The Library of the Academy of Sciences is the largest institution in Russia collecting prints. It was founded in 1714 by decree of Peter I. The main goal of this library was to provide access to books for all residents of the state seeking European education. Today, about twenty million books are stored in the institution.
Base
The library of the Academy of Sciences is located in St. Petersburg, on Vasilievsky Island. Her address: Birzhevaya line, house 1 (the nearest metro station is Sportivnaya). But the history of this institution is long. The library has changed its location more than once. The building that it occupies today was built at the beginning of the First World War.
In the year of foundation, the fund totaled no more than two thousand books. The library itself was originally located in the Summer Palace. But four years later, the organizers moved her to the Kikina Chamber. In this baroque building, the library received its first visitors. The institution was moved to Vasilyevsky Island in the forties of the eighteenth century. But then it was located in an old building. The new building, which today houses the country's largest book fund, began to be built at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The first director of the library was Robert Karlovich Areskin, who hired Johann Schumacher as a librarian. He was obliged to monitor the systematic replenishment of the fund. Subsequently, Schumacher became a director. The library of the Academy of Sciences is the official name of the institution. But when it appeared, it is not known for certain.
First visitors
The priority right to use the books of the fund was assigned to academics. But other educated people visited the library. This mode of operation was valid until the beginning of the seventies. The first readers were the most advanced people of the state, namely the emperor’s associates: Feofan Prokopovich, Athanasius Kondoidi, J. V. Bruce, A. I. Osterman.
The fund of printed books under Peter I totaled about sixteen thousand publications. At the same time, literature in Greek and Old Slavonic languages was not taken into account. Library workers kept such books in a separate room. Under Elizaveta Petrovna, access to these works was open.
The news of the opening of the Russian library spread throughout Europe. One of the first to mention it in his writings was the great enlightener Denis Didro.
First fire
The world famous library burned three times. The first fire occurred in 1747. Due to the old age, little is known about this event. The library in those years was located in the building of the Kunstkamera. It is known that the fire destroyed the Gottorp globe and the tower of the building. There were not many books in those days. And therefore, the damage was, in comparison with subsequent fires, small.
Library in the 19th century
In the nineteenth century, a charter was formulated, according to which the Library of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg was a research institution. From now on, she did not perform educational and enlightening functions. The charter also clearly articulated the structure. Each of the funds had to be regularly replenished. In order to provide the library with new editions, each printing house was obliged to send books regularly. From each publication - one copy. If this condition was not met, the printing workers paid a fine.
New buildings
In the mid-nineteenth century, separate academic libraries began to form within the framework of the institution. Among them were book collections at museums. The organizers and leaders were leading scientists of that time: L. L. Fleury, E. K. Berg, I. F. Brandt.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the archives of the Library of the Academy of Sciences began to lack space. There was nowhere to place new book collections. And soon they built a new building.
Library at the beginning of the 20th century
The beginning of the last century was marked by a significant increase in staff. Also, the amount of new books allocated from the treasury has become more significant. However, repairs were not carried out. The heating system remained extremely dilapidated. And in 1901 there was a fire that destroyed more than a thousand valuable volumes. This sad event, however, accelerated the process of building a new building, the project of which belongs to the architect R.R. Marfeld. It is this building that is today known throughout the world and stores a myriad of valuable scientific books.
Building on Birzhevaya street
The library of the Russian Academy of Sciences was to be housed in a new building in 1914. But historical events slowed down the move of the fund to new premises. The war has begun. The building was used by order of the Ministry of War as an evacuation hospital.
However, the Library of the Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) enjoyed wide fame and high scientific authority. And therefore, despite the general chaos and devastation in the country, it nevertheless received a new building and again became a reliable repository of book collections and archives.
Historical events, of course, influenced the development of the library. The funds regularly received literature of a revolutionary nature. But most importantly, in the early twenties, the library received many manuscripts, private collections and various ancient literature from monasteries, churches and other liquidated institutions. In 1924, the total fund amounted to more than three million volumes.
