We are living in a digitalized world. The Internet has made access to knowledge faster and easier regardless of where people are located. Today’s young generations tend to think they can find absolutely anything in the worldwide web – and the things they cannot find there do not deserve their attention. It is not ruled out the situation of exactly that kind will take shape in the short term.

On this background, Russia’s presence in the Internet is fragmentary, limited and refracted. Someone surfing the net will not find crucial tests written in Russian and making up the groundwork of one of the world’s leading civilizations. The information available to the public is frequently dubious or simply false. Meanwhile, fake research works of all sorts is found in abundance.

Our objective is to provide free access to genuine sources, to the books and texts found in the largest book depositaries and state archives, the treasures that are still accessible only to the visitors of a dozen largest Russian libraries. Our project ensures access to authentic true knowledge for everyone. We firmly believe this resource is essential for teachers, university and general school students, as well as for any individuals studying Russian culture and the Russian language, both in and outside of Russia, in the former Soviet republics and elsewhere in the world. Dozens of thousands of people in big cities enjoy access to rare books in libraries today, while the Internet boasts the audiences of hundreds of millions of people. That is why Runivers is setting up a web portal devoted Russia’s history and culture.

A digital facsimile library constitutes the core of the project. At present, we are uploading the books printed in Russia in the 19^th century and the early 20^th century. Our prime focus is given to history, the oeuvre of Russian philosophers, encyclopedias, collections of documents, maps, and photos that fell out of the cultural sphere for almost a century and did not see republications.

We are developing a unique digital encyclopedia. Its core will consist of the tests kept in the library of the project. A simple request for information will be enough to get an overview of a topic and, on top of that, to see how it is explored in library books, documents, and maps.

The task we have set for ourselves will take up several years to accomplish but regular releases of books and documents, the sections featuring selected historical issues and the calendar of memorable dates are available already now.

We look forward to welcoming you at Runivers!