Participants of program Our Libraries: Read in Russian introduced to events of Presidential Library

On August 26, 2024, the Presidential Library welcomed participants of the annual professional development program Our Libraries: Reading in Russian.

For the guests, who were specialists from libraries and cultural and educational institutions from Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and South Ossetia, a tour of the Presidential Library was conducted. During the tour, they were shown the history and architecture of the building and learned about the library's main activities and information and technology resources.

The Presidential Library was founded by order of the Russian President and opened to the public on May 27, 2009. It is located in the heart of St. Petersburg, in a historic building that was built in the second quarter of the 19th century by the renowned architect Karl Rossi. The library is a large multimedia, multifunctional cultural, educational, scientific and information-analytical center.

The guests were informed about the architectural features of the building that houses the Holy Synod. They explored the restored historical interiors and climbed the grand staircase, following in the footsteps of prominent state and church figures from the Russian Empire.

Guests of the Presidential Library also visited the Column Hall, which hosts public, national, and international events, including those of the highest level. They also viewed the multimedia transformation hall, where conferences, video lectures, multimedia lessons, and film screenings are regularly held.

Additionally, they visited the Constitution Hall, which displays historical documents related to Russian statehood, as well as newsreels about the institution of the Presidency and State Symbols in Russia. Of particular interest was a unique copy of the original copy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation on which the head of state takes their oath.

In the electronic reading room, participants in the program Our Libraries: Reading in Russian learned about the Presidential Library's collections, which digitally houses archival historical documents, books and periodicals, news reels, photo and video materials, documentary films, scientific and educational films, and much more. Today, the library's digital collection exceeds one million depository items.

This annual professional development program, Our Libraries: Reading in Russian, is organized by the Central Mayakovsky City Public Library at the initiative of the Committee for External Relations and in collaboration with the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg.