Penza, 13 May 2013. PenzaNews. The grand opening ceremony of VIII annual conference of the Russian Library Association (RLA), which has a status of All-Russian Library Congress, was held in Penza Regional Drama Theater named after A. Lunacharsky on Monday, May 13. Welcoming the participants, the vice governor of the Penza region Vyacheslav Satin noted the scale of the forum.

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“We are honored to welcome over 800 people from 62 regions of the Russian Federation — the heads of national libraries, the specialists of central universal, children, youth libraries of republics, territories and regions of the country, the representatives of the publishing and bookselling organizations, the developers of information products. During the plenary sessions, round-table discussions and professional discussions, they will share their experiences, find new valuable contacts with future partners. And most importantly, they will develop recommendations on the implementation of innovations in library science,” he said.

Vyacheslav Satin stressed that libraries play an important role in modern society.

“Today, the library is a social institution, a bank of priceless information, which is necessary for the overall development of the human personality. However, the time presents new challenges. I would like to remind you that today Google translates the amount of texts per day which can only be compared with the total number of the printed matter of the Library of Congress of the United States. And the most important for us is to keep up with the challenges of time,” the vice governor added.

According to Vyacheslav Satin, the Penza region has become a library capital of Russia thanks to the construction of the new library building named after M. Lermontov.

“This is a truly multi-functional, informational, educational, and leisure complex, which enables holding highly significant activities, integrating the experience of library work in various areas of the region,” he explained.

Vyacheslav Satin also drew attention to the fact that the region is home to a galaxy of recognized figures of culture and art, including Mikhail Lermontov, Vasily Klyuchevsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, and many others.

“I can assure you that these traditions are continued in present-day life,” the vice governor of the Penza region pointed out.

In turn, the President of the Russian Library Association Vladimir Firsov, congratulating the residents and visitors of Penza with the opening of the Congress, wished the participants fruitful work.

“I am sure that the Congress will be useful not only for the specialists of the librarianship, but will also help the Penza region to be recognized for its educational service and attraction of the broad masses to culture,” he said.

The annual conference of the Russian Library Association (RLA) is the largest forum of the Russian library specialists, both in the number of participants, and the spectrum of issues discussed.

Since 2007, the event has the status of the All-Russian Library Congress.

The city, hosting the Conference is proclaimed “Library Capital of Russia” for the period of one year, which is chosen by RLA on a competitive basis from the year of 2000. It is believed that the status of “Library Capital of Russia” gives a significant impetus to the development of library science in the region.