Oblast and a release of the Leningrad Region: pages of history digital collection on the Presidential Library website. The collection contains the studies, essays, archival documents, photographs and video footages revealing the geographic, socioeconomic, socio-political and other aspects of the history of the Leningrad Oblast in the period of the XVIII — the early XX centuries. Current Oblast Law “Charter of Leningrad Oblast” is also included.

Appearing before pressmen, Alexander Vershinin outlined the main directions for the development of the Presidential Library. Apart from a synergy of historical traditions and cutting-edge technologies in work on the building a nationwide electronic resource, where reflecting the centuries-old history of Russian statehood book and periodical editions, archival documents, photographs and other materials are presented in digital format. Director General of the library made a special emphasis on the fact that along with the content increase the Presidential Library implements various educational, outreach and awareness raising projects, among which are the “Knowledge of Russia” public video lecturing, interactive school Olympiad in history, social studies and Russian language “Russia in the electronic world,” “Foreign View” International Photography Competition for professionals and photography lovers and many others. And Internet users from the Leningrad Oblast actively participate in such projects.

Currently, more than 200 domestic and foreign institutions and private persons act as partners on library stock acquisition. Since its beginning in 2009, the Presidential Library electronic fund has exceeded 550,000 entries. 55 percent of that dynamic array belongs to archival documents, the core role of which in the preservation of national history Alexander Pavlovich Vershinin reviewed particularly:

“Next year, — he said, — the country will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the archival service of Russia, which has survived several archival reforms along with reforms in other related areas. For the Presidential Library, this for certain would be a double celebration, because a building of the former Synod, erected in the ensemble with a building of former Senate, currently accommodates its premises. Whereas, in Soviet times it accommodated the premises of an archive, which is currently located in a specially designed for it building. However, the archival business remains in these old walls, just on a new round of evolutionary helix — in digital format, and the number of archival evidences exceeds the number of rare books and all other documents. We are going to widely celebrate the forthcoming in the 2018 anniversary of the national archive business with a series of events — the conferences, publication releases, an enlarged exposition in our exhibition facilities.”

Journalists enthusiastically joined the discussion of key issues and strike up a lively conversation.

“Having visited this place, gone sightseeing and listened to Alexander Pavlovich, —General Director of the Sosnovy Bor “Tera-studio” Yury Radchenko said, — we have been evidently assured that our national history is in reliable hands, the Presidential Library proves its high status in anything. I read once that Peter I asked the Dutch chroniclers to record the history of Russia; how many mistakes could we avoid if we described that period personally, yet there are archival documents, the principal eyewitnesses of that epoch.”

In response to the question of expanding access to the resources of the Presidential Library, those present received an exhaustive answer: in 2016 a building of national regional network of centers of access to resources of the Presidential Library, which connected all 85 regions of the Russian Federation, was completed. In our country, there are more than 370 centers of access to the library resources, which are acting as public and, sometimes, the only on their territories places for acquisition of knowledge.

The first in the country national electronic library is represented in 25 countries worldwide, including Spain, Italy, China, Finland, Great Britain, Palestine, Germany, the United States, and in some others.

The editors-in-chief of the Krasnaya Zvezda (lit. red star) newspaper Oleg Tyurin, the Slantsy newspaper Znamya Truda (lit. labor color) Alexei Alexandrov, Gatchina-info edition Galina Palamarchuk, Vyborg Vedomosti (lit. bulletin) newspaper Irina Leontiyeva and other newsmakers have spoken within a discussion about how a creative interaction of media with the Presidential Library, for example, like with the Kingisepp newspaper Vremya (lit. time), could be to everyone’s benefit. Some other joint projects, such as, a digitization and an archiving of district newspapers, mutual thematic fieldtrips, or a popularization of rarities from the Presidential Library stock by means of regional publications could also become an objective of teamwork.

Journalists were also interested in the question of in what direction the Presidential Library will develop further. “Talking more specifically, — Alexander Vershinin answered, — this is the implementation of envisioned Concept of development of the Presidential Library up to 2020.”