Electronic reading room of Presidential Library opened at Institute of History of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

On October 25th, 2024, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus hosted the official opening of the Center for Remote Access to Resources of the Presidential Library of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation.

This event was made possible thanks to an agreement on cooperation signed between the two organizations in early October, during the II Forum of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

Director General of the Presidential Library, Yuri Nosov, noted that the opening of the electronic reading room would allow the staff at the Institute of History to access all materials from the Presidential Library's vast collection of more than a million historical documents on Russian statehood.

Vadim Lakiza, Director of the Institute of History at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, emphasized that "remote access to the Presidential Library's collection, which includes book editions, rare archive files, ancient manuscripts, visual and cartographic materials, as well as multimedia content (audio and video records), allows for quick work with up-to-date materials and data, which are essential for scientists, especially young researchers, in developing scientific themes and preparing dissertations and monographs."

The electronic collection Russia - Belarus: the History of Relations is presented on the website of the Presidential Library, which includes official documents, archival materials, cartographic and visual materials reflecting the interaction between the two countries throughout history. Most of the materials focus on the participation of Belarusians in the Great Patriotic War, including archival documents, newspapers, combat leaflets, and partisan newspapers.

The Presidential Library has actively collaborated with institutions in Belarus since 2010, opening remote access centers for its resources within the country. Additionally, since 2019, the library has operated an access center for the ETALON-ONLINE search system developed by the Belarusian National Center for Legal Information.

The staff of the Presidential Library regularly participate in major international events together with their colleagues from Belarus. They also exchange experiences and knowledge.

Information about the Presidential Library

The Presidential Library is a national library under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Directorate of the President of Russia and is the first digital library in the country. It is located in 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 multifunctional center for information, science, education, culture, and learning.

The Presidential Library's collection includes electronic books, periodicals, news reels, photographs, science and education films, abstracts of dissertations, archival documents, and materials on the history of Russian statehood, the theory and practice of law, and the use of Russian as the official language of the Russian Federation.

The status and equipment of the Presidential Library allow regularly holding events of any level and format within its premises such as official meetings of state and political figures of Russia and foreign countries, conferences, round tables, seminars, lectures, concerts, presentations, exhibitions, public discussions, workshops and others.

There are specially equipped rooms for their organizations - a conference hall, a transformable multimedia complex, a meeting room, a hall of the Academic Council, exhibition complex, methodics department, panoramic café and others.

The address of the Presidential Library: 190000, St. Petersburg, Senate Square, 3 lit. A.