BiblioNight in Volgograd

BiblioNight is an annual socio-cultural event dedicated to reading that takes place in April across Russia. On this night libraries, bookstores, literary museums and art spaces extend their hours and change the format of their activities.
BiblioNight 2025 is dedicated to the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, so the majority of events are patriotic in nature.

Gorky Library.
The area around the Gorky Library and its interior will 'come alive' at 17:00.
Outside: 17:00 — opening of the summer reading room 'Air'; 17:30–20:00 — postmarking of postcards as part of the 'Letters of Victory' campaign; 20:00–22:00 — concert. Workshop area: 17:30–19:00 — origami 'Cranes Are Flying' and a bookmark workshop 'Between the Lines'.

1st floor: 17:00–22:00 — buffet; 17:00–21:00 — library-wide quest 'Wreath of Victory'.

2nd floor: Arts Literature Section — 17:00–20:00 — workshops 'A Gift for the Heroes'; Regional Center for Conservation and Restoration — 17:00–20:00 — restoration of letters from the front, with tours into the world of conservation and restoration at 18:00 and 19:00; Foreign Literature Department — 17:00–21:00 — quest 'Heroes for All Time', 18:00–20:30 — quiz 'Memorials to Russian Heroes Abroad'.

3rd floor: photo zone in the lobby; 17:00 — opening of an exhibition of canvases depicting commemorative coins 'Stories of Victory'; 18:00 — literary vignette 'About Our Own!' performed by the Volgograd Youth Theatre (TYuZ); 18:40 — stage vignette 'Reborn from the Ashes' for the 125th anniversary of the Gorky Library; 19:05 — gala concert of the winners of the 'Voices of Our Hearts' contest; 20:05 — awarding of the winners of the translators' competition. Rare and Valuable Editions Section: 17:00 — exhibition 'Know and Remember', 17:30–21:30 — quest 'Signs and Symbols'.

Information and Bibliographic Department: 17:00 — quest 'Man and War'; Periodicals Section: 20:00–22:00 — 'Memory' board game 'Film Heroes of the Great War'; Main Collection Storage Section: tours of the book storage at 17:30, 19:30 and 21:00; Industrial Literature Section: exhibition of scale models of military equipment, military-historical dioramas and miniatures, 17:30–21:30 — quest 'Commanders of the Great Victory', 18:00 — workshop on making a boutonnière brooch; Information and Environmental Center: photo zone, quest 'Combat Friends of the Great Patriotic War', 18:00 — workshops 'Flower of Victory' and 'Candle of Memory', 19:00 — workshop 'Eco-style Keychain'.

4th floor: External Communications Department: 17:00 — meeting-discussion 'My Favorite Literary Hero', hosted by Evgeny Kravets; 18:00 — campaign 'Support Our Own'; Slide-Film Room: 18:00–21:30 — retro screenings of Soviet slide films; Hall of Socio-Economic and Legal Literature: quest 'Hero Cities', creative postcard workshop, book dugout and photo zone.
Assembly Hall: 17:00–19:00 — an evening of recollections from the Tsaritsyn Genealogical Society; Lobby: exhibitions 'Winners' and 'Our Heroes'; Conference Hall: 17:00 — awarding of the top performers of 'Total Dictation - 2025', 18:00 — workshop 'Victory Boutonniere'.

Regional Center of Information Resources of the Presidential Library: 17:00 — historical game 'Living Memory', 17:00–22:00 — interactive lapbook board 'Pages of the Second World War', 19:00 — workshops on scrapbooking and creating a fighter plane using origami, 20:30 — screening of the film 'The Fate of a Man'; Electronic Reading Room: interactive areas and workshops from 18:00 to 20:00, 18:30–21:00 — quest 'Know to Remember'.

Youth Library.
The Youth Library has prepared an interesting and eventful program for its readers. The event starts at 12:00 with an international literary-historical meeting 'About People and About the War'. The Volgograd Regional Youth Library and the West Kazakhstan Regional Library for Children and Youth named after Khamza Yesenzhanov (Uralsk, Republic of Kazakhstan) will invite their readers and friends to join an online discussion. Participants from the library venues in both countries will talk about the memory left to us by the people and events of the Great Patriotic War, preserved today by the descendants of soldiers and home-front workers, residents of towns and villages, writers and historians — citizens of Russia and Kazakhstan.
From 13:00 to 18:00 the service department will host a themed game room 'Military Operation'. Participants can play board games dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, including the game 'Strategy of Victory', which will allow them not only to compete in strategic skills but also to test their historical knowledge.
At 15:30 there will be an interactive lecture 'A Person at War'. The Great Patriotic War was a test of strength not only for soldiers at the front but also for ordinary people involved in the struggle for the freedom and independence of their homeland. It is difficult to overestimate the significance this war had in the fate of every person it touched. At the lecture listeners will learn how the war affected various spheres of life in our country and about the lives of ordinary people who, under the harsh conditions of wartime, overcame themselves and performed labor and combat feats.
At 17:00 the library site will host a festival of wartime songs 'Songs of the War Years', featuring talented performers from our city. The program will include well-known wartime songs as well as original compositions. Listeners will be able to touch the great heritage of musical culture, support young performers and pay tribute to the Great Victory.
At 18:00 everyone will be able to take part in the exciting military quest 'Road of Memory'. Players will test their knowledge of historical facts, orders and medals, take on the role of scouts, assemble fragments of wartime documents and match famous heroes with their wartime feats.
At 19:00 there will be a tasting 'Soldier's Porridge'. Everyone may try the soldier's porridge, which has become a symbol of remembrance for wartime hardships. BiblioNight at the Youth Library will conclude with a screening of the film 'Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha', to which all are invited at 19:30. This Soviet color feature film, produced by the Lenfilm studio in 1967 and directed by Vladimir Motyl, tells a story that takes place during the Second World War. The intellectual Zhenya is sent to the front and turns out to be completely unprepared for combat. His days are brightened by his love for the signalwoman Zhenechka. The light and touching tragicomedy 'Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha' is a film for fans of Oleg Dahl's work, who embodied another vivid role in it. Participants will also discuss whether audiences today need comedies about wartime events and will conduct a comparative analysis of films about the Great Patriotic War in Soviet and contemporary Russian cinema. The meeting will be part of the 'Stage Mirror' project.
Admission to all events within the framework of 'BiblioNight' is free!