Scientific library of the Russian Geographical Society. Scientific Library of the Russian Geographical Society Electronic Library of the Russian Geographical Society

The Scientific Library of the Russian Geographical Society is a unique specialized book collection and is one of the largest geographical libraries in the world.

The library began to take shape from the first days of the Society's existence. In accordance with the Charter of the Russian Geographical Society of 1849, it was intended for everyone involved in geography, and was supposed to become “one of the important aids in the work of members of the Geographical Society.”

The basis of the book fund was made up of personal donations from scientists: books, periodicals, maps. They came both from individual members of the Society and from various institutions. The formation of funds in the 19th century was also carried out through the purchase of publications and exchange with foreign scientific and public institutions, the first of which were the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and the Paris Geographical Society. The selection of books was carried out by members of the Society. They also ensured the work of the Library on a voluntary basis.

The library's collections include publications in Russian and foreign languages on all sections of geographical sciences and related disciplines, dating back to the 16th century. Currently, the fund contains more than 450,000 books and periodicals. The most valuable part of the fund is the Society’s publications since its founding: periodicals, scientific works of researchers, expedition reports.

The collection includes publications from the personal libraries of famous members of the Society: P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Yu.M. Shokalsky, V.A. Obrucheva, E.N. Pavlovsky, A.V. Shnitnikova, I.I. Babkova, K.Ya. Kondratiev and others. Among them is part of the personal library of the first chairman of the Society, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich.

One of the priorities for the coming years is the formation of an electronic library catalog, digitization of collections and creation.

The purpose of creating the electronic library of the Russian Geographical Society is to preserve the scientific heritage of the Society, disclose the Library's funds and provide access to information, including the results of modern research in the field of geography.

Every day the electronic library is visited by several thousand users.

The full-text electronic library (FEL) of the Russian Geographical Society contains mainly electronic copies of publications from the collections of the Russian Geographical Society. Currently, almost the entire corpus of publishing products of the Russian Geographical Society has been transferred into digital format for almost a hundred years, starting from 1846 - the year the first issue of the Notes of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society was published. The collection includes all periodicals of the Society and its branches, scientific works of researchers, expedition reports, reference and bibliographic materials, etc. Many of them have been preserved only in the largest libraries and, partially, in the libraries of the regional centers of the Russian Geographical Society. Most of them are already available for reading on the Society's website.

Also, the electronic library of the Russian Geographical Society is replenished with electronic copies of publications from the collections of partner libraries: the Presidential Library (St. Petersburg), the Library of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation (Moscow), and the Russian National Library.

Since 2017, in collaboration with the National Payment System "Mir", the digitization of rare publications from the Society's funds began . You can get acquainted with the collection, scanned with the financial support of the National Payment System "Mir", at.

Access to the electronic library is free.

"Library of the Russian Geographical Society".

The contribution of the Russian Geographical Society to Russian literature throughout its existence has been very significant. At the origins of the society were the writers V.I. Dal and V.F. Odoevsky, numerous ethnographers and scientists - members of the Society have been exploring the richness of the languages of the peoples of Russia for centuries, and descriptions of travels made under the wing of the Society have entered the golden fund of Russian literature!

Thanks to the joint work of the Russian Literary Center and the Russian Geographical Society, a wide range of authors can take part in the literary award named after Lavrenty Zagoskin - “Following the Guiding Star” and be included in the collection of the same name. Or publish your own book as part of the publishing project “Library of the Russian Geographical Society”.

Fiction, historical and scientific manuscripts on a wide range of topics are accepted for consideration. Fiction: adventure literature for teenagers, fantasy for all ages, works about life and everyday life in Russia and its nationalities. Preference is given to works written in rich Russian language, telling about the cultural and social characteristics of the country. Historical literature: journalistic works, essays, translations of historically significant materials and memoirs. Preference is given to works in which the authors touch upon the historical and geographical features of the Russian land and Russian-speaking people abroad. Scientific literature: linguistic studies, geographical studies, philosophical and religious studies. Preference is given to manuscripts that have social significance.

The Scientific Library of the Russian Geographical Society is a unique specialized book collection and is one of the largest geographical libraries in the world.

One of the priorities for the coming years is the formation of an electronic library catalog, digitization of collections and creation.

Every day the electronic library is visited by several thousand users.

Access to the electronic library is free.

