Novgorod the Great is one of the oldest cities in Russia and Eastern Europe. It is definitely worth a visit to admire the expositions of museums and objects of historical and cultural heritage. On the territory of the Kremlin, in an old building, there is the Novgorod Regional Library. In it you can not only read books, but also attend various events.
History of the library
Novgorod Regional Scientific Library dates back to 1833. That is why it can be considered one of the oldest in the country, except for book depositories, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Its foundation is connected with the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the opening of public libraries in provincial towns. In the 60s of the XIX century, it was transferred under the control of the Provincial Committee. In 1909, it did not function for a year due to repairs, and from that time on, readers were charged for using books at home.
During the Second World War, it was badly damaged, the funds were lost, in fact, the library began to be created anew. By 1950, catalogs had been created: alphabetical, systematic, and topographic. In 1983-1984the library was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and it got its modern name. In 1994, an electronic catalog was created in the book depository. Among the latest events, it is worth mentioning the opening in December 2018 of the Regional Center for Access to the Presidential Library's resources.
The library building is one of the oldest in Russia, if we take the buildings of this profile. It was placed in the building of the Presences, which was built in 1786, that is, it is 47 years older than the book depository itself. In the 19th century, the exiled revolutionary A. Herzen managed to work in it for about a year, this was in 1841-1842.
The library fund in the 60s of the XIX century was 2500 copies, and by 1919 it had grown to 41 thousand. In 1949 it amounted to 122 thousand books and documents, and by 2018 the funds reached 881 thousand items.
What to do in the library?
Library visitors can get acquainted with books, including rare (XVIII century), periodicals, notes, audio and video recordings, electronic documents. The collections contain literature in 18 languages.
The capacity of the Internet class is 10 people, and the exhibition hall - from 20 to 40. The reading room can accommodate from 30 to 70 people. The institution hosts various events such as exhibitions and conferences.
On Saturdays, the Novgorod Regional Library is closed, and on other days it is open from 10 am to 8 pm or closes a little earlier.
