From the Library to Outer Space: Aleysk Library Offers Visitors New Immersive Programs
The Central Library in Aleysk has introduced new services – visitors can now take virtual journeys through time and create art on a graphics tablet.
Libraries across Russia are undergoing a technological modernization. In 2026, the national Semya (Family) project selected 303 model municipal libraries across 79 regions for upgrades, with more than 3 billion rubles (about $36 million) in federal funding allocated to the effort. The model-library standard includes new equipment, internet connectivity and access to the National Electronic Library’s resources.
The Central Library in Aleysk underwent a major renovation in 2022, creating a modern, comfortable space with new furniture. In 2024, the library won a regional competition to develop model libraries. Regional authorities then allocated another 3 million rubles (about $36,000) for its modernization.
The funding paid for an RFID-based self-service station and anti-theft gates in the comfortable reading room. Readers can take books from the shelves, check them out themselves and later return them. The library also added about 1,000 new titles to its collection. A room used for games, quests and informal gatherings for young people received an audio system, synthesizer and even a vinyl record player. For people with disabilities, the library purchased a Fresnel lens, a video magnifier and a specialized keyboard. More recently, it added virtual-reality headsets and a tablet for creating digital graphics.
All of these changes are part of a broader effort to modernize Russia’s regional library system.
More Than Books
Visitors to Aleysk’s Central Library can now use VR headsets to walk ancient paths once traveled by prehistoric humans or venture into space to explore the universe, observe animals and stars, and even look inside planets. Virtual reality gives readers a way to enjoy exploring new places without leaving the library.
For visitors interested in drawing, the Central Library now offers a graphics tablet. The device is well suited to aspiring artists, architects and digital creators. Not everyone has a tablet of their own or access to specialized graphics software, so the library now gives residents a chance to learn how these tools work for free.
A Broader Trend
Libraries elsewhere are also adopting new technologies and equipment. In the Moscow region, the Znanie v VR (Knowledge in VR) project launched at 15 libraries in 2022, bringing virtual reality into lessons in chemistry, biology, geography, history, astronomy, literature and mathematics.
This year, the Mikhail Lermontov Central Library in St. Petersburg launched an interactive journey through eight virtual spaces connected to the poet’s life. Users can interact with objects in the virtual environment, while the project’s content draws on historical and archival materials. It is one example of library VR evolving from a general-purpose entertainment technology into a specialized digital product for cultural and educational use.
Creating Local Content for Virtual Journeys
Aleysk’s experience shows that virtual-reality technology is becoming accessible beyond capitals and major cities, reaching smaller communities as well. Buying the equipment, however, is only the first step. Developing locally produced educational digital content could give these projects greater educational and cultural value.
Immersive technologies are increasingly appearing in cultural institutions in smaller Russian cities, changing the role of the library and turning it into a hub for community cultural life. Municipal libraries now give residents access not just to books, but also to technology, interactive learning and tools for creating digital content. Similar changes are underway across Russia’s regions, supported by the country’s broader library modernization program.