Loskomoeva N.M.

Library of the Russian Geographical Society

The Russian Geographical Society (RGS) was founded in 1845 in St. Petersburg on the initiative of 17 famous scientists and public figures. The main task of the Russian Geographical Society was the development of domestic geography in all its aspects, ethnography and statistics, the collection and dissemination in Russia and abroad of the most complete and reliable information about the country.

The Russian Geographical Society immediately began to create its own library, which was to become “one of the most important aids in the work of members of the Geographical Society.” The Charter of the Russian Geographical Society of 1849 states that the Society's library is open to everyone involved in geography. In the same year the Society received the name Imperial.

The library repeatedly changed its name according to the change in the name of the Society, and since 1992 it returned to its first name - the Library of the Russian Geographical Society.

The initial foundation of the library's collection was made up of gifts; further it was replenished both through purchases of publications in bookstores and through exchange with other institutions. These were: the Society of Natural Scientists, the Rumyantsev Museum, the Royal Lisbon Academy of Sciences, the Paris Geographical Society, the Geographical Institute in Brussels, the Berlin Society of Geosciences, the Royal Geographical Society of London, etc.

For more than 15 years, the Geographical Society did not have its own premises, and the books were stored in private apartments. Finally, in 1862, by order of Alexander II, the Society received excellent premises near the Chernyshev Bridge. The library was given a large hall and several rooms. The Society was located in this house until 1909.

The construction of the Russian Geographical Society's own building in Demidov Lane (now Grivtsova Lane) was completed on December 28. 1908 (project by the famous architect G.V. Baranovsky in the Art Nouveau style characteristic of the beginning of the 20th century). All requirements for library premises and the safety of books were taken into account. By this time, the library’s collection already numbered more than 100 thousand documents. When the Society moved to a new building, the main difficulty was moving the library. It was necessary not to disturb the arrangement of books according to codes on shelves stretching up to two miles. In the summer of 1909, the Society, together with the library, moved to a new building, where it is located to this day.

The library is decorated with gifts from members of the Russian Geographical Society. These are not only unique, rare publications, but also items of great cultural value: a model of the first Chinese boat in a glass case, unique globes; Some of the antique furniture has also been preserved.

In 1935, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, the library had more than 285 thousand copies. literature on geography and related sciences. The collection contained manuscripts and transparencies (later transferred to the Archives of the Geographical Society).

In 1938, according to the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Russian Geographical Society was transferred to the jurisdiction of the USSR Academy of Sciences and received the name - Geographical Society of the USSR (GO). The library now has the opportunity to purchase literature through BAN. The acquisition department of the BAN allocated books to her from its doublet fund and purchased 201 copies of foreign publications for foreign currency.

Together with their city, the Geographical Society and its library survived the difficult years of the siege. Already at the end of June 1941, most of the Society’s building was occupied by a hospital. The Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences decided to leave the Geographical Society in Leningrad functioning. The library did not stop working throughout the siege. Readers and organizations related to defense work were given literature and certificates of a military-geographical nature; materials on the meteorological and hydrological regime of Lake Ladoga and the Neva greatly helped in laying the “Road of Life”. We owe the preservation of the greatest values of the library during the years of the siege to the selfless work of its employees.

During the blockade of the city, book exchange was almost interrupted. Only the Royal Geographical Society in London sent its publications on occasion. The library received books only from Leningrad publishing houses. In 1943, after the blockade was broken, the situation changed. The library began to be replenished with new books from various publishers.

The victorious year of 1945, the centenary year of the Geographical Society, was approaching. The Council of Ministers of the USSR instructed the Academy of Sciences to celebrate the anniversary. Highly appreciating the role of the library in the development of geographical science and the cultural life of the state, the Council of Ministers of the USSR in August 1946 decided to include the Society's library among the libraries receiving a mandatory free copy of all maps, atlases, books on geography and related sciences published in the USSR. The first legal deposits arrived at the library in December 1945 - 191 documents, and in 1946 - 1638 documents. The publishing house "Geographgiz" regularly sent two copies of each published publication to the library free of charge.

A big event (Jan. 1947) was the donation of the personal library of the President of the Geographical Society, Acad. Yu.M. Shokalsky (1856-1940), who worked there for 58 years. The book collection of the world-famous scientist - about 13 thousand books - contains literature on the profile of his scientific activity, primarily on oceanography, physical geography, cartography and other sciences close to geography. The materials of congresses, congresses, and literature about figures in geography are presented quite fully. Along with the library, a typewritten systematic catalog of literature consisting of three volumes was handed over.

