Database “Librarianship and Bibliography” as a Resource for Information Support of Studies in Library Science

Abstract

The article considers the bibliographic database “Librarianship and Bibliography”, developed by the specialists of the Russian State Library in the context of other libraries and institutions that distribute resources related to library science. The author reveals the specifics of structure and composition of databases with similar resources, created by some central regional libraries of Russia and federal libraries of other departments. The authar touches upon the issue of foreign companies’ information support of studies in library science. This database was created using many years, experience in formation of information resources on culture and art, which have no analogues in Russia. The article presents the search capabilities of this bibliographic online resource and the practice of user interaction with it in 2016—2017. The author notes that the main body of records includes articles from monographs, scientific collections, conference proceedings and other publications. The article outlines the features of working with the database. The resource interface and the structure of its search fields are described. There are given some examples of its search fragments and navigation capabilities. Using statistical data, the author analyses the resorce access dynamics, user requests and the geography of user access to the database. The access leaders among the eight regions of the Russian Federation are Ural, Northwestern and Siberian Federal Districts. There is a stable interest observed in Siberian, Volga and Central Districts. The rating of the most popular search terms is made. The results of the study confirm the demand for the online resource among users. This is especially important in the conditions of low circulation of Russian scientific publications that significantly decreases their accessibility and reduces the ability to disseminate scientific knowledge among specialists.