The library has a unique collection of literature on natural, resource, cultural, historical, scientific, technical, socio-economic development of the Chuvash Republic. The collection includes literature about the Chuvash region published in the republic and abroad: books, brochures, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, maps, microforms, electronic documents, published in the Chuvash, Russian and other languages of the world.

The collection contains over 80 thousand documents, of which more than 30 thousand items are in the Chuvash language; the chronological coverage – from the XVIII century till the present day. The collection includes:

  • the first book in the Chuvash language, printed by the means of the Russian graphics – “Works belonging to the Chuvash language grammar” (published in 1769 by the publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg), etc.
  • lifetime editions of the educator of the Chuvash people Ivan Yakovlevich Yakovlev; prominent figures of the Chuvash science: Nikolai Vasilyevich Zolotnitsky, Vasily Konstantinovich Magnitsky, Nikolai Ivanovich Ashmarin, Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikolsky;
  • lifetime editions of the researchers of culture and life of the Chuvash: Vasily Afanasyevich Sboyev, Alexandra Andreyevna Fooks;
    the first Chuvash magazines “Ana” (“Пашня”), “Etschlekensen sassi” (“Голос трудящихся”), “Etsch herarame” (“Работница”), “Suntal” (“Наковальня”), the newspapers “Hypar” (“Вести”) from 1907 (microfilm), “Trudovaya gazeta” (“Советская Чувашия”) and others.

Documents in the national and local history collection are gradually being converted in electronic format, a depository newspaper and magazine collection is being created, electronic versions of periodicals and continuing publications are being collected, and the National Electronic Library is being formed.