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The National Library of Russia

° World War II was a pivotal time for the National Library of Russia. The city of Leningrad was laid siege to for 900 days, with the German armies surrounding the city and cutting all supply lines. Yet inspire of cold and hunger, the library continued to play a pivotal role in keeping up the moral of the city's community. Much of the library's collection was evacuated from the city, "manuscripts, incunabula, other early printed books, Russian books from the sixteenth century and the "Golden Age" (the first quarter of the nineteenth century), the Rossica stocks, Voltaire's library, the Plekhanov House archives and more and taken away to the town of Melekess in Ulyanovsk region." Yet the library and its reading room never closed. With water and heating cut off, the library continued to support its users. During the siege 9,229 readers made use of its stocks and they were given more than half a million books. In all, throughout the war years, 42,597 people visited the library. In 464,000 visits they were given almost one-and-a-half million different printed items. In 1941-42 more than 10,000 books were provided for use in military units and hospitals. The siege was lifted and the library remained largely in tact with little substantive damage to the building.

° In 1991, the Soviet Union broke into the Russian Federation and its constituent republics, now independent nations. This posed new challenges for the National Library of Russia. Previously, the State Library in Moscow was the repository livery for the entire Soviet Union. Now that role was eliminated, and both libraries became repository libraries for the Russian Federation. The National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg increasing found its focus shifting to research and the development of librarianship in Russia. Per the statute issued by the Russian government, the library's expanded role "applied to both scholarly matters and financial questions, including dealings with parties abroad. Moreover, the library has been entrusted with representing Russia's interests at an international level."

Russian Public Libraries This would become potentially a new page, as none exists on the broader Russian Public Libraries.

° The Russian Federation is the largest single country in the world by area. It's population is around 145,000,000 people served by approximately 90,000 libraries in total, which consists of 37,000 libraries, most in rural areas (79%), three national libraries, and the remainder academic, school and private.

According to the latest available statistics, there are almost 75,000,000 registered library users, representing almost 50% of the population. These users made almost 700 million visits and borrowed over one billion items. One of the challenges the library faces is making internet access to these largely rural communities. Today 75% of these libraries have internet access.

Project Culture

°In 2018, Russian libraries launched project "Culture,: which had two distinct goals: the modernization of 660 municipal libraries and the relaunch of the National Digital Library. Like libraries globally, Russian libraries are focusing on digitizing information - Russian literature, scientific, museum and cultural material as well as journals and periodicals. Project Culture was the subject of the annual Meeting of the Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia. The Forum, focused on the analysis of the current state of the library sector and the development of priority areas for its further development, was held for the 26th time. The Meeting was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library and the National Library of Russia. 294 participants from 57 regions of Russia. Significantly a number of attendees participated electronically, as electronic scholarship and digital production becomes an integral part of the future of Russia's libraries.

There will also be a new educational app launched for school students which will provide digital content including cultural content such as films, videos, music and plays. By 2024 Project Culture is poised to transform 660 municipal libraries into "welcoming “third places”, intellectual knowledge centers for personal development, including facilities for people with disabilities."

The project will be transformative, reimagining regional libraries - "The new libraries are almost unrecognizable. They get federal funding to renovate their premises, to buy new furniture and equipment, to renew their library collection and to educate the staff. From an old library, used for the sole purpose of storing books, the modern library turns into an innovative and creative space for its readers, whether it is someone, who enjoys robotics, or someone with a knack for singing." In purusing the project there have been formidable challenges - flooding, harsh weather and lack on internet. "Small towns and villages require particular attention because they are the ones that experience problems with access to the Internet and to other important information resources. Opening libraries in distant regions with a harsh climate has become one of the project’s major achievements." Modernizing the libraries in Russia has become a significant project, headed by the ministry of culture. while International Exchanges may be limited due to the western sanctions, the focus on domestic projects and revitalization continues.