Library in the 1930s
In the early thirties, the scientific library of the Academy of Sciences was reorganized. The fund was replenished at the expense of branches located in other cities of the European part of the country. A department also appeared in the institution for the restoration and preservation of old documents. In the mid-thirties, the Library of the Academy of Sciences consisted of the following units:
- picking department;
- processing department;
- systematization department;
- service department;
- scientific bibliographic department;
- Moscow branch.
Library during the blockade
The library of the Academy of Sciences, whose books are a scientific and cultural heritage, was prepared for evacuation in July of the forty-first year. But the front too quickly approached Leningrad. Sending to the rear failed. In August, most of the books were moved to the basement, laid with sand and earth.
As a result of the bombing, which lasted two years, the library was significantly damaged. During the blockade of Leningrad, about one hundred and fifty employees remained in the institution. Most of them died. Reading rooms continued to function in wartime. But the townspeople visited them for obvious reasons infrequently. The entire activity of the institution was resumed a year before the Great Victory, when regular readers and library staff were finally able to return from the evacuation.
1988 fire
The worst tragedy in the history of the library occurred in February 1988. Fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of books and periodicals. In addition, many publications suffered as a result of extinguishing the fire. To dry the books, various methods and methods were used. They were dried with warm air, high-frequency currents, and in vacuum chambers.
City scientists came to the rescue. It was necessary to develop emergency methods to combat mold. We managed to avoid infection of the funds with fungal formations. However, not only residents of the country, but also the world community, joined the rescue operations. The finances, materials and equipment were supported by the library and the Academy of Sciences.
Fire circumstances
The fire, in which valuable cultural monuments were threatened, first of all swept the newspaper fund. This happened on the evening of February fourteenth. By morning, firefighters managed to localize the source of ignition. But soon a new one appeared, already at the other end of the building. And this time the fire was much more powerful. An hour later, when it became obvious that the fire would last a long time, all the entrances to Birzhevaya Street were blocked. The upper floors of the building were on fire. The fire was visible even from the most remote areas of the city. It was not possible to extinguish the fire for more than ten hours.
A criminal case was opened on the fact of the fire. The main version was that one of the employees - Konstantin Butyrkin - allegedly did not extinguish the cigarette butt, throwing it in the bin. The suspect denied guilt in every way. The prosecution did not have evidence.
New versions appeared later. A few months later, a scandal erupted in the press. Library staff were accused not only of negligence, but also of the theft of books, and even of deliberate arson. None of the versions have been proven. However, in favor of the assumption of intentional arson is the fact that the fire broke out almost simultaneously in different parts of the building. The case was closed due to lack of evidence. But even today, the mystery of the fire worries many. Evidence of this - a number of television programs and documentaries on this issue.
Building history
The house at the address: Birzhevaya street, house 1, as mentioned above, was erected three years before the revolution. The military hospital was located in the building, which was originally intended for the library, for more than ten years. After moving to a new room, the book fund was divided into the following departments:
- Asian Museum.
- Institute of Slavic Studies.
- Institute of books, documents and letters.
Since 1960, over twenty years, the construction of additional buildings was carried out.
Today, the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation has more than nineteen million copies. Among them are both domestic and foreign publications. The fund is regularly replenished. The damage caused by the 1988 fire was partially compensated by the assistance of other library institutions in the country. In 2007, funds were allocated from the state budget for the reconstruction of the building.
Director of BAN
Famous library leaders were I. D. Schumacher, I. I. Yakovkin, G. A. Chebotarev. At the moment, the Director of the Library of the Academy of Sciences is Leonov Valery Pavlovich. This person has been heading the BAN since 1988.
Leonov proposed a new concept of library science. The director of the BAN combines scientific activity not only with the management of the institution, but also with the training of scientific personnel. Since 2002, Leonov is an Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. His administrative and scientific activities received a worthy assessment not only in Russia, but also abroad.