In 1768 Catherine II ordered the creation of a library for the use of officials and liveried servants attached to her court. This collection of books was kept separately and intended to "develop taste" among the courtiers. The stocks were enlarged mainly with works published in Russia. All Russian printing-shops were obliged to provide the library with copies of their publications. In the 18th century the library had its own librarian appointed from among the sovereign's valets, while the books had a special "super ex libris" embossed in gold on their leather bindings.
In the mid-19th century there were more than 10,000 volumes in the stocks of the Russian Library. They included books on theology, history, geography, medicine and education, and also works of fiction. At that time the library was housed in rooms on the top floor of the Small Hermitage.