Society and book culture: The exhibition of unique books of the XVIII century opened in the Altai Krai

December 2, 2014 in the V. Y. Shishkov Altai Regional Library (Barnaul) took place the opening of the exhibition “Book heritage of the department of Kolyvano-Voskresensky plants.

The origin and the history of libraries of Kolyvano-Voskresensky mountain plants is inextricably linked with the history of the oil refineries.

With the expansion of production there was a need for competent professionals – a book in the factories and mines of the Altai became the first necessity. According to the petition the Chief Altai plant Andrei Ivanovich Poroshin duplicate books (87 copies of 12 titles) from the Yekaterinburg libraries were taken to Barnaul in 1764 This year is considered the date of occurrence of state-owned libraries of Kolyvano-Voskresensky plants.

In the beginning of the book gathered together in plants, pharmacies and schools. In the second half of the XVIII century book funds intensively staffed by modern publications on mining and metallurgical production, fiction, books on history and geography and so on. At the beginning of the XIX century all the books have been linked in Barnaul breech library, were held inventory and were then divided into "fundamental" and "classical" (learning) parts.  

In 1911, the Treasury Barnaul Library was transferred to the Altai Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Some time it served its readers as a scientific and historical library, and in 1928 by the decision of the Siberian regional executive committee was moved to Novosibirsk.

However, a small book heritage of the Altai mining engineers remained in the Altai. About 300 copies are available in the Regional Library, the Local History Museum, the State Archives, the Scientific Medical Library and the University Library.

In the funds of the Department of Rare Books are stored 12 books of the once rich Technical Library of Altai. Among these unique books of the XVIII century: "A Brief Guide to the eloquence…" by M. V. Lomonosov (1784); "Youth honest Mirror" (1767); "The decree of Peter the Great" (1777); "The interviewer lovers of Russian words" (1783-1784), "Metallurgy" by J. Scopoli (1800) and others.  

These books can be seen at the exhibition from December 2 until December 12 in the department of rare books of the V. Y. Shishkov Altai Regional Library.