Reader’s Museum

 Starting from 2007 Russian State Art Library has launched the new project that has combined the principles of librarian, informational and educational practice with methods of museum display. The idea of creating the Reader’s Museum appeared as a result of studying the specifics of the readers’ demands and the specifics of service provided by such a special purpose library as RSAL. Our Library is a permanent source of brainstorming, it constantly helps to create works of art as it was founded as an art laboratory in 1922, with its departments not typical for the majority of libraries in Russia. The specialists of the Library are here to support the creative process with a wide range of methods – from information management to science consulting in discovering the historical realities.                                                   

The readership has been forming in specific ways – from A.I. Sumbatov-Yuzhin and K.S. Stanislavsky to O.N. Efremov, from I.M. Smoktunovsky to young contemporary artists, painters and craftsmen.

As a result of the project in a separate equipped zone we create a museum area that combines traditional and virtual display realized through local area network on an electronic stand. The display reflects the richness of our collection (cards, photos and archives, rare publications) and presents it as pages of the history of culture.

 The display will show the history of the Reader starting from the first users – the painters O.S. Kruchinina, S. Barkhin - People’s artist and State Prize Laureate of Russia, D.L. Borovsky - People’s artist and State Prize Laureate of Russia, M.M. Kurilko-Ryumin - People’s artist and Honoured artist of Russia - to young artists working on their art-objects within the walls of the Library.

 The display helps better understand the history of national arts as well as the ways of the Reader/Creator and how his or her reader’s world and the inner spirit world are being formed.

 The project has educational potential because it will improve intellectual and cultural perspectives in society and will expand informational and reader’s competency of youth.

 The display is going to be the school for future readers.

 The first stage of the exposition was opened in December 2009 and was dedicated to the Academic Maliy Theatre – the theatre that was a starting point in the history of the Library. The exhibition showed the activity of artists and cultural figures of the famous Theatre who created the works of art that formed the core of the national scene.