Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine

The Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine is one of the world’s largest. Founded as the National Library of the Ukrainian State, it shuffled through nearly a dozen locales and name changes before finally settling in Kyiv. It is now named for Volodymyr Vernadsky, a visionary and a crucial influence in expanding Ukrainian minds and institutions alike.

Thanks to Vernadsky, you’d be extremely hardpressed to find a work of Ukrainian literature that’s not among the stacks. As the first president of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, he structured the library’s reading rooms, purchased collections, and got material transferred from other institutions. He sent messengers abroad to search for valuable manuscripts and arranged a special task force dedicated to Ukrainian literature. Among their jobs was to collect everything being printed— anytime, anywhere—in the Ukrainian language.

A sizable section of the library could easily be devoted to the work of its namesake. Known for his interdisciplinary approach, Vernadsky believed scientific research should explore the interactions and connections among fields. He embodied this theory and founded seemingly indecisive mash-up studies, from biogeochemistry to radiogeology, and wrote hundreds of scientific papers. He was also noted as a philosopher for his contribution to concepts with curious names like the “noosphere” or “panspermia,” plus an avid ecologist and an active member of the government.

Today, the National Library receives two free copies of each publication from printing houses in Ukraine. Its collection includes over fifteen million items on every possible subject. Perhaps the only thing Vernadsky did not get around to in his impressive tenure was digitizing the card catalog.

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