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Scientific Library of the Academy

The history of the Scientific Library of Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy dates back to 1992, when Kyiv Theological Seminary was reopened in the stylobate of St Andrew’s Church. After the revival of St Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, the library was moved to a new academic building at the monastery in December 1999, where it has been operating ever since. Currently, the Scientific Library is an important structural unit of Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, which provides educational, scientific and cultural processes, as well as information exchange and information services.

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 11:00 – 16:00.
Sat, Sun, major Christian holidays – days off.

Administration

Priest
Andrii
Hryhorash

Director of the Scientific Library

Nina
Makarchuk

Lead librarian

Rules

In accordance with the Academy’s statute, in addition to attending lectures and writing papers, students of the Academy are required to read books during their academic course. It is aimed at deeper learning of the subjects taught.

Today, KOTA Scientific Library’s collections are characterised by the spirit of librarianship, which is guided by established traditions:

  • each student, according to the library’s statute, can borrow a certain number of books at a time and for a certain period of time;
  • students receive books from the basic academic library from 11:00 to 16: 00;
  • rare books, manuscripts and old editions are not given out from the library’s collections, but are the subject of study only in the reading room, as well as candidate dissertations, diploma papers, master’s and bachelor’s papers;
  • it is forbidden to make any folds, marks, inscriptions on the pages of the books;
  • when students go home for holidays or after graduation from the Academy, all books must be returned to the library, and it is strictly forbidden to transfer books from one student to another without presenting the books personally to the librarian or his/her assistant;
  • the list of periodicals and books to be issued to the library is reviewed and approved by the Rector of the Academy. After the Rector approves the list, periodicals are subscribed to and received by the library.

As for the responsibilities of librarians, they can be summarised as follows:

  • librarians are responsible for the safekeeping of the library’s collections and its supervision;
  • librarians are responsible for the integrity of the library, its order and the correct maintenance of the catalogue and other documents.

Library fund

The library of the Academy maintains an alphabetical and systematic catalogue of the main library fund, as well as separate catalogues of the collections that make up its funds.

The alphabetical catalogue is compiled according to the names of authors, and in the absence of the latter – by the title of the book, with the department where the work is located being indicated on the catalogue card.

The systematic catalogue is compiled in accordance with the system of disciplines taught at the Academy, but in the order determined by the Universal Decimal Classification [UDC].

The library is replenished through purchases, contributions from readers and donated books from authors or other libraries and educational institutions. All books of the library are registered in special inventory books, of which there are currently six.

As of the beginning of the 2023 / 2024 academic year, the Academy’s library collection comprises more than 30,000 items.

The literature necessary for the training and education of students is replenished at the expense of the publications of the Synodal Publishing and Educational Department of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and with the patronage and financial support of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphaniy.

The funds of modern KOTA library include the following collections and book depositories: the main fund of the library, the collection of the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy, the collection of Patriarch Emeritus Filaret, the collection of the Rector of KOTA, Professor Archpriest Oleksandr Trofymliuk, the collection of Professor Dmytro Stepovyk, the collection of Protopresbyter Semen Hayuk, the collection of Anna Figus-Ralko, as well as other small parts from the book collections of teachers and Ukrainian benefactors from abroad.

A special place in the library’s fund is occupied by manuscripts and old printed books. Despite the specific theological composition of the library, it is worth noting that the collections of KOTA library are not of a monotonous, theological nature, but are distinguished by their richness and contain departments with literature in historical, scientific and natural, art, cultural, medical, reference and encyclopaedic, fictional, and other fields of knowledge. This gives the library a high scientific level and therefore it is fair to call it a fundamental library.