National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Overview

The National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — Национальная библиотека Республики Саха (Якутия) — is the principal public library of Russia's largest federal subject, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), headquartered in Yakutsk. It is one of the largest libraries in northeastern Russia and serves as the national bibliographic center, research library, and coordinating institution for the republic's 34 district libraries.

History and Founding

The Scientific Library of Yakutia, precursor to the National Library, was founded in 1925. From 1928, the library systematically developed local history bibliography and began assembling a comprehensive collection of materials about Yakutia — the "Yakutia Collection" — which remains a core holding. The library has evolved through the Soviet period and Russian Federation era, and has been led in recent years by Director Sargylana Vasilyevna Maksimova.

Collections and Holdings

The library fund holds approximately 2 million volumes in Russian, Yakut (Sakha), and the languages of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, as well as foreign-language literature about Yakutia. The digital library contains over 13,000 scanned documents. Special collections include rare pre-revolutionary books in Yakut and Russian, early printed works from Yakutsk's first printing houses, the Pekarsky Yakut language dictionary, early Yakut folklore compilations, and a comprehensive Yakutia local history collection. The library also includes the Center for Children and Youth and the Library of the Archives of the First President of the Republic of Sakha.

Journalism and Media-Related Holdings

The library holds historical newspapers and periodicals from Yakutia, including early local-language press, government publications, and academic journals. The local history catalog draws on materials from the National Library and other repositories, covering newspapers, journals, bulletins, and thematic collections in Russian, Sakha, and minority languages.

Access and Usage

The library is open to registered readers Monday through Friday and Sunday, 10:00–20:00, with Saturday closed. Reader registration (membership) is required. The library is located at 40 Lenin Avenue, Yakutsk. Online catalogs and digital library resources are accessible via the library's website at nlrs.ru.