The Library of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray is the first scientific library of the Russian Far Eastern region

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the library of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray in the pre-revolutionary period. The library was opened almost simultaneously with the Society in 1884 and became the first scientific library of the Russian Far Eastern region. The core of the library collection was acquired mainly through donations and book-exchange, and the unique library collection of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray was established. Through the book-exchange, the library was receiving periodicals and continuing editions, both domestic and foreign. The publishing practice of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray contributed to the expansion of its reciprocal book-exchange contacts with other scientific institutions, which entailed in increase of acquisitions and steady growth of the collection.

Despite its unpublic nature, the Library of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray has made a serious contribution to the development of the book culture of the Russian Far Eastern region and become a cultural oasis, center for cultural legacy and advocate for scientific knowledge.