Libraries and Society: Interregional exhibition of documents from the collections of scientific libraries in Siberia "Siberian Interest of Russia. 1721–2021" opened in Kemerovo

The V. D. Fyodorov State Scientific Library of Kuzbass (Kemerovo) opened an interregional exhibition of documents from scientific libraries in Siberia. The "Siberian Interest of Russia. 1721–2021" is one of the festive projects marking the 300th anniversary of Kuzbass. The project involved several partners, including the Vasiliy Shishkov Altai Regional Universal Scientific Library, the Novosibirsk State Regional Scientific Library, the Alexander Pushkin Tomsk Regional Universal Scientific Library, the Vladimir Obruchev Scientific and Technical Library of the Tomsk Polytechnic University, the Kuzbass Archives Administration and the State Archives of Kuzbass, the "Tomskaya Pisanitsa'' Museum-Reserve and the Museum of the History of Peasant Life in Krasnoye village of the Leninsk-Kuznetsk district.

The anniversary year invoked the idea of an interregional exhibition project. It is known that for a long time the modern territories of Kuzbass, Altai Territory, Novosibirsk and Tomsk Regions were part of large administrative structures of Russia. This historical community determined the mutual interest of archives, museums and libraries from neighbouring regions.

The exposition is designed by artists from Kemerovo in three library locations - the Stained Glass Hall, the Fyodorov Hall and the Art Gallery. The Art Gallery features maps and documents of the first period of the Kuzbass formation and its scientific study (XVIII-XIX centuries). The Fyodorov Hall represents materials on the cardinal changes in that region at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The Stained Glass Hall contains publications about Kuzbass of the Soviet times. Creating the exhibition, the organizers were sure that the history of native land would be engaging for residents and would give them a comprehensive idea of the development of Siberia.

The exhibition reveals the history of Kuzbass through unique documents related to the long history of this region. It comprises archival materials, books, newspapers, maps, prints, photographs. For the first time, the library showcases several rare publications. Some exciting exhibits are digitized and presented as multimedia content on monoblocks in the Fyodorov Hall. Each workplace provides access to the electronic resources of one of the scientific libraries of Siberia - an exhibition's participant and an Internet connection (visitors have the opportunity to use digital local history services presented on library portals). Two original Kuzbass museums provided the items from their collections that recreate an atmosphere of different historical periods of this region. The exhibition materials have a single feature - all of them are devoted to coal - the base of the industrial potential of Kuzbass. The organizers prepared and issued an exhibition catalogue.