National Library of Russia

The National Library of Russia
Российская национальная библиотека
The 18th-century building of the library
faces Nevsky Prospekt
59°56′01″N 030°20′08″E / 59.93361°N 30.33556°E / 59.93361; 30.33556
LocationSaint Petersburg, Russia
TypeNational library
Established1795 (229 years ago) (1795)
Reference to legal mandateDecree of the Government of the Russian Federation authorizing the Statute of the Federal State Institution "The National Library of Russia" (March 23, 2001)
Collection
Items collectedBooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, official publications, sheet music, sound and music recordings, databases, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, manuscripts and media.
Size36,475,000 items (15,000,000 books)
Criteria for collectionLegal deposit of materials published in Russia; "Rossika": materials about Russia or materials published by the people of Russia residing abroad; selected foreign scholarly publications and other materials.
Legal depositYes (Legal Deposit Law[1])
Access and use
Access requirementsReading rooms – free. Russian residents must be 14 or older. Foreign visitors are limited by the period of their visa.
Circulation8,880,000 (2007)
Population served1,150,000 (2007)
Other information
Budget569,200,000 RUB ($23,400,000)
DirectorAlexander Vershinin
Employees1,850
Websitewww.nlr.ru/eng/
Interactive map with main library buildings Map

The National Library of Russia (NLR, Russian: Российская национальная библиотека, РНБ), located in Saint Petersburg, is the first,[2] and one of three national public libraries in Russia.[3] The NLR is currently ranked among the world's major libraries. It has the second biggest library collection in the Russian Federation, a treasury of national heritage, and is the All-Russian Information, Research and Cultural Center. Over the course of its history, the library has aimed for comprehensive acquisition of the national printed output and has provided free access to its collections.

It was known as the Imperial Public Library from 1795 to 1917; Russian Public Library from 1917 to 1925; State Public Library from 1925 to 1992 (since 1932 named after M.Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin); and since 1992 as the National Library of Russia (NLR).

  1. ^ Legal Deposit Law
  2. ^ Sasek, Allie; Nesterov, Andrei (November 5, 2015). "National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg". GeoHistory. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Libraries in Russian Federation". IFLA Library Map of the World. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Retrieved August 18, 2022.