It was August 6, 1517, the «Psalter» published by Francis Skaryna was published, as indicated by the date indicated at the very beginning of the Bible book. A grandiose project for facsimile reproduction of the complete collection of books printed by our great countryman is timed to this significant event.

For five years the staff of the National Library of Belarus, together with the representatives of OJSC "Bank BelVEB", carried out research work aimed at searching around the world for electronic copies of the first printer's publications, the result of which was the 20-volume book "The Book Heritage of Francis Skaryna". Electronic copies for this collection of books were provided by the libraries and museums of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Germany and other countries. The received materials with the fullest completeness demonstrates the legacy of the first printer. Each volume recreates the structure, content, features of the fonts and engravings of the original editions, as well as all the touches and marks acquired during the 500-year existence of the documents.

Unique materials are accompanied by comments of employees of the National Library of Belarus and scientists, as well as translations of forewords and afterwords of Skaryna into modern Belarusian, Russian and English languages.

Within the framework of the project, a thousand sets of facsimile edition of Skaryna's book heritage were released, most of which were transferred to the libraries of our country, the rest - for study abroad. The book collection of the central library of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has also been enlarged with rare editions, which can be found in the scientific reading room for the faculty of the university (class 325).
The staff of the library of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its readers express their gratitude to all the organizers and participants of the project and, in particular, the National Library of Belarus, as well as OJSC «Bank BelVEB».

Roman Motulsky, director of the state institution «National Library of Belarus», member of the public council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

-It's nice that the Ministry of the Interior appreciates our work. Such folios are a symbol of Belarus, a worthy heritage of the country. Francis Skaryna went down in history as the first printer and scientist, educator and humanist, poet and medic, botanist and astronomer. His books influenced the development of the spiritual culture of Belarus. This is our pride and great achievement. «The book heritage of Francysk Skaryna» was published in 20 volumes for the 500th anniversary of Belarusian printing and became a visiting card of Belarus, representing it as a country with an ancient history and rich culture.

Central Library, Press Office of the Academy of the MIA