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 a historic building is located the Novgorod Regional Library. In it you can not only read books, but also visit various events.
Library history
The 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, for example Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Its foundation is connected with the order of the Ministry of the Interior to open public libraries in provincial cities. 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 since that time, a fee has been introduced for readers to use books at home.
During the Second World War, it was badly damaged, funds were lost, in fact, the library was re-created. By 1950, catalogs were created: alphabetical, systematic, and topographic. In 1983-1984 the library was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and it has a modern name. In 1994, an electronic catalog was created in the book depository. Among the recent events, it is worth mentioning the opening in December 2018 of the Regional Center for Access to the Presidential Library 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 Public Places, 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 there for about a year, this was in 1841-1842.
The library fund in the 60s of the XIX century amounted to 2500 copies, and by 1919 it grew to 41 thousand. In 1949 it amounted to 122 thousand books and documents, and by 2018 the funds reached 881 thousand storage units.
What to do in the library?
Visitors to the library can get acquainted with books, including rare ones (of the 18th century), periodicals, notes, audio and video recordings, and electronic documents. The funds 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 seats 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 works from 10 am to 8 pm or closes a little earlier.