The Presidential Library and Minsk Theological Seminary signed a cooperation agreement and opened a remote access center to library resources

The Presidential Library's delegation attended the International Scientific and Practical Conference “XVI Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) of Lithuania and Vilna” which was held on December 6, 2023 in Minsk.

As part of the event, a remote access center for the Presidential Library was opened at the Minsk Theological Seminary of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, and a cooperation agreement was signed between the library and the seminary. The library's Director General, Yuri Nosov, and the rector, Archpriest Viktor Vasilevich, put their signatures on the document.

Within the framework of the agreement, it is planned to form a single information space in the field of history of Russia and Belarus, strengthen spiritual and moral values, and preserve historical memory.

There will be held an exchange of electronic copies of documents and materials to enter the collections of both parties, joint educational and cultural activities.

Director General of the Presidential Library Yuri Nosov noted: “Thanks to the opening of the remote electronic reading room of the Presidential Library, teachers and students of the Minsk Theological Seminary received access to the entire library's collections, the volume of which exceeds a million depository items. We hope that our cooperation will become the basis for the implementation of new joint projects”.

At the International Scientific and Practical Conference, the acting director of the department for library interaction, Yulia Selivanova, made a report “Resources on the history and culture of Belarus in the digital collection of the Presidential Library”.

The Presidential Library's portal features the electronic collection Russia – Belarus: the History of Relations, which includes official documents and archival materials, research papers about Russian-Belarusian interaction. Most of the materials are devoted to the participation of the Belarusian people in the Great Patriotic War. These are periodicals, military combat leaflets, partisan newspapers, as well as documentaries. Both states are connected by common trials and victories, united by the task of popularizing historical memory in order to preserve sovereign statehood and the uniqueness of national cultures.