From anthropology to ecology: the Presidential Library hosted the traditional Arctic Day

February 28, 2020 the traditional annual conference "Arctic Day in the Presidential Library" was held in St. Petersburg on Senate Square, 3. The event was held with the organizational support of the St. Petersburg Committee on Arctic Affairs.

The participants of the event, including remotely via video-conferencing mode, were students, graduate students and cadets of Russian higher and military educational institutions, representatives of organizations involved in the study and development of the Arctic.

The main task of “Arctic Day in the Presidential Library” is to popularize Arctic expeditions, research on Arctic topics, draw attention to the problems of preserving the nature of this northern region and its distinctive culture, as well as the life support of the Arctic communities.

The conference was opened with a plenary meeting where leading Russian scientists discussed key issues related to the formation of a strategic planning system for the Arctic zone of Russia, the historical and marine heritage of the region, the Northern Sea Route, and the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

“Arctic Day at the Presidential Library” continued with a series of breakout sessions. One of them was devoted to scientific and technological progress in the Arctic, in particular, the expedition of the Arctic Floating University and its role in the study of this territory.

Arctic tourism, which today is a new and promising scientific and practical direction that has a significant impact on the development of the region in the context of globalization, was discussed in the framework of the section "Socio-economic development of territories".

A separate section “Anthropology and Ethnology of the Arctic Territories” was devoted to the main wealth of the Arctic - its inhabitants, their knowledge and skills. It was noted that the study of the lifestyle of indigenous peoples is an extremely important component in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the northern regions.

Within the framework of the “Arctic Day in the Presidential Library”, a video lecture of “Knowledge of Russia” series was also dedicated to the research of the Arctic and Antarctic. The participants of the event heard a fascinating story about travels to the South Pole, about the project "Arctic Round the World", about what unique exhibits are presented in the collections of the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic.  

The Presidential Library’s cinema club meeting, which also became part of the Arctic Day program at the Presidential Library, was dedicated to the screening and discussion of the documentary film “The Arctic. Space on earth". The film, created by the NSU.LIFE studio of Novosibirsk State University as part of the Arctic Floating University project, features summer expedition of scientists and students to Franz Josef Land in 2017. The film vividly and convincingly shows in what difficult conditions the study of the Arctic lands takes place, why this is done, and explains why the Arctic is a place where you always want to return.

The ceremonial presentation of the exhibition “Expanding the Framework of the World Within the Globe”: on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by the expedition of F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev” was held in the format of a meeting with its organizers - leading specialists of the Arctic and Antarctic Museum, the Central Naval Library, the Gorky Research  Library, the St. Petersburg State University, the Admiralty Shipyards. They talked about the modern exploration of Antarctica, about the history of Russian studies of the Southern continent, introduced an extensive bibliography on Antarctica, and international legislation governing the nature of the use of these lands. Guests of the Presidential Library visited numerous exhibition exhibits, among which rare books, geographical maps, and little-known photographs are presented.

The Presidential Library pays much attention to the Arctic development. The collections of the national electronic repository contains a large number of materials on the North Pole. So, the electronic collection Development of the Arctic includes books on the history of the development of the northern territories, memoirs and travel notes of travelers, scientific works, sea atlases, drawings, newsreel fragments. The video The development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, presented on the Presidential Library’s portal, will help to get the most complete idea of them in a minimum period of time.

On the official website of the institution you can also visit the video tour “Icebreaker “Krassin: 100 years in the history of Russia”, which spotlights a joint exhibition prepared by the Presidential Library and the Museum “Icebreaker “Krassin“” marking the centenary of the ship. The exposition covers the history of the icebreaker, its working days and exploits.

Participants and partners of the conference “Arctic Day in the Presidential Library” are the Russian Geographical Society, the Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University (Arkhangelsk), the Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk), the  Ammosov Northeast Federal University (Yakutsk), the Murmansk Arctic State University (Murmansk), the Novosibirsk State University, the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, the Institute of the Northern Peoples, the St. Petersburg State University, the Institute of Earth Sciences, the St. Petersburg Mining University, the St. Petersburg Regional Branch of the Russian Union of Young Scientists, the Admiral Makarov State University of the Sea and River Fleet, the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the Pete the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), the Emperor Peter the Great Central Naval Museum, the Central Naval Library.