26 April 2020 Library Night 2020 Goes Online The annual Library Night, which is traditionally held in April, went online this year turning an unfavourable coronavirus situation into a spectacular marathon of virtual events.
On 24 April, from 7 PM to 11 PM, the National Library of the Komi Republic provided a non-stop chain of infotainment in its online community of the Russian most popular social network - VKontakte. The most loyal patrons welcomed a new format of communication with the library.
The programme for the night consisted of the total of 20 items appearing online one after another. The audience could watch videos, take part in quizzes, pass tests, learn new skills from master classes, and listen to anecdotes from local celebrities.
The partners of the library produced their own original content. The leader of the Syktyvkar club of singer-songwriters, Andrey Konov, performed online from his home. The Metropol theater studio presented their sketches from the life of famous writers using the Zoom video communication. Soloists of the Komi Opera and Ballet Theater Olga Sosnovskaya, Zulfia Korotaeva and Andrey Kovalev shared stories from behind the stage of the theatrical life. Professional make-up and costume artist Olga Ogneva created a geisha look right in front of the camera. Astrologyst Kudrat Akhunov delivered an online talk on books and their healing super powers.
One of the video presentations marked the UN Spanish Language Day celebrated on 23 April and was dedicated to outstanding Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes and his most famous novel - the story of exploits of Don Quijote de la Mancha. The video took the viewers on a short holiday trip to Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries telling about words borrowed from the Spanish language and presenting traditional food and dance of Ibero-American countries.
The audience could also join a video conference where poets of the Komi Republic were reciting most elated and heartfelt poetry in their desire to prop up people's mood and mitigate the effects of the lockdown.
Four hours of diverse entertainment gathered fine feedback from the audience in the form of thousands of likes and positive comments. According to the Marketing Department, the Library Night broke all records in the number of views, the total reach exceeding 35,000.
More photos here | 
