Russia Launches “Cybertextbooks” to Preserve Indigenous Languages
The digital series aims to make native literature accessible, support language revival, and connect scholars with local educators.
At the international festival “Peoples of Russia and the CIS” in Moscow, the Russian publishing house Nauka unveiled a new line of “cybertextbooks” — digital educational resources designed for indigenous peoples whose native languages still lack sufficient teaching materials.
Bridging Science and Culture
According to Mikhail Fomin, director of Nauka, one of the key challenges in developing textbooks in the languages of northern and Siberian peoples is coordination between linguists, educators, publishers, and local language activists. To address this, the project enlists volunteers to collect and digitize cultural and linguistic materials for the new series.
By 2026, the cybertextbooks will be made publicly available online, allowing researchers, teachers, and community members to contribute feedback and propose updates. Once finalized, printed versions will be distributed to schools, universities, and cultural centers studying and preserving indigenous languages.
The initiative represents a fusion of digital innovation and cultural preservation, offering a model for how technology can help revive endangered languages while empowering the communities that speak them.