Since 1950, the library’s acquisition of foreign and domestic literature began to be carried out through the BAN.

In 1953, the BAN included the GO library in the general plan of work to inventory the collections of the network of Leningrad academic libraries. Work began in the fall of 1953 and ended in December 1956. During the inventory period, the library did not close and served readers. The library workers were assisted by a temporary BAN team. At the same time, an inventory of book and cartographic funds was carried out. All maps and atlases contain topographic cards that reflect the entire cartographic fund; they were used when searching for the necessary materials, since there were no catalogs or cards with basic descriptions.

Since 1965, the GO library has been attached to the BAN as a department under the Geographical Society of the USSR. Thus, the oldest geographical library became part of the centralized network of Leningrad academic libraries. At that time, the Civil Defense Library had about 360 thousand documents, and at least 5 thousand publications were received annually.

In 1973-1974 Major repairs and reconstruction of the building were carried out, after which the Presidium of the Civil Society awarded the Society's library and all its employees with Certificates of Honor from the Geographical Society of the USSR.

Today, the library of the Russian Geographical Society serves a large contingent of readers - researchers, teachers, graduate students, and university students. Literature is issued for work in the reading room (at home - only to members of the Russian Geographical Society). Every year about 1,500 people visit the library, 600 of them are members of the Russian Geographical Society. The library is also used by readers from other cities, former Soviet republics and states of all continents. Service is also provided through the IBA.

The stock of domestic and foreign literature is reflected in the system of catalogues: systematic, alphabetical, topographical, cartographic, catalog of periodicals for readers, control and registration card index of periodicals.

The alphabetical catalog of articles includes works by members of the Geographical Society. Its volume is 60 boxes. The catalog contains sections: history of the central organization of the Society, its branches and departments, “Personalia” (members of the Russian Geographical Society), publications of the Russian Geographical Society (11 boxes).

The main direction of acquisition of the library was and remains geography in all its diversity - physical, economic, socio-economic, historical, political, medical, biogeography, ecology, tourism, nature conservation. Along with scientific literature, popular scientific geographical literature and geography textbooks are included. The bulk of literature comes through BAN. A very important source, especially nowadays, are the gifts that the library receives from domestic and foreign individuals and organizations. In recent years, the flow of literature has been declining for objective reasons. Gifts from members of the Russian Geographical Society help out.

As of 1 Jan. In 1999, the library's collection consisted of 473,650 documents, including 217,407 foreign ones. The library contains rare domestic and foreign publications on the history of geographical discoveries. The reports of foreigners about Russia in the 16th-17th centuries are of great value. It was this literature that members of the Russian Geographical Society collected for the library at the dawn of its existence. There are 30 books published in the 16th century, about 150 in the 17th century. The publications of the 18th century are also extremely important for studying the history of geographical science. About 3 thousand publications are classified as rare books.

Of great value is the fairly complete collection of publications of the Geographical Society, not only the central one, but also its branches, departments and geographical societies of the former Soviet republics. In past years, the Transbaikal branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the Geographical Society of Estonia, the Arkhangelsk and Orenburg branches of the Russian Geographical Society, the Primorsky Center of the Russian Geographical Society, the Dagestan Regional Geography, the Altai, East Siberian, Kaliningrad departments, the Pskov branch, and the Sverdlovsk branch often sent their publications to the library.

Readers love and value their library; Wherever they live, they send their books as gifts. We are happy to accept author's publications into our collections.

The Library of the Russian Geographical Society is the oldest and largest geographical library in our country, one of the largest geographical libraries in the world. When visiting St. Petersburg, not a single foreign geographer, no matter how in a hurry, will pass by the Geographical Society and its library. Many domestic geographers believe that their successes became possible thanks to the library of the Russian Geographical Society.

The main task of the Russian Geographical Society library is to promote the development of geographical science by constantly improving library and bibliographic services to readers, primarily members of the Geographical Society. For this purpose, exhibitions are organized twice a month for the information of readers and lists of new arrivals are compiled. Thematic exhibitions of literature are periodically held. Since 1961, the journal “Izvestia of the Russian Geographical Society” has annually published “Lists of publications of the Russian Geographical Society” received by the library during the year. Since 1979, six issues of “Calendars of Memorable Dates” have been published, containing bibliographic lists of literature related to a particular event. Oral and written inquiries are carried out systematically.

The reference, bibliographic and information activities of library staff receive a positive response from readers. The library enjoys high prestige among geographers in our country.

IN In the chaos of the modern world, preserving means creating.
J. Duhamel

Collection of books and maps of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) - Library - was founded in the year the Society was founded as “one of the most important aids in the work of members of the Geographical Society.” The collection began with gifts - the first book was the extraordinary “Experience in describing the Olonets province”, presented by the author K.F. Bergstresser.

In 1845, the apartment of a member of the Russian Geographical Society, academician P.N., was used to house the Society and the Library. Fusa, the next year the move took place to the Pushchins’ house on the Moika, where the Library occupied a special room. By the 10th anniversary of the Library’s existence, the collection consisted of 5,300 copies.

In 1862, the Society was provided with an apartment in the building of the Ministry of Public Education, in which the Library’s collection (21,746 copies) was housed in a large hall and several rooms. Formation of funds in the 19th century. was carried out through the purchase of publications and exchange with scientific and public institutions, the first of which were the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and the Paris Geographical Society. The repertoire was determined by the members of the Russian Geographical Society themselves, and they ensured the work of the Library on a voluntary basis.

The most famous Russian scientist P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, as a master's student at St. Petersburg University, organized the acquisition of publications, put the collection in order and compiled the Library's catalogue. And at the end of the 19th century. For bringing the Library into exemplary order, the Society awarded a small gold medal to Yu.V. Brunneman.

By the Society's anniversary year of 1895, the Library's collections numbered 88,000 copies. When the Society moved to its own building in 1909, the Library occupied a spacious, specially equipped room.

During the wars of the 20th century. The library was a kind of “club” of Leningrad geographers, providing readers with publications even at night. By the end of 1945, the library collection amounted to 304,000 items.

Today the collection of the Library of the Russian Geographical Society, numbering copies, includes:

Main fund– contains domestic and foreign publications of the 18th-21st centuries. across the entire spectrum of geographical sciences and related disciplines - from physical geography to medical geography and geography of the arts. The most valuable part - the collection of publications of the Russian Geographical Society - is the publishing products of the Russian Geographical Society since 1845 (periodicals, scientific works of researchers, expedition reports). Many publications in the main collection have autographs of authors and donors.

Reference fund– a collection of all geographical dictionaries of Russia of the 18th-19th centuries; regional directories; geographical guides; universal encyclopedic publications from Diderot and D'Alembert, Larousse, Britanica , Brockhaus and Efron to publications of the Soviet period; language dictionaries; bibliographic publications.

Rare Book Fund 16-18 bb . includes cosmographies (the earliest and most famous of them was published in 1532 by S. Munster); collection "Rossiki"; philosophical works; descriptions and travel stories; the first geography textbooks; calendars; albums of travel and ethnographic illustrations.

Foundation for St. Petersburg Studies contains historical descriptions, plans, scientific and local history studies of St. Petersburg, luxuriously illustrated publications of the 18th-21st centuries.

Book collections of personal origin – are represented both by entire collections (the largest is the memorial library of Yu.M. Shokalsky), and individual copies in the main fund (books from the libraries of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, etc.).

Cartographic fund - a collection of domestic and foreign maps and atlases of the 17th-21st centuries, including publications with autographs and marginalia of outstanding researchers - Nordenskiöld, Kolchak, Shokalsky. The collection of handwritten copies from the 18th and 19th centuries is unique.

In 1950, the Library of the Russian Geographical Society became part of the centralized library system of the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which largely ensures the acquisition of the collection, methodological management of the Library’s activities, and remuneration of employees.

Currently, the development of the Russian Geographical Society Library is determined by the solution of the following priority tasks:

acquisition of the fund Libraries should ensure the maximum supply of fundamental scientific geographical publications;

implementation of remote access users to the library collection of the Russian Geographical Society by converting the card catalog system into electronic format and forming a full-text electronic library;

ensuring the safety of funds Libraries through the use of climate control and regulation systems in storage facilities and the technology of phase conservation of funds, as well as the implementation RFID technologies.

staffing activities Libraries shouldmeet the set objectives and development prospects

S.E. Savina