Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Russian Academy of Sciences Library (to 1992 - the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in 1917-1925 - the Russian Academy of Sciences Library, in 1725-1917 - the Library of the Imperial Academy of Sciences) was founded by Peter I in 1714 as the first state-owned public library of Russia. Now it is one of the largest libraries in the world, the main library of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) with a repute of a research institute in library science, bibliography, library automation, bibliology, scholarly description of ancient manuscripts, preservation and restoration of documents, safety of libraries and archives. The Library is a member of IFLA, it cooperates with UNESCO and other international organisations, the largest libraries, information and restoration centres of the world. BAN historically was developed as a centralized library system including the Main Library and 32 special scientific libraries (as departments and sectors) at research branches of the Russian Academy of Sciences. BAN is a library and information service provider for fundamental researches of RAS.

Initially, BAN stock consisted of three collections: the Library of the Pharmaceutical Chamber, the Collection of the Prince of Kurland, the Gottorp Collection (books received by Peter I as a gift from the Prince of Holstein and stored in his Summer Palace). In 1725 the Library together with the Chamber of Curiosities was transferred to the Imperial Academy of Sciences and became one of its first scientific institutions. Since 1728 the Library was placed in a building constructed for it and the Chamber of Curiosities on Vasil'evskii Island. In 1921-1924 BAN was relocated to a building specially constructed in 1911-1914 (architect R. Marfel'd) on the Strelka (Point) of Vasil'evskii Island, in which it is housed nowadays. The history of BAN is closely connected with development of Russian science. In the 19th century with the formation of research establishments of the Academy of Sciences the scientific libraries opened with them which originally contained items on the subject from BAN stock: libraries of the Archive (1800), the Astronomical Observatory (1804), the Numismatic Chamber (1804-1806), the Asian Museum (1818), the Botanical Museum (1824), the Zoological Museum (1831), the Astronimical Observatory in Pulkovo (1838), the Mineralogical Museum (1880), the Chemical Laboratory (1881), the Physiological Laboratory (1889), the Anatomy and Physiology of Plants Laboratory (1890), the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (1894) etc. Some of these libraries have merged again with the Main Library, others have formed unique book collections both independently and through BAN, and subsequently have come into its system.

During the three centuries the stocks of BAN were increased by the genius and labour of outstanding scientific and state figures of Russia "for use and preservation henceforth". Among them were M. V. Lomonosov, S. K. Kotel'nikov, G. F. Miller, V. N. Tatishchev, K. M. Baer, A. A. Kunik, A. A. Shakhmatov, N. K. Nikol'skii, S. F. Platonov, S. I. Vavilov and many others. Alongside with current receipts the updating of BAN stocks was carried out due to gifts and purchases of separate book collections and books. Among the receipts of the 18th century were libraries of A. A. Vinius, A. Pitkarn, R. Areskin, Ia. B. Brius, Peter I and his family, manuscripts sent by V. N. Tatishchev, Radziwill's Library and many other private collections. In the 19th century the stock of the Library was replenished with the collection of maps of Russia from the Geographical Department, Russian journals of the Ministry of National Education, books of the Committee of Foreign Censorship, periodic publications (a gift from A. A. Polovtsev), libraries of E. E. Keller and other academicians, manuscripts and rare editions from libraries of F. A. Tolstoi and many others. At the beginning of the 20th century manuscripts of A. Ia. Iatsimirskii, F. A. Vitberg, N. P. Likhachev etc were added to the stock of BAN. It is also necessary to name the collection of the editions 1905-1907 of S. N. Troinitskii, the donation of E. A. Vol'ter, the collection of Serb books of E. Iu. Muka (Vienna). In 1910 the libraries of the Mikhalkovs, A. Ia. Passover were added.

See also:

• Russian Academy of Sciences (Project)