Combining the past and the future: the Presidential Library celebrates its birthday

May 27 marks the All-Russian Library Day and the Presidential Library’s birthday, which doors were first opened to visitors in 2009. The institution is the first electronic national library of Russia and is under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation.

The Presidential Library is the largest multifunctional information, scientific, educational and cultural center, which includes an electronic reading and exhibition halls, conference hall, multimedia and television complexes. It is located in the center of St. Petersburg in the historic building of the Holy Synod, built in the second quarter of the 19th century by the outstanding architect Carlo Rossi.

Combining historical traditions and the latest technologies, the Presidential Library forms a nationwide electronic resource, including books and periodicals, archival documents, newsreels, photographs, scientific and educational films, as well as other materials spotlighting the centuries-old history of Russian statehood, theory and practice of law, the Russian language as the state language of the Russian Federation. Today the Presidential Library’s electronic collections contain more than a million depository items.

A lot of materials are presented on the institution’s official portal. For the convenience of users they are divided into thematic collections, of which there are more than 300 at the moment. Each of them is associated with a certain historical period or dedicated to an event, region, person and etc.

Full access to the Presidential Library’s collections is provided in the electronic reading room located in St. Petersburg at Senate Square, 3, in structural divisions in Moscow and Tyumen, as well as through a network of remote access centers. Today, more than 1,200 such centers are open in all 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and 43 - in 30 foreign countries.

Everyone has opportunity to become a reader of the Presidential Library. To visit the electronic reading room it is enough to present a passport or other identity document and fill out a questionnaire. When recording the reader receives an individual login and password to access the Personal Account. This allows saving the information found and form your own collection of sources.

The Presidential Library actively cooperates with federal and regional libraries, archives, museums, universities, authorities, the media, public organizations and individuals. Partners participate not only in the formation of the Presidential Library’s electronic collections, but also in events held at the library. The institution hosts international meetings, state awards ceremonies, solemn meetings, conferences, concerts, exhibitions, forums.

Scientific and educational activities are of great importance for the Presidential Library: multimedia lessons, video lectures, cinema club meetings, webinars, contests, Olympiads, and other events are held regularly.

The Presidential Library is actively working on the development of interactive projects. Today, without leaving home, thanks to virtual tours prepared by the specialists of the institution, it is possible to visit the historic building of the Synod, visit the legendary cruiser Aurora, the Yulian Semyonov House-Museum, the State Memorial Museum of Defence and Siege of Leningrad, learn about a number of temporary exhibitions which at different times were opened at the Presidential Library. Films and video lectures prepared by the Presidential Library, as well as the country's leading film studios, are broadcast weekly on the library's portal in Live broadcasts section.

The Presidential Library provides tours around the institution’s building, as well as thematic ones to existing temporary exhibitions. Until June 24, 2021 everyone has the opportunity to visit the exhibition “History of the Philharmonia in the collection of the Musical Library. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Shostakovich St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia". To visit the exposition please first register by phone (812) 334-25-14 or send an e-mail to excursion@prlib.ru.

All the details about the Presidential Library and its resources are available on the institution's portal www.prlib.ru and the institution's official pages on social networks.