Russia recently unveiled new plans to launch a National Digital Library in 2015. According to the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, the new initiative will transform local libraries into modern information and cultural hubs. Citizens' access to the service will be via the internet with a single electronic library ticket.
The intention behind the National Library is to be able to give smaller branches the ability to offer wireless internet access and tap into e-Books. There are only a few thousand digital editions currently available in most of the modern libraries, such as Moscow and Murmansk.
It is currently unknown who will be providing the e-Books. Currently in Russia most of the libraries only offer academic and historical digital editions.
