Published on: 2026-08-20
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A modern Moscow library is a space where you can study intellectual and historical heritage, relax with a cup of coffee, or work in a free coworking area. When coming for a rare edition, a visitor can easily find themselves at a jazz apartment concert, a stand-up lesson, or a poetry battle. We explore how libraries manage to combine such multitasking and preserve their essence and main purpose — the dissemination of knowledge.
Architectural discoveries and infrastructure updates
Some libraries under the jurisdiction of the capital Department of Culture, are located in buildings with centuries-old history. The architecture becomes the reader’s first interlocutor even before they pick up the book.
At one time, restorers were truly surprised by I.S. Turgenev Library-Reading Room. At the end of the 1980s, the institution was given a complex of buildings on Bobrov Lane — a 19th-century estate rebuilt by Adolf Knabe. Much later, during restoration work, facade walls dating back 200 years were discovered under layers of plaster. Research showed that inside the building, the stone masonry of the boyar chambers from the 17th–18th centuries was perfectly preserved.
The restoration project had to be urgently revised. Specialists dismantled the later ceiling structures, deliberately sacrificing part of the usable space. As a result, the library gained a special reading room: its interior walls are made up of authentic facades of old chambers, and in the distant past, the actual location of the hall was most likely the boyar porch.
Possesses a true architectural treasure A.S. Pushkin Library-Reading Room, occupying a mansion on Spartakovskaya Street. The main gem of its interior became a three-flight openwork staircase. It appeared after 1856, when the mansion was acquired by Nikolai Mamontov — a representative of a famous merchant dynasty and the uncle of the patron Savva Mamontov.
The new owner initiated a remodeling in the latest fashion. The staircase was cast from expensive cast iron at the Myshega plant owned by Princess Ekaterina Bibarsova — this is confirmed by the stamps near the main mirror and under the first flight. It was the Myshega artisans who created the cast iron decorations for the Moscow Triumphal Arch.
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The cast iron staircase regularly becomes a setting for film shoots — it can be seen in the series “Plevako” and “The Artist.” But the most interesting thing is that theatrical and choreographic performances take place here. The staircase turns into an alternative stage for poetic contests and other events.
Architectural values and library buildings as a whole need to be maintained and updated. In this regard, the city is doing significant work. It is important to preserve the authenticity of the interiors and equip the libraries so that they meet modern infrastructure requirements and the needs of visitors, who expect not only a unique experience of visiting a place with history but also good conditions for work, study, and relaxation.
“After the modernization, the libraries will become even more comfortable for readers. Currently, work is underway in four institutions: at the Central City Business Library, specialists are updating the floor, walls, ceiling, window, and door blocks; at the I.S. Turgenev Library-Reading Room — the parquet; and at the Central Library No. 197 named after A.A. Akhmatova — the roof. At the Gogol House, repair and restoration of the fence are planned. We plan to complete all the updates by the fourth quarter of 2026,” said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the city’s Department of Culture.
Digital environment
The operation of a modern library requires technological infrastructure. Behind the comfort of the readers is the unnoticed at first glance, but continuous work of technical specialists.
In Turgenevka, the IT department team is responsible for administering local networks, supporting databases, ensuring personal information security, and developing the official website. Engineers configure multimedia equipment for lectures and exhibitions, as well as conduct online broadcasts. Thanks to this, viewers from various regions of Russia and other countries can watch conference streams and book presentations in real time.
Another important task is the digitization of cultural heritage. Specialists are creating electronic copies of rare editions and documents.
Elena Nikolaeva, Head of the Rare Books and Memorial Work Department at the I.S. Turgenev Library-Reading Room, emphasizes the transforming role of the profession: “A librarian in their work uses new technology fields, ranging from creating various databases to interesting internet projects, such as an electronic tourist map.”
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Currently, specialists are working on an interactive map of Turgenev-related places in Moscow, which will allow combining city walks with the study of literary history. Thanks to the IT department, the portal “All of Turgenev” has been created, dedicated to the writer’s work, the history of the reading room, and the international Turgenev community.
New interaction formats
The nature of the space is also changing: city libraries are automating, and the halls are easily transformed to accommodate a wide variety of citizens’ needs. An important step in modernization was the installation of self-service stations: 45 such terminals are operating in 19 institutions. With their help, a reader can independently borrow or return a book in just a couple of minutes without contacting a staff member. The system immediately records the data in a unified registry.
The basis of such automation was the radio-frequency identification technology RFID. A miniature tag-chip containing comprehensive information about the status of the edition is glued into each book. The reader only needs to place the selected copy on the terminal platform, scan the tag, and enter the number of the unified library card. The data about issuance or renewal is instantly entered into the user’s personal profile without staff involvement.
With the help of tags, librarians also easily keep track of books: they read the information with a portable device simply by passing by the shelves. This also protects reading rooms from theft: specialized gates at the exit are sensitive to the tags.
Interiors and murals
The interiors of the reading rooms are also being reimagined. Library No. 76 named after M.Yu. Lermontov has been around since 1919—at that time it was located in a house on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street, where the poet was born. After the building was demolished during Moscow’s reconstruction, the reading room moved several times until in 1982 it found a permanent home in Sokolniki on Barbolina Street.
