In the Nizhny Novgorod region, three model libraries became winners of the "Golden Shelf-2025" competition.

      Photo: Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region

      In the Nizhny Novgorod region, three model libraries became winners of the "Golden Shelf-2025" competition. The winners include libraries in Nizhny Novgorod, Semyonov, and Uzhovka. The competitive selection for "Golden Shelf-2025" was conducted among libraries that were refurbished according to the model standard as part of the national project "Culture" in 2024. As reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the All-Russian competition "Golden Shelf" aims to identify the best practices in the formation and promotion of library collections. Its goal is to initiate active work on the formation of collections in model municipal libraries aimed at improving the quality of acquisitions. The founder of the competition is the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and the organizers are the Russian National Library in collaboration with the Russian State Library and the Russian State Children's Library, as well as the St. Petersburg State University of Culture with the support of the Russian Library Association.

      Library applications for the competition included creative work, as well as an electronic presentation and a video dedicated to the institution's book collection. Industry specialists evaluated the applications, noting the compliance of the book collections with the tasks performed by the library, the composition of the collection, including the presence of works by contemporary authors, publications by literary award winners, as well as modern editions of classical artistic and specialized literature. Additionally, the effectiveness of acquisitions, original solutions for the placement and design of the collection, its usage and promotion, and work with electronic resources were assessed.

      "For several years, experts within the framework of this competition have been evaluating book collections formed in libraries refurbished according to the model standard. This year, they evaluated libraries that were updated as part of the national project in 2024. In our region, during this period, three libraries were refurbished at the federal expense, and all of them became winners. In total, about 14,000 new books were purchased for these libraries," noted the Minister of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Natalia Sukhanova.

      As a result of the selection, the Lenin Komsomol Library of the Sormovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod was among the winners in the nomination "Best Model Collection of a Public Library among Libraries of Administrative Centers of Subjects of the Russian Federation." In the nomination "Best Model Collection of a Public Library" among rural libraries, the Uzhovka Rural Library - Branch No. 30 of the Pochinkovsky Municipal District was among the winners. In the nomination "Best Model Collection of a Children's (Specialized) Library," the Central Children's Library named after A. M. Gorky in Semyonov was among the winners among central children's libraries.

      Winners of the All-Russian competition "Golden Shelf" are awarded diplomas and sets of books from leading Russian publishers. The award ceremony for the winners will take place in April 2026 as part of the XVI All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Library Collections in the Digital Age: Traditional and Electronic Resources, Acquisitions, Usage" at the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.

      Let us remind you that in 2025, as part of the national project "Family," five model libraries were equipped according to the model standard in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Three more libraries were modernized as part of the regional program. In 2026, seven more model libraries will be created in the region.

      Since 2025, by the order of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, cultural activities have been included in the federal project "Family Values and Cultural Infrastructure" of the national project "Family." Among them are activities for the re-equipment of cinemas, municipal libraries, regional and municipal theaters and museums, "Pushkin Card" activities, and more. The national project "Family" aims to support and develop family values, creating comfortable conditions for the formation of healthy and happy families. The main goal of the national project is for every family in Russia to have the opportunity to realize its potential, ensuring the harmonious development of the individual.