The history of creation.In 1891, the Turgai Society for the Care of the dissemination of primary education among Russian immigrants of the Kostanay district petitioned the military governor of the Turgai region with a request to open a free Folk reading room in Kostanay. In 1892, such a reading room was opened, it had 467 book titles. The library worked on the basis of the Charter.

The following is noted in the available library documents: "Since January 1937, in connection with the formation of the Kostanay region, the city library became known as the regional library."

In 1949, on the 120th anniversary of the great Russian writer Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the library was named after him. 

The Great Patriotic War is a special page in the life of the L.N.Tolstoy Regional Library. Thanks to librarians, there are special relics in the fund - readers' letters from the front. 

For many years, the location of the library building was 74 Rebel Street. The further development of the L.N.Tolstoy regional universal scientific library was accompanied by an expansion of occupied areas, an increase in technical facilities, library resources, allocations, and staff. 

In July 1979, the relocation took place to a new standard building, with a useful area of 6,000 square meters, a storage capacity of more than 500 thousand volumes, and the number of seats for readers – 370.

In 1997, the L. N. Tolstoy OUN received a grant from the world-famous Soros Foundation. Tolstovka (library) participated in a competition organized by the Soros, Eurasia Foundations and the Open Society Institute, and entered the top five winners. Thanks to the grant, access to the Internet was opened, new technologies were acquired, invitations to step-by-step training seminars were received, and a large amount of new literature was purchased. 

Participation in the megaproject "Pushkin Library" has replenished the fund with a significant amount of literature from the best foreign publishers, as well as electronic media.

In 1998, on the 170th anniversary of the birth of Leo Tolstoy, a permanent exhibition was opened in the library's living room, named in the words of A.M. Gorky: "Tolstoy is the whole world." Among the books of the exhibition are volumes of collected works and individual works by writers, including a reprint edition of The ABC, published in 1872, reproductions of paintings by I. Repin and I. Kramskoy, photographs taken by Tolstoy's contemporaries, illustrations for his novels.

Automation of library processes, which began in 2001 with the acquisition of the RABIS program, has radically changed the work of the library. The formation of an electronic catalog is in full swing, which contains information about current receipts to the library's fund. Currently, the library has 45 automated workstations, has full-text legal databases in Kazakh and Russian, and an electronic document delivery service operates in it.

The library's staff consists of 130 employees, 97 library specialists organize work in 14 departments. Every year, the library serves 35 thousand readers, they are given more than 900 thousand copies of literature. Daily attendance - more than a thousand readers. The library subscribes to more than 500 titles of magazines and newspapers.

In 1894, the first public library was opened in the People's House of Kostanay.

The total fund is 491,649, including 76,268 in Kazakh.

Unique editions – 2,220

Regional Universal Scientific Library No. 2 of the city of Arkalyk

The formation of the Torgai region in 1970 and the granting of the status of the regional center to Arkalyk gave a powerful impetus to the development of the city of Arkalyk. 

On January 27, 1971, by the decision of the Torgai Regional Department of Culture, the regional and regional children's libraries were opened in the city of Arkalyk.

There were no standard library buildings, they were located in residential buildings.

The initial book collection amounted to 3.5 thousand copies of books, which were transferred from the regional libraries of the cities of Tselinograd and Kostanay. During the first two years of work, a book fund was formed, catalogs and card files were created, and readers were being prepared for service. By the end of 1971, the library's book collection amounted to 8,100 copies, in 1972 – 17,313 copies. And only on November 1, 1973, the subscription was opened.

By the end of 1973, the library provided the first digital indicators: 

the number of readers is 400, the number of visits is 1,020, the book issue is 2,478 publications, the book fund amounted to 27,744 copies. This is how the first steps in the digital counting of the main indicators of the first library began.

In 1975, a reading room began to function in the library. With the growth of the book fund and increasing functional responsibilities, the library gradually improved its material base. Along with the city, the number of libraries and readers grew, and the book fund was replenished. 

On October 19, 1979, the Torgai Regional Youth Library was opened. According to the plan for 1974-1980 on the transition of the Republican State Library to a centralized library system, in the Turgai region, the network of state mass libraries was gradually transferred to a centralized service system in the context of districts in 1976-1980, which greatly contributed to the creation of central district libraries of the region.

By 1987, the population of Arkalyk was 70.6 thousand people. The city's centralized library system with 9 branches functioned to serve the population. There were regional scientific-technical and universal, youth and children's libraries, a special library for blind and visually impaired citizens.

After the reorganization of the Torgai region, on June 24, 1988, the Arkalyk city centralized library system of the Committee for Culture of the Kostanay region was organized on the basis of the Torgai Regional Library. 

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Kaz. On August 17, 1990, the Torgai region was restored to its original borders. On October 25, 1990, the Turgai Regional Universal Scientific Library was restored again. Other above-mentioned regional libraries were also restored, and the Central Library System began to function again. In 1996, 43 libraries and clubs were closed in the Torgai region. And in the city itself, the city library system was abolished. 

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1997 "On measures to optimize the administrative and territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan", the Torgai region was abolished. The Torgai Regional Universal Scientific Library was reorganized into the Kostanay Regional Universal Scientific Library No. 2 in Arkalyk.

Thus, the currently functioning regional universal scientific library No. 2 in the city of Arkalyk was founded on June 14, 1997 on the basis of the former regional libraries of the Torgai region: 

-regional universal scientific library, 

-regional children's, 

- regional youth, 

-regional special library for blind and visually impaired citizens of Arkalyk. 

In 2001/03, the library was allocated a new room along the avenue. 62 Abaya Street. The regional universal scientific library and the departments of youth and children's literature are located here.

The volume of the fund is 282823 copies, including 60406 in the Kazakh language.

Unique editions – 86

Address: 62 Abaya str., Arkalyk, Kostanay region

I. Altynsarin Regional Youth Library

The history of creation. In June 1958, the regional Department of Culture issued an order to open a regional children's library with a staff of 5 people in the city of Kostanay. There was no room, equipment, or book collection for libraries. The library staff temporarily took up residence in the city children's library. To complete the book collection, publications were sought in the regional library collection. Rural children's libraries were opened in the districts, practical and methodological assistance was provided. 

In 1959, a room was allocated for the regional children's library (a cinema for young viewers). The building was completely renovated, the round furnaces were replaced by steam heating. The library has been increasing and improving its book collection, library equipment, and reader service every year. The library was awarded the title "Library of excellent work", and then the name of the writer A.P. Gaidar.

The Regional Youth Library began to complete the collection in October 1978. It was opened to readers on January 4, 1980. 

The name of the Kazakh educator I. Altynsarin was assigned to the library in 1991. In August 1992, the Regional Library for Children and Youth named after I. Altynsarin was created from two independent libraries: the regional children's library named after A. Gaidar and the regional youth Library named after I. Altynsarin.

The book collection exceeds 158 thousand copies. in Kazakh and Russian languages. The library is visited by more than 10 thousand people. More than 200 thousand copies are issued to readers annually. books, periodicals, and other publications. The library is located in a building belonging to an architectural monument - the building of merchant Voronov, built in 1896.

The total fund is 157,891, including 29,857 in the Kazakh language.

There are no unique editions

Address:Kostanay, Kasymkanov str. 74