A. S. Pushkin Regional Academic Library, one of the oldest libraries in Siberia, originally opened in Tomsk in 1830 as a municipal public library. It received the name of Alexander Pushkin, one of the most celebrated Russian poets, in 1937, and in 1944 received the status of the central regional library in Tomsk oblast. However, whatever its official title, its local name has always been “the Pushkin library.”

Today A. S. Pushkin Regional Academic Library is the main book repository of Tomsk region; it boasts more than 1,000,000 volumes and annually provides services to more than 26,000 patrons. It is the largest public library in the region, providing free access to information resources to all categories of users from the city of Tomsk and the entire Tomsk region.

After the launch of two internet centers in 2001, the library has significantly expanded its information capacity. Today the library provides its users with free access to global information resources as well as training in basic computer and Internet skills, enabling its patrons to make use of web resources in their professional and public work and other activities.
As a major center for research, education and instructional support, A. S. Pushkin Regional Academic Library has vast experience in holding seminars, training courses and workshops in modern IT technologies. It has become a renowned training center in IT technologies for educators and other local professionals.

Thanks to the rapid development of its information, cultural and educational activities, over the last several years A. S. Pushkin library has noticeably expanded its sphere of influence in Siberia. It has become a major educational and legal center with many special interests clubs, including “Old Tomsk,” “Bibliophile,” “Autograph,” “Enthusiast” (for keen gardeners), “Dream” (for avid readers), “Music Room,” and the French Cultural Center and Publishing House.
The library caters for patrons of all backgrounds, ages and social groups including educators, culture workers, librarians, preschoolers, elementary and secondary school and college students, American exchange programs alumni, craftsmen in decorative and applied arts, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and rural residents.

A. S. Pushkin library seeks to provide each of its patrons with optimal access to information and the library’s resources, and to restore, keep and maintain the best of the national and global culture and ethical and moral values for the future generations of Tomsk residents. The library’s main strength is its excellent personnel, and it is to its staff that it owes all of its present successes.