The Branch of the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPSTL SB RAS) — or the Branch for short — is located in Akademgorodok, part of Russia's third-largest city of Novosibirsk, packed with research institutes and scientists. The Branch had its roots in the Eastern Department of the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences (VOBAN in Russian abbreviated), placed in Novosibirsk in 1956 to serve the few scientific institutions in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. In 1957, the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences was founded as the Soviet government raced to develop science in the East of the country. The center was to be Novosibirsk and a scientific town called Akademgorodok (Academy Town) being built near it with dozens of institutes. It was quite expectable that a requirement for a new large library suited to satisfy scientists’ information requests has arisen. From Moscow to Novosibirsk, an academic library was swiftly relocated, then became the SPSTL SB RAS, now the fifth-largest library of Russia. In 1960, VOBAN joined the SPSTL as a branch to service research institutes of Akademgorodok, where it was moved to few years later.

Now the Branch is a welcoming space for visitors to receive library and information services, access an extensive fund of scientific Russian and foreign literature, borrow books, attend various cultural, educational and popular science events. Its website contains numerous electronic information resources: catalogues, virtual exhibitions, reference materials, full-texts. In addition, the Branch stores unique collections of documents related to Siberian science history by hosting memorial libraries of outstanding Siberian scientists — academicians Valentin Koptyug, Nikolay Yanenko, and Lev Ovsyannikov.