Collections

As of January 1^st 2024, the library holds 5 249 482 items including 3 659 263 printed editions and 1 710 722 electronic documents.

Russian philanthropists, scientists, writers and public figures played a vital role in forming the Research Library’s vast and unique collection of books. Book collections of G.A. Stroganov, V.A. Zhukovsky, S.M. Golitsyn, A.V. Nikitenko, V.A. Manaccein, G.K. Tyumentsev, M. V. Surin, and many others are the foundation of the library collections. There are about 126,000 rare books kept in the stock. The Library collections include Slavic, Eastern- and Western European manuscript books of the 19th and 20th centuries, rare printed Russian and Western European editions of the 14th - 20th centuries, books with autographs of famous figures of science and culture of Russia, and original paintings. The Library has in its keeping 21 private book collections, and 25 archives (G.N. Potanin, P.I. Makushin, N.I. Naumov and others). In the 1920s-1950s the Library received a free copy of any printed material published in Russia. Currently the Library collection has about 3.6 million printed documents of different types and in different languages. They are books, journals and magazines, newspapers, maps, posters, sheet music, audiovisual materials and disks (CD-ROM). The Library’s book collection regularly increases due to purchase of books, annual subscriptions to periodicals, and due to the contributions of individuals and charitable funds.

Electronic documents have become an important part of the stock in the last few years. Readers have access to 60 local and remote databases including full-text databases. They include abstracts, dissertations, book titles,  journals, and legal documents. Such a great variety of documents significantly widens choices for information support of the University’s educational and research activity.

A group of leading specialists of the Library jointly with the University teaching staff is involved in forming the Library’s collections in subject areas.

The Library implements a strategy of information accessibility. All reading rooms provide open access to information. Various types of documents are available for work in reading rooms. There are also automated workplaces for readers, and librarians who are ready to help with finding information. Preservation of the documents is ensured by video systems, an automated check system at the exit, and an electronic inventory of book collections.

Nowadays most new acquisitions of the library are allocated to reading rooms and reflected in the Library’s electronic catalog. Only if a required publication cannot be found in a reading room will a reader need to order it from the main stock.