HSE’s New Library at Pokrovka: 500 Seats, 24-Hour Access
On September 2, HSE’s newest and largest library will open its doors. Read on to learn about the concept behind its design, its collections, and its opening hours.
About the Library
The new library on Pokrovka is the largest of all HSE University’s campus libraries. Beginning on floor 2 of Building N, the library consists of three and a half levels.
The library was designed and equipped to meet users’ needs, which were determined with the help of surveys, says Maria Bituleva, Deputy Director of the library. The designers also took requirements of contemporary design standards into account. All reading rooms have movable partitions; library visitors can place them anywhere as needed to make private spaces for individual or collaborative study.
The central zone of the fourth floor can be converted into a space for educational events
‘As in other campus libraries, we plan to conduct workshops on how to search, evaluate, and work with different information sources, including electronic ones,’ says Maria Bituleva.
All floors are equipped with computers on which users can access the library’s electronic catalogue and online resources. Users can also take advantage of the plentiful armchairs, comfortable ottomans, and sofas provided on every floor. Most of the furniture, by the way, is sound-absorbent, in order to help visitors achieve maximum levels of concentration.
Hours of Operation
The library’s operating hours will vary with the level.
The first floor of the library (level 2 of Building N) will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The second and third levels, as well as the balcony where foreign periodical literature is located, will be open 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM on weekdays and 10 AM – 6:00 PM on Saturdays.
‘Students who want to study at night will need to check out the books they need in advance from the library’s second and third levels and then take them to the 24-hour zone. If you need to organize a consultation with a library staff member, then you need to do this during the staff working hours – 10 AM- 9 PM on weekdays, and 10 AM – 6 PM on Saturdays,’ says Maria Bituleva.
The 24-hour zone accommodates up to 150 people, and many sitting areas include computer stations. The zone will also have a self-service station where you can check out and return books at any time.
What to Read
The HSE campus library collections are continually updated. The library at Pokrovka currently has about 200,000 print editions. When the reading room collections and academic literature subscriptions were being formed, the emphasis was placed on publications in social economics and related disciplines from both Russian and foreign publishing houses.
‘In addition to print media, we have subscriptions to a large number of electronic resources,’ says Maria Bituleva. ‘We provide access to eight foreign databases in which all the world’s leading publishers are represented – Elsevier, Oxford University Press, Springer, Wiley, Cambridge University Press, IBM Press, and so on. These databases contain more than 350,000 titles. As for domestic e-books, we have subscriptions at the moment to the platforms of three Russian publishers: Yurait, Infra-M and Alpina Publishers. These include about 30,000 titles.’
By the beginning of the school year, the library intends to provide access to law-related titles from Prospect Publishing House and a number of subject-area collections on the Lan platform. The publications are primarily available in Russian and English.
How to Gain Access to the Library
Students and staff can get a library card by presenting their passport and document confirming their involvement in the university (student ID, pass, post-graduate student card).
First-year students are encouraged to get acquainted with the book check-out schedule on the library website.
On September 2, an open presentation and a small tour of the reading rooms will be open to HSE community members. If you are interested in attending, come to the 3rd level of the library at 11:50 AM (4th floor of Building N). The tour will be conducted in Russian.
If you would like to organize a group tour specifically for your staff or students, please contact Maria Bituleva at mbituleva@hse.ru.
See also:
‘I Spend 10–13 Hours at HSE University Every Day, and Half of That Is in the Library’
At the end of 2022, the HSE Library announced the launch of its new ‘Total Immersion’ project. Now, HSE University staff and students can take a tour of all of the library’s internal departments in the Pokrovka building. The HSE News Service took a tour with one of the first participants of the project.
Sberbank Presents Business Books to HSE
Sberbank of Russia has donated books on leadership skills and effective business planning to HSE as part of Students’ Day. The following global bestsellers were included in Sberbank’s first set, which consists of 70 items: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Family Wealth by James E. Hughes, and many others.