Key insights of “Literature and Reading” section of the VII St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum to be held at the Presidential Library

November 15, 2018 plenary session "Reading in the Digital Age", the IV Conference "Book Policy of Regions" and the solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the IV All-Russian Contest "The Most Reading Region" will be held at the Senate Square, 3.  Following the conference, the Presidential Library will arrange a press scrum.

The participants of the plenary session “Reading in the Digital Age” (beginning at 11:00) will consider sea changes in book culture and readers’ practices that have occurred over the past decade. Ludmila Verbitskaya, honorary President of the Russian Academy of Education, Sergei Stepashin, President of the Russian Book Union, linguist, professor at the National Research University of Higher School of Economics, author of the book “Russian language on the point of a psychotic meltdown” Maxim Krongauz, Ernesto Renato Ottone, UNESCO Director-General for Culture Renato Ottone Ramirez (Chile), President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Gloria Perez Salmeron (Spain), Director of the National Library of Rome Andrea De Pascal (Italy) and other specialists will attend the meeting.

The “Book Policy of Regions” conference, which will begin at 1:00 pm, will be devoted to the development of book culture and increasing the level of reading culture in Russia. The event will focus on the current state of the reading infrastructure, the regional rating, developing strategic directions for the development of a reading culture at the federal and regional levels, and presenting the best practice options. Foreign specialists will take part in the conference for the first time.

Conference speakers are President of the Russian Book Union Sergei Stepashin, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications Vladimir Grigoriev, President of the Eksmo-AST Publishing Group, Member of the Presidium of the Russian Book Union Oleg Novikov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg - Head of the Administration of the Governor of Saint Petersburg Alexander Govorunov, Deputy Chairman of the Government, Head of the Representative Office of the Government of Irkutsk Region under the Government of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Balashov, Minister of Culture of Ulyanovsk Region Yevgenia Sidorova, Director General of the Moscow Directorate for the Development of Cultural Centers Maria Rogacheva, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of Pskov Region on Culture Anna Budarina, Director of the Customer Relations Department of the Analytical Center Brand Analytics Nikita Orfenov, Director of Culture Affairs of Heidelberg, head of "Heidelberg - UNESCO City of Literature" project Andrea Edel (Germany), responsible for activities in the framework of the UNESCO program "Wroclaw - World Book Capital - 2016", Director of the House of Literature in Wroclaw Irek Green (Poland).

On completing the conference, the winners of the IV All-Russian Contest “The Most Reading Region” will be awarded. The participants of the contest are the subjects of the Russian Federation competing for the honorary title “Literary Flagship of Russia”. The contest, which is held by the Russian Book Union and the Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications, is designed to encourage the regions to develop literature and make reading more accessible to citizens.

The events will be broadcasted live on the Presidential Library’s portal in “Live Broadcasts” section.

Press scrum on the results of the IV Conference "The Book Policy of Regions" will be held from 3:00 pm to 03:20 pm in the Presidential Library.

Accreditation of media representatives is available until 02:00 pm, November 14, 2018.

Please, forward applications for accreditation following the attached form with the note “Media Accreditation” at media@prlib.ru, pechnikova@prlib.ru, Tatyana Pechnikova, tel. (812) 305-16-21, ext. 534; mob. +7 921 436-72-86. It is necessary to specify the full name, name of the media, date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), a list of carry-on equipment to be carried, contact numbers.

Please, note, that the entrance to the Presidential Library for journalists is carried out only by prior request and upon showing a passport through entrance № 2.