OREANDA-NEWS  The first regional restoration center of valuable documents and books in Russia has opened in Nizhny Novgorod, the Ministry of Culture reported. This is a branch of the Russian State Library, which will be engaged in conservation and restoration on the basis of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Universal Scientific Library named after V.I. Lenin.

"Restoration and bookbinding workshops, a laboratory and an educational and methodical complex have been created here," the press service of the department reported.

The head of the Ministry, Olga Lyubimova, promised through the press service that 40 such centers will be opened throughout the country by the end of 2030. The next one will be opened in Ryazan in December, and five more such centers will open by the end of 2023.

"Regional participating libraries will receive modern equipment and the most up-to-date working methods. Also, a single quality standard will be introduced in institutions. All this will allow the centers to develop the restoration of the book as a science," the minister added.

"Each regional center has plans for at least 90 restorations of valuable documents per year, at least 1,500 phase conservation of microclimatic containers and more than 1,100 library bindings," the department noted.

The project to create regional centers for the conservation and restoration of library collections (RCCR) was launched by the Russian State Library in 2022 by the decision of the Ministry of Culture. The main goal of the project is to create a network of specialized centers in the regions, in each of which qualified restorers with the help of professional modern equipment and materials will be able to preserve, restore and preserve in proper condition the most important documents for the history and culture of the country.

To date, only a very small number of libraries have the equipment and personnel to preserve valuable funds, the ministry recalled.