22.03.2025
Russia will establish a National Consortium for Historical Education, comprising leading libraries and the international media group "Russia Today."
Denis Tsypkin, General Director of the Russian National Library, stated that the consortium's key task is to enable everyone to work with the country's documentary memory. He expressed concern about imposed interpretations distorting facts and emphasized that having an expert base of structured and carefully selected sources was the best way to counteract such phenomena. Dr. Tsypkin noted that the Russian National Library's extensive collection would form the foundation for the source fund, which required structuring, expert selection, and transforming materials into serious content for the "Patriot" digital library platform.
Mikhail Afanasyev, Director of the State Public Historical Library, added that the consortium aimed to assist professional institutions involved in historical education.
Yuri Nosov, General Director of the Yeltsin Presidential Library, emphasized that it was a great honor for the agency to become an informational partner of the consortium.
“We take pride in tracing our lineage back to Sovinformburo, which was founded in the early days of the war,” he added. At the same time, he speaker described the agency as a "modern chronicler that reports daily on the life of the country and the concerns of its people”.
According to him, the reports of RIA have provided a day-by-day account of the country's history.
"It is important to tell people that they now have the opportunity to access primary sources, especially since all the libraries participating in the consortium are true treasure troves of information and invaluable works," he concluded.
Speaking about the uniqueness of the new electronic resource planned for launch within the consortium’s activities, Mikhail Afanasyev highlighted its fundamental difference from the well-known Wikipedia and similar platforms: "We are creating a comprehensive product, enhanced by a verified search system."
"For a complete picture, anyone will be able not only to find the published sections of specific orders and directives but also to cross-reference this data with archival materials available at the Presidential Library and audiovisual content from RIA Novosti," explained the director.
As previously reported, the establishment of the National Consortium for Historical Education is driven by the need to consolidate efforts in implementing the Presidential Decree of the Russian Federation On the Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Historical Education, as well as the State Cultural Policy Strategy until 2030.
