In the Soviet period it was known as the Karl Marx Rostov-on-Don State Scientific Library (Russian: Ростовская государственная научная библиотека имени К. Маркса).

It is an important cultural center of the city, hosting numerous art festivals and exhibitions.

It was designed by architect Yan Zanis [ru] and engineer Boris Sidelkovsky.

Three months later, in September, the library invited Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn to visit and meet readers.

[3] In May 2010, Don State Public Library hosted a conference of Russian Wikipedians.