A Moscow library rare UN documents, ancient Slavic texts, 14 million books is on fire

The Moscow library known as INION—the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences—went up in flames on the evening of Jan. 29.
Interfax reports that the fire, which started on the building’s third floor and spread to 2,000 square meters, is now contained. But damage already appears to be extensive, with at least part of the roof having fallen in.

qz.com...

www.youtube.com...

I hate to hear anytime knowledge is lost or books are burned. It seems to be a historical certainty that nothing last forever no matter how hard we try. What a waste..

That's terrible. But at least in this age everything has copies and gets backup online.
A couple of centuries earlier and that would have been a catastrophic loss knowledge.

a reply to: 727Sky

I totally agree . Lets hope they have this stuff backed up somewhere .

originally posted by: Caver78
The Moscow library known as INION—the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences—went up in flames on the evening of Jan. 29.
Interfax reports that the fire, which started on the building’s third floor and spread to 2,000 square meters, is now contained. But damage already appears to be extensive, with at least part of the roof having fallen in.

qz.com...

www.youtube.com...

Oh no.

That is tragic. Do they know how the fire started?

a reply to: JessicaRabbitTx

We can hope for the best for the old, single copy texts, but much of the so-called modern world is not up to par with the US Library of Congress in diligently copying its works. It would depend, I suppose on how much of on-line users in Russia iare capable of accessing the rare works and the need for such preservation. Rare does not always equate to value.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: JessicaRabbitTx

We can hope for the best for the old, single copy texts, but much of the so-called modern world is not up to par with the US Library of Congress in diligently copying its works. It would depend, I suppose on how much of on-line users in Russia iare capable of accessing the rare works and the need for such preservation. Rare does not always equate to value.

That library also holds the oldest Hebrew texts.

Moscow has as much in value as the Library of Alexandria. Same tragic end to a lot of history.

Hmmm

Suspicious.

It may not be accidental?
Does anyone have Twitter? I bet there's more to this than we think? I don't know how to post pictures....can someone help?


Fabian Burkhardt ‏@sanwaldinjo 33m
.@SvobodaRadio's Mikhail Sokolov
writes that there were plans to turn INION library into a shopping mall.
Days ago ppl came,took photographs.
^^^Svoboda = Ukraine "Right Wing" Political Party

There goes some collected history that may not be recorded elsewhere. Hope what ever is left can be covered, etc.

originally posted by: Caver78
It may not be accidental?
Does anyone have Twitter? I bet there's more to this than we think? I don't know how to post pictures....can someone help?


Fabian Burkhardt ‏@sanwaldinjo 33m
.@SvobodaRadio's Mikhail Sokolov
writes that there were plans to turn INION library into a shopping mall.
Days ago ppl came,took photographs.
^^^Svoboda = Ukraine "Right Wing" Political Party

get real...

Perhaps it was Putins party pulling their own version of the Reichstag fire.

we done?

originally posted by: xuenchen
Hmmm

Suspicious.

IMO your pulse is correct I would be quiet simply amazed if the fire was an accident. By destroying historical records they remove the evidence that would contradict any future propaganda about the superiority of the Russian people and there divine right to rule western Europe. Goebbels would be proud.

a reply to: Caver78

OH, No No No, I just hate it when libraries and their knowledge is lost or are burned - I suspect I must have been around in a previous life when the Alexandrian library perished at the hands of religious biggots. Something about damaging or destroying books especially of historical record makes my stomach tighten involuntarily.

Loss of knowledge is never good and lost knowledge that might not have been anywhere else is tragic.

There is some research going on into high-resolution MRI scanners that can actually read the ink inside a book without opening it. I hope this provides a way of rapidly "backing up" the contents of fragile books as well as read scrolls carbonized by volcanic eruptions.

originally posted by: xpert11

originally posted by: xuenchen
Hmmm

Suspicious.

IMO your pulse is correct I would be quiet simply amazed if the fire was an accident. By destroying historical records they remove the evidence that would contradict any future propaganda about the superiority of the Russian people and there divine right to rule western Europe. Goebbels would be proud.

Destroying originals also opens the door for altered "copies".



Library of Alexandria

Playing devils advocate, this would't be the first time irreplaceable objects were spirited away, building destroyed, money quietly raised. Just a thought, but raiding could have been going on for years and the fire is just the last piece to fall into place?

Just tossing this out there.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Nice one, WW2 etc. - all coming in line again.

originally posted by: Caver78
It may not be accidental?
Does anyone have Twitter? I bet there's more to this than we think? I don't know how to post pictures....can someone help?


Fabian Burkhardt ‏@sanwaldinjo 33m
.@SvobodaRadio's Mikhail Sokolov
writes that there were plans to turn INION library into a shopping mall.
Days ago ppl came,took photographs.
^^^Svoboda = Ukraine "Right Wing" Political Party

A shopping mall in Russia's economy? I don't know how good of investment that is right now.