Russian Library Research Articles

Scientific-Research Potential of the National Librarianship and Book Industry

2021 was declared the Year of Science and Technology by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 812 of December 25, 2020. The main purpose of its holding is the development of science and technology in our country. Support and improvement of the effectiveness of scientific research are directly related to libraries — scientific-research institutions. Within the framework of the Year of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation resumed the All-Russian competition of scientific works in the area of library science, bibliography and book studies, which took place in 1978—2014. The competition has established itself as one of the most effective methods of evaluating and encouraging the results of research work in librarianship. In 2021, it was organized and conducted by the National Library of Russia and the Russian State Library. On November 18, 2021, within the framework of the Annual Meeting of the Heads of federal and central regional libraries of Russia, the solemn awarding of the winners took place.In 2021, the jury of the competition considered 105 works (42 — in library science, 17 — in bibliography, 22 — in book studies, 24 works related to other categories). 150 authors from 41 subjects of the Russian Federation presented their works.The article presents in tabular form the winners in six nominations (“Best scientific work in the field of library science”; “Best scientific work in the field of bibliography science”; “Best scientific work in the field of book studies”; “Best scientific multimedia project”; “Best scientific work of regional libraries”; “Best scientific work of young specialist under the age of 35”). The article also presents the winners in additional nominations established by national libraries.The competition has shown significant scientific-research potential; and the materials presented are of great importance not only for the development of libraries and the branch as a whole, but also largely serve to solve social and humanitarian problems set out in the “Fundamentals of State Cultural Policy”, established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 808 of December 24, 2014.It is advisable to consider the holding of the All-Russian competition of scientific papers in library science, bibliography and book studies in conjunction with other major scientific events in the library field that took place in 2021: publication of the collective monograph “Scientific research in libraries: topics, organization, presentation of results” and the International scientific and Practical Conference “Library science in the XXI century: content, organization, digitalization and scientometrics”. These events contributed to the support and development of science in librarianship in the framework of implementation of the “Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030”.

Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in Russia: Variety of Experiences and Ideas

The article presents the results of the Annual Meeting of the Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia, held on November 18—19, 2021. The main topic of the Meeting is “Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in the Russian Federation up to 2030. Implementation Mechanisms”. Organizers are the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library (RSL) and the National Library of Russia (NLR). 169 people from 34 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the meeting, held at the RSL; 5320 connections were recorded during the broadcasts. Special attention was focused on the following areas: launch of the federal departmental and regional projects to solve the key problems of libraries’ activities; development of the library holdings of Russia; digitalization of libraries. Within the framework of the meeting, the plenary session took place; the winners of three All-Russian competitions were awarded (“Libraries. PROmotion”, “Library Analytics”, as well as scientific works on library science, bibliography and book studies). Two sections worked (“Federal, departmental and regional projects, modernization of the countryʼs library system” and “Development of the library holdings”), and the conference “Russian Electronic Knowledge Space” was conducted. Following the results of the Meeting, proposals were formulated to help solve a number of problems facing modern libraries. The author notes the desire of the participants to cooperate in line with the unified library policy. The successful implementation of the “Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in the Russian Federation up to 2030” requires coordinated efforts of the governing bodies in the field of culture and libraries at all levels, primarily federal and central regional libraries. Serious tasks are set for the Russian State Library and the National Library of Russia.

To Lead Science and Understand People: To the 70th Birth Anniversary of Vladimir R. Firsov

The article analyses contribution of V.R. Firsov to the development of librarianship and library science. V.R. Firsov formed and continues to develop the new direction in library science — regulatory support for the activities of libraries; he is one of the main creators of the existing regulatory framework for the development of libraries in Russia. V.R. Firsov took an active part in the development of the most important legislative acts related to the library sphere: Federal Law of December 29, 1994 No. 78-FZ “On Librarianship”, the Concept of Part II of the “Model Library Code of the CIS Countries”, the Model Law “On Public Library”.Under the leadership of V.R. Firsov, the Russian Library Association (RLA) adopted many legal documents, including “Priorities for the Development of the Russian Library Association for 2011—2015”, “Code of Professional Ethics of the Russian Librarian”, “All-Russian Program for Preservation of Library Collections. The Second Stage: 2011—2020”, “Model Standard for Public Library Activity”, “Model Standard for the Activity of Special Library for the Blind of the Subjects of the Russian Federation”, “Guidelines for Public Libraries of Russia on Services for Young Adults”, etc.V.R. Firsov is the main developer and author-compiler of documents defining the status and development of the National Library of Russia (NLR): the Charter of the National Library of Russia, the Strategy for the Development of the National Library of Russia for the period up to 2020, the Concept for the Development of the National Library of Russia for 2018—2025. Thanks to his efforts, the role of the NLR as scientific and methodological centre of Russian libraries and modern scientific institution has increased; there have been created conditions for the development of the NLR as institution of additional professional education.V.R. Firsov is the author of more than 400 scientific publications (monographs, reference books, articles in the leading professional periodicals); a number of his collections on international acts in the field of librarianship, cultural policy in Europe and reading problems have been published. He took part in the creation of the “Library Encyclopaedia” (2007). V.R. Firsov is rightfully one of the leading scientists and organisers of library science, who has significant impact on the development of librarianship and library science in Russia and the CIS countries in the late 20th — early 21st century.

Third international conference on ecological education “Ecological information and ecological culture”: The review

For over twenty years, the libraries’ contribution to ecological education has been being reflected in the professional program of Crimea World Forum within the section “Ecological information and ecological culture”. In 2018, the section transformed into the conference on ecological education though kept its original name. The Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology (RNPLS&T) and V. I. Vernadsky Non-governmental Ecological Foundation permanently co-organize the Conference. The author reviews the conference events, as well as problems and tasks discussed at the Conference; includes the abstracts of papers delivered (the full texts are accessible via the RNPLS&T’s website). The participants in the Conference agreed that the libraries had to adopt the integrated approach toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to see themselves participating in the global movement for stable and sustainable future. For this purpose the libraries possess every resource: the books embrace the best experience of the humankind; the professionals who are able to retrieve these books and to offer them to their patrons, and to orient themselves in information flows. The true goal of the Conference is to promote the SDGs more so as the Russian libraries are traditionally serious about ecological education.

“The population” scientific term in the LBC tables

In the tables of Russian Library Bibliographic Classification (LBC), the literature on group populations is separated. Based on the LBC Medium Tables, the recommendations are given on how to analyze documents by content with indexing to follow (for teaching systematization). Diverse resources on population may hamper separating publications. Document analysis enables to present its content as a classification number to be used in catalog and/or in systematic collection arrangement. The comprehensive resource coverage expands catalog retrieval capability and saves user’s time. The LBC tables are used in collection arrangement, catalogs and lists. The content makes the key factor of fixing document position in the tables. The potentiality of systematizing literature by examination aspect is revealed as exemplified by the publications on group populations.

Inflammatory continuum in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation after coronary bypass surgery

Atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary bypass surgery is recorded in 20- 60% of patients and increase the early and long-term postoperative mortality. The aim of the review is to analyze the studies on causal relationships between damaging factors and the development of myocardial inflammation at each stage of surgical treatment in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. In the review, myocardial inflammation is considered from the point of view of a continuum — a chronic process that originates from the coronary endothelium damage and continuously proceeds within the AF pathogenesis after coronary bypass surgery. For the first time, the concept of inflammatory continuum for postoperative AF is introduced. The review discusses the main and latest laboratory and instrumental markers of local and systemic inflammatory response, which are informative in terms of severity and promising for improving approaches to the diagnosis and prevention of postoperative AF. The review was prepared using available materials from Russian and foreign library databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane Library). The search depth was >25 years since 1996. Based on the analysis of available studies, we concluded that inflammation is not just evidence of AF, but plays a causal role in its pathogenesis at each stage of surgical myocardial revascularization.

Library Service for Elderly Readers in France

The purpose of the study is to review the activities of French municipal public libraries in working with older age audiences; to make known to the Russian library community modern practical developments of foreign colleagues in this area. The article is based on the results of the analysis of the following documents: reports of the Ministry of Culture and Communications of France, National summaries of data on the activities of municipal libraries, research articles and dissertations on the topic of the older generation in the library. The article presents the system of the old age periodization by Serge Guerin (Serge Guérin), which is characteristic of France, and gives an idea of the image of the modern French pensioner. The importance of cooperation and partnership of libraries with volunteer associations is noted. The interesting experience of the association «Read and let others read» («Lire et faire lire»), which attracts retired teachers to cooperation with libraries, thereby helping older people feel needed by society and continue an active social life, is presented.

Научная библиотека ТГУ и мифологема освоения Сибири: основные вехи (1878–1934 гг.)

The Research Library of Tomsk State University, which is now one of the largest university libraries in Russia, was established simultaneously with the university. Along with the first museums, the Botanical Garden and other university departments, it was almost immediately incorporated into the process of developing the transboundary Siberian space. To date, the history of the TSU Research Library is presented in generalizing and individual works dedicated to its employees, funds and collections, practices of interaction with readers and partners. At the same time, it seems relevant to identify the role of the Research Library as an actor involved in the process of constructing images of Siberia. This is due to the institutional involvement of the library in the complex of interactions within and around the university that has developed over decades. This involvement also makes the library a “memory space”, participating in the formation of images of the past, present and future at various levels – material, symbolic and functional. The aim of this work is to reveal the features of the formation of images of Siberia in the narrative about the Research Library, which is part of the substantiating myth about the first Siberian University. The lower chronological limit was chosen due to the fact that it is in the first years of the existence of the library that the core of its fund is formed and the main patterns of perception are laid; the upper limit because in 1936 the university library was given the status of a “research library”, which marked a key milestone in its development as the largest university library in Siberia. In the pre-revolutionary period, key ideas were laid down that were reflected in the construction of the image of Siberia as a region rich in various resources suitable for study – the library as part of the university that accumulates and preserves heritage, including the Siberian one. Conventionally, these ideas can be represented as binary structures: Siberia as an undeveloped, wild territory – the library as a tool for its development, cultivation; Siberia as a region with rich various resources suitable for exploration – the library as part of the university accumulating and preserving the heritage, including the Siberian one. In early Soviet times, there was a further development and discovery of ideas related to the perception of Siberia and the library as an instrument for exploring the region and familiarizing it with world culture and history. The library is a tool for collecting information, preserving and saving book collections of the past, and bibliographic ordering of the scattered Siberian information space.

ФАКТОРЫ СОХРАНЕНИЯ ЧИТАТЕЛЬСКИХ КАРТОЧНЫХ КАТАЛОГОВ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНЫХ БИБЛИОТЕК В ЭКСПЕРТНЫХ ОЦЕНКАХ

The article gives a comparative analysis of electronic and card library readers’ catalogues, characterizes the functions of the paper catalogue as an important component of the reference search apparatus of the library infor-mation institution and the source of reference library servicing of different cat-egories of information consumers. The views of the prominent theorists of the modern Russian library science (E.R. Sukiasyan, L.B. Zuparova, etc.) concern-ing the usefulness of parallel introduction of traditional catalogues and their digital versions have been analyzed. The key factors that condition the librar-ies’ decision in favor of maintaining paper catalogues in actual condition are considered. In the author’s conclusion, keeping card catalogues in the epoch of digital transformation of information environment is guaranteed by the set of conditions the basic of which is the demand from the library readers.

Structuring information retrieval interface in LIS: Simplicity vs. efficiency

The author attempts to generalize on the problems of providing retrieval, in particular, subject search, in library information systems and to find solutions. The key requirements to e-catalog retrieval interface as considered in foreign and domestic publications are presented. The problems of providing simplicity of retrieval interface are analyzed. The diverse first search pages of OPACs and e-catalog of Russian and foreign libraries are described. The author suggests a search page version comprising unit search box with the possibility of advanced search and user friendly option of bibliographic, subject, full-text and complex search. Every proposed search types are defined based on SIBID standards, or in case the terms are not provided by existing standards, the author provides her own definitions for them. The requirement of mandatory subject search in library information system, desirably for various types and degrees of complexity, is substantiated. Key requirements to retrieval tools of library information systems are formulated and detailed.

In the Year of Science — About Library Science

The article is devoted to the first in the domestic history International research and practical conference “Library Science in the 21st century: content, organization, digitalization and scientometrics”, organized by the Russian State Library, the National Library of Russia and the Russian Library Association. The conference was held on October 19—20, 2021 in Moscow — in the Year of Science and Technology and in the first year of implementation of the Strategy for development of librarianship in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, where one of the main priorities is scientific and methodological support of libraries. The aim of the conference is to update the topics and identify the factors that stimulate the study of the library sphere, discussion of issues of organization and evaluation of performance of library science, the exchange of experience in organizing scientific activities. The event was held in face-to-face and remote format; more than 180 directors and experts of federal, central regional and university libraries, cultural institutes, as well as other institutions of science, education and culture attended it from 14 regions of the Russian Federation and from foreign countries. During the online broadcast of the meetings, there were recorded over one and a half thousand connections. The program included more than 50 reports, focused on theoretical problems of science studies and practical issues of organization of scientific activity. Summing up, the conference participants noted the importance of library science and proposed a set of specific measures, the implementation of which should help strengthen the regulatory framework for scientific activities in libraries, increase personnel staff; stimulate scientific creativity and research initiative; promote the spread of new scientific knowledge. The conference has important scientific and practical value. It demonstrated the current state of library science, allowed to identify and comprehensively discuss the most acute problems of its development and to outline steps to eliminate them. The conference materials contain a rich empirical base for further study of library science itself.

Development Vectors of Foreign Librarianship: Time Challenges and Perspective

The paper presents the analysis of three concepts of the leading LIS scientists, which were developed taking into account modern development trends and future of foreign libraries. The purpose of this research is to highlight the priority development areas of foreign librarianship, which would allow Russian professionals to consider the challenges and perspective of the library sector. Such awareness could facilitate timely adjustments in the work of Russian libraries. The urgency of the issue is connected with the existence of different scenarios of librarianship development in the digital age. Over a long period of time, the scientific community has been pursuing answers to the question as to how libraries should change to operate successfully in new conditions. According to the first concept of David Lankes, which is based on the cybernetic theory, libraries should actively communicate with communities, inform readers about current events in society, encourage people to read and analyse, share ideas and broaden their horizons. The paper gives the areas of library work, which correspond to the above-mentioned tasks. The author of the second concept Wolfgang Ernst rests upon the theory of media studies, stating that digital environment crucially affects the form of knowledge presentation and organization, which is fixed in library documents, partially changing the nature of library services. In doing so, digital humanities methods are seen as a promising way of unlocking library knowledge. The third concept, authored by Ragnar Audunson, highlights two factors in the evolution of librarianship. The first