Nikolay S. Kartashov and Regional Library Science

Abstract

The paper presents the review of the problematics and characteristics of the participants of the Interuniversity scientific and practical conference held at the Moscow State Institute of Culture and devoted to the 90th birth anniversary of N.S. Kartashov. Nikolay S. Kartashov (1928—2011) is an outstanding figure in the library science and practice, a well-known scientist and librarian, major organizer of librarianship in the USSR, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Honoured Worker of Culture of the USSR. For the first time he substantiated the principle of systematic approach to the study and organization of librarianship and developed the concepts of regional and comparative library science. In different years, he was in charge of the Department of library science at the East Siberian State Institute of Culture, he stood at the origins and headed the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, was the Director of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR. He was engaged in pedagogical activity at the Department of Library Science of the Moscow State Institute of Culture. The significance of the personality of N.S.Kartashov and the value of his scientific ideas in the context of the modern library science were objectified at the Conference. The emphasis was made on characterization of N.S. Kartashov as a scientist, manager and educator, on consideration of the topical issues of development of two main directions of his scientific heritage — regional and comparative library science. The problem-discussion reports, keynote presentations and practice-oriented papers presented at the Conference considered the theoretical, theory-methodological and methodological aspects of the declared subject. Of particular interest was the comprehension in the modern context of the proposed and substantiated by N.S. Kartashov the term “Regional Library Science”, as well as the described application capabilities of the actual use of this relevant concept in sectoral education and library practical activities. Along with the representative full-time participation at the conference, there was positioned an extensive block of poster presentations, which revealed the contribution of N.S. Kartashov in librarianship and library science, including methodological approaches and theoretical instruments of regional library science, the concept of library management on the basis of functional modelling, modernization of the system of territorial library services, etc.