News
19/04/2026. BIBLIONIGHT 2026 opened the doors of the National Library of Karelia
April 18, 2026:
The National Library of Karelia joined the All-Russian campaign BiblioNight 2026. This year, the theme was The Unity of Peoples – The Strength of Russia.
The program of the BiblioNight included creative meetings, literary and musical performances, intellectual events, workshops, excursions, book exhibitions and painters’ exhibitions, and of course reading. That day, the guests had a unique opportunity to get a library card with the symbols of the campaign.
BIBLIONIGHT FOR THE YOUNGEST PATRONS
During the whole BiblioNight program, readers were welcomed by The Folk Costume photo zone – a folk photo studio for guests of all ages. For the young patrons and their parents, the library held creative and family programs: Wonderland: Reading, Playing, and Drawing; Karelian Game Library, which introduced the history and traditions of the republic's peoples; Reading Fairy Tales of the Peoples of Russia featured a quiz exhibition with tasks; One Country – Thousands of Fairy-Tales featured a game program with riddles and a workshop; and From Karelia with Love, where participants tried their hand at birch bark paper weaving.
BIBLIONIGHT: HOW IT WAS
The Nations' Fair opened in the reading room. The festival was warm with the vibrant colours of representatives of various nationalities. Participants of the BiblioNight experienced the cultures of Vepsians, Tajiks, Tatars, Mari, Uzbeks, Armenians, Belarusians, Jews, Georgians, Cossacks, and Moldovans.
The Nations' Fair presented literature on culture of all participants, instrumental music and national dances.
The Winter Garden hosted an interactive educational program From a Pot-Hook to a Thyme: Fun Ethnography prepared by the Subdepartment of Medical Literature together with the Museum of Pharmacy Ars Pharmaciae of PetrSu and the Museum of History of the Town of Serdobol.
На «Ярмарке народов» можно было ознакомиться с литературой, посвящённой культуре всех участников площадки. Настоящим украшением ярмарки и всей Библионочи стала инструментальная музыка и национальные танцы. В исполнении преподавателей Шуйской детской музыкальной школы, учащихся Музыкальной школы № 1 им. Г. Синисало и студентов Петрозаводской государственной консерватории им. А. К. Глазунова прозвучали произведения отечественных композиторов. Своим зажигательным выступлением порадовали зрителей артисты ансамбля армянского танца «Найри» и школы кавказского танца «Buta dance».
During the whole evening, a family program Fairy-Tale Karelia took place. The guests searched for adventures on a quest and tried to find the lost "ingredients" of the legendary Sampo – a symbol of wealth and prosperity! In the Rare Books Sector, guests embarked on a journey through the pages of rare editions from the 16th to 19th centuries.
During BiblioNight, adult library guests were invited to discover the "hints and lessons" of the vibrant, diverse folklore of Russia's peoples. Participants in the educational program learned about the unifying meanings and nuances of Udmurt, Tatar, Mari, Avar, Russian, and other folk tales.
At the exhibition hall, painter Badri Topuria held a gouache painting workshop dedicated to the creation of the Karelian landscape.
"THE POWER OF UNITY – THROUGH CENTURIES AND GENERATIONS"
At the Conference Hall of the National Library of Karelia, the literary and musical performance The Power of Unity – Through Centuries and Generations, dedicated to the idea of national unity across historical eras, was a great success. The program concluded with an open microphone event.
EXCURSIONS, QUIZZES, EXHIBITIONS
BiblioNight was rich in excursions! Everyone was invited to join a local history walk on the Onega Embankment in the frameworks of the Read the Streets like Books project.
Visitors to the BiblioNight Opens the Doors of the National Library of Karelia tour learned all the most interesting things about Karelia's main and most high-tech library. Participants traced the library's two-century history and learned about its modern services, learning that the library is open 24/7 all year round. BiblioNight is the only day of the year when readers have the unique opportunity to visit the National Library of Karelia's collection depository and see what is hidden from visitors on ordinary days, as well as learn about the innovative devices used to remove dust from books.
Also during The BiblioNight, the National Library of Karelia hosted a quiz, The Multinational Flavour of Russia, and presented the exhibitions 2026. The Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Russia: People and Time, an exhibition of Slavic dolls by Elena Leontyeva and held a meeting with the poet Anna Matasova on the grounds of the author's exhibition People of Beauty.
