Penza, 29 February 2016. PenzaNews. The citizens of the region are now able to contribute to the second issue of the Penza Encyclopedia.

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A dedicated VK.com social network group invites all citizens to tell about the nature, people, history, economy and culture of the Penza region, as well as about the renown people connected with the region.

The articles must be published on the group wall using the “Propose News” link, after which the text will go public in the group’s newsreel after moderator approval.

Each article is required to be authentic and confirmed by trusty sources and remain under 5,000 symbols. Authors need to list their full name to be eligible for publication.

The materials that pass the thorough scrutiny by managing editors will be featured in the print edition of the the Penza Encyclopedia, which is scheduled for publication in early 2019.

As PenzaNews reported earlier, the Penza Encyclopedia is the first structured collection of information on the nature, population, history, economy and culture of the region, as well as its natives who became prominent in various fields of life and work.

The encyclopedia was first printed in 2001 under the brand of the Moscow scientific publishing house “Bolshaya Rossiyskaya Encyclopedia,” and underwent no further reprints afterwards.

In early December 2015, representatives of the civil non-commercial organization “Penza Encyclopedia” and the regional branch of the Russian Historical Society addressed the governor Ivan Belozertsev with a proposal to begin the work on a new – revised and corrected – edition of the Penza Encyclopedia. After the head of the region supported the idea, renown scientists and experts from various fields, as well as members of the editorial board that helped create the first edition, formed a project task force.

Currently, the list of completed elements of the project includes a glossary of 1,500 titles for articles, and a one-of-a-kind photo archive of over 3,000 images that were not featured in the first edition and never had been published before.

The encyclopedia will retain its alphabet-sorted format, and seeks to be completed by 4 February 2019, the 80th anniversary of formation of the Penza region.