Fascinating summer with the Presidential Library: Read and watch online

The Presidential Library’s electronic collections contain over a million depository items – copies of rare archival documents, books, films, photographs, as well as other materials on the history of Russian statehood and language. Many of them are featured on the institution’s portal in the thematic collections. Thanks to the variety – from the collections spotlighting Ancient Rus’ to the collections about the circumnavigation of Earth, sport achievements, space exploration and development of domestic inventions, every reader has an opportunity to find something of interest.

For example, the collection dedicated to the Olympic Games features digital copies of various Olympic-themed materials – badges, coins, postcards, stamps, etc. The bulk of the collection is dedicated to the XXII Olympic Summer Games of 1980 in Moscow. Another collection, Outer Space reflects the main stages of the cosmonautics development – from an idea to the dream about flying beyond Earth coming true. Such rare publications as The Guide to Cosmography and Physical Geography (1868), Star Atlas for Celestial Observations (1901), Interplanetary Travel (1935) are displayed among the materials dedicated to the exploration of outer space. The collection Russian Inventions contains archival materials describing interesting inventions, for example, coin stamping machine (1811), airmobile (1917) and even submarine (1905).

In addition, the Presidential Library’s portal from Monday to Friday in Live broadcasts section provides broadcasting of films, video lectures and tours prepared by the Presidential Library, as well as by leading film studios of the country.

Other resources of the library are available for readers to use without leaving their homes: for example, virtual tours around the building and exhibitions of the Presidential Library. Institution’s online projects are particularly interesting, as they present rare historical documents to the public. Thus, the joint project of the Presidential Library and the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences spotlights the books the first Russian emperor was reading. Library of Peter the Great is a collection, unique in its diversity and content.

Thanks to the Presidential Library’s portal, it is possible to visit numerous museums of the country – the Priyutino Estate, the Military History Museum “Nevsky Pyatachok”, the Cruiser Aurora, the Yulian Semyonov House-Museum in Crimea, and others.

The Presidential Library also provides a vast collection of audiovisual materials – documentary and fictional films, newsreel footage, multimedia projects, video lectures with the participation of experts of the leading scientific and educational institutions of the country.

The Presidential Library’s electronic resources also provide a lot of fascinating information for schoolchildren. In particular, the information-educational portal Gosudarika tells children about the history and culture of the country. The resource features chronicles, folklore collections, monuments of ancient Russian literature, video materials, and many others. Within the multimedia lessons on the Presidential Library’s portal, pupils have an opportunity to explore rare documents from various epochs and even test their knowledge online. It allows integrating resources of the library into the educational process, making it more interesting and productive.