History
Library is the most important unit that influences all activities of the university: the educational process, scientific work, and the creative development of the university staff. I believe that our library has a great future...
Georgy Ivanovich Nazin, the first Rector of Surgut State University
The Scientific Library of Surgut State University was organised simultaneously with the foundation of the university in 1993 and was located in a small auditorium in School No. 32, with five staff members headed by the first library director Valentina Nikolaevna Shevchenko.
The first entry in the inventory book of the library collection is dated September 21, 1993, when the first 929 copies of books and journals came from the exchange fund of the scientific library of University of Tyumen. Scientific libraries of the Ural and Tomsk Universities, the Tyumen Regional Library, enterprises and organisations, as well as residents of the city and district, who were aware of the need to create the first university library in Surgut, provided invaluable assistance in completing the collection.
By the beginning of 1994, the library's collection had already amounted to nearly 30 thousand editions, the creation of an electronic catalogue had begun, and 16 workspaces were set up for the readers.
The rapid development of the university, opening of new faculties, scientific centres and laboratories required high-quality information provision and development of new services and facilities.
Subdivisions of the scientific library were opened in all buildings of the university, and the collection, rapidly increasing by 2003, the year of the tenth anniversary of the university and the library, had already more than 260 thousand copies of scientific, educational, methodological and reference editions. The number of reading spaces was increased to 200.
In April 2000, by decree No. 1247 of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Scientific Library of Surgut State University was approved as a methodological centre for libraries of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. At the same time the Scientific Library became a member of the Russian Library Association, in 2002 – a member of ARLICON, in 2006 – a participant of the Libnet Centre for creation of the Consolidated Catalogue of Russian Libraries.
2008 was the year of the 15th anniversary of Surgut State University and was marked by the grand opening of a new library space designed with open access to the collections and equipped with modern specialised furniture. From this moment a new, modern stage of the library's development begins.