During the major renovation from 2023 to 2025, restorers preserved unique Soviet mosaics and wall paintings, harmoniously integrating them into the modern interior. As part of the “Contours of Culture” project, the walls of Library No. 100 and M.Yu. Lermontov Library No. 76 were decorated with murals featuring quotes from classics and portraits of writers.
An excellent example of a comprehensive transformation is the Central Youth Library No. 122 named after Alexander Grin in Lefortovo. Founded in 1960 based on the youth department’s collection of the Pushkin Library, it received a building on Volochaevskaya Street in 1984. After a major renovation, the institution turned into a multimedia center. The interior was designed in loft style: every detail in the foyer with seven-meter-high ceilings was thoughtfully arranged, a concert and lecture hall and classrooms were equipped, a coffee shop and a comfortable coworking space with free Wi-Fi were opened.
Today, the library’s collection includes more than 37,000 items. Inside its walls, there are art studios, a children’s cinema academy, a dance school, courses on stand-up and improvisation, house concerts of young musicians, and meetings with famous writers.
Comic center, theater, folk life museum, and bard song
District library spaces are becoming hubs for creative communities, researchers, and enthusiasts of contemporary visual arts.
The flagship of innovation in the Joint Stock Company is Central Library No. 197 named after A.A. Akhmatova in Krylatskoye. Its history began in 1967 in a modest room on Malaya Filevskaya Street, and in 1988 the institution moved to a new building on Krylatskie Holmy Street. In the 2000s, its specialists were among the first in the city to create an electronic catalog, and the large-scale modernization of 2017–2018 transformed the classic reading room into a multi-format venue.
Today in Akhmatovka, classical music coexists with the latest trends. The auditoriums are consistently filled during the monthly concerts of the “Gnesinka in Akhmatovka” series: teachers and students of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music perform both classical works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, as well as arrangements of famous rock hits. The “Theater on the Hills” operates on the local stage, staging dramas, children’s plays, and organizing intimate apartment concerts with an open mic. For young readers, there are reading-aloud sessions to dogs, and for adults — quizzes and film lectures. Programs using VR and AR technologies are active in Akhmatovka.
A truly unique aspect of Akhmatovka’s work is the comic book center, managed by librarian Andrey Drozdov. It houses thousands of graphic novels — from world classics and manga to works by domestic authors. The center’s specialists conduct tours, teaching readers the language of storyboarding and visual storytelling. The main project is their own publishing series of graphic novels about Silver Age poets, created to introduce young people to classical poetry. The sixth comic in this series is already being released — “Blok. Your Name Has Five Letters.”
Each district has its own unique libraries. In the Eastern Administrative Okrug, on Sayanskaya Street, Library No. 100 operates, which opened in 2024 after a complete modernization. Its special feature is an interactive corner of Russian folk life with authentic utensils, costumes, and traditional toys. The library is decorated with murals depicting and quoting Anton Chekhov and Joseph Brodsky.
For young people, tournaments in board games, apartment concerts, and the annual bard song festival “With Good People” are held here, as well as creative exhibitions of artistic associations. Theater groups, graduates of music universities, and laureates of international competitions perform in the large concert hall.
Svetlovka — the library of the future
M.A. Svetlov Central City Youth Library began its journey in a difficult time — in April 1941. Then, based on the current Central Universal Scientific Library named after N.A. Nekrasov, the country’s first urban youth library was opened, with a staff of only five people.
Today it is a modern information and cultural center for youth, located across three sites in the Presnensky district. The library branch — the subscription service on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya — is housed in a historic building from 1901. It holds a universal book collection, which is constantly updated with new releases and bestsellers, as well as fresh periodicals — ranging from popular science to entertainment. In addition, the subscription service features an extensive collection of gramophone records, sheet music, and art albums.
Modern and book-centered. How the M.A. Svetlov Library works
On Bolshaya Sadovaya there is a youth media center—a place where regular lectures, concerts, and exhibitions take place. In Bolshoy Tishinsky Lane, there is a children’s and youth subscription service for readers under 12 years old. Here, young visitors and their parents can not only choose literature but also participate in creative events: performances, workshops, meetings with children’s authors, family quizzes, and celebrations.
Svetlovka implements advanced technological innovations, in particular self-service technology. The stations are equipped with audio support, and their height can be easily adjusted. On the built-in screen, the reader independently selects a convenient user interface language and sets a suitable font size.
The innovative approach also extends to searching for the necessary information. The Svetlovka electronic catalog includes over 73 thousand records — among them not only books, but also audiovisual materials and sheet music publications. Every week, the library, which has become a true cultural ecosystem, gathers guests for engaging lectures, master classes, atmospheric film screenings, literary quizzes, quests, and concerts.
Libraries in Moscow are transforming, successfully adapting to the new digital reality and the demands of modern readers, while preserving their uniqueness and authenticity. Behind the familiar silence of reading rooms often lies a complex architectural history of the buildings, advanced IT infrastructure, and numerous scenarios for intellectual leisure.
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