Vladimir Putin visits Russian State Library

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting the Russian State Library (RGB).

The country's main library marks its 175th anniversary this year.

RIA Novosti reports that the President's visit did not change the regime of the library's work.

The decree on establishing the Rumyantsev Museum, whose successor the Russian state library has become, was signed by emperor Nicholas I on March 21, 1828.

The RGB general director Viktor Fyodorov told RIA Novosti that the Rumyantsev Museum was "the basis of the state library which now has a 42-million fund." At this stage, according to Fyodorov, the RGB is one of the five major national libraries in the world.

The library is now lucrative for Russian and foreign investment, emphasised the director. The money, which has been invested in the library for the last three years, went for its repair. This was the first time the library was repaired since the 1940s when it was built.

The library's book depository underwent repair too. The books, however, had not been evacuated. This was an unprecedented experiment in the library business, emphasised Mr Fyodorov. Now the depository is equipped with the latest heat-, energy-saving and fire alarm systems as well as air conditioning.

"Right on the day before the jubilee, on November 12, we unveiled the electronic cumulative catalogue of Russian books of the 19th century," said Mr Fyodorov. He said it was a unique edition, the largest source of information on Russian-language books, which were published from 1826 to 1917 in Russia and abroad.

It takes the electronic catalogue a few seconds to trace and pick up required information provided by Russia's six largest libraries, which have contributed to compiling the catalogue, he said.

The director said 600 new editions arrived at the library daily.