The modern public libraries of our country are involved in the activities on implementation of the state national and cultural policy. Lately their priority targets have focused on ensuring interethnic harmony in society, conceived by the libraries as the work aimed at the development of intercultural dialogue. The article highlights theoretical and practical aspects of the development of intercultural dialogue in public libraries. The definition of intercultural dialogue as a process aimed at open and polite communication between different peoples, based on mutual understanding and respect, is given. The library activities can promote fostering skills and creating environment for its widening. The author shows that the basics of the modern intercultural library activities was laid by the work of Soviet mass libraries aimed at studying the reading interests of the peoples in the multinational USSR and taking part in their international education. At present, the libraries contribute to the development of titular ethnic groups national cultures and facilitate the process of mutual enrichment of cultures of different peoples of our country in accordance with “The Foundations of the State Cultural Policy”. Theoretical basis of intercultural library activities is supplemented by the dissertation research works defended in the different regions of our country. It allows to conclude that in the general structure of the modern library science there has been formed an independent discipline named the “Library Ethnology”. To become one of the main translators of the state national and cultural policy the public libraries have developed their own approaches resulted in creating Centers for ethnic interaction and intercultural communication, as well as the Centers of national literatures. As a rule, the main goal of their activities is creation of the conditions for the development of intercultural and interethnic relations among the users, basing on the values of multinational Russian society, the respect of the rights and freedoms of individual, and maintenance of multi-ethnic peace and conciliation in the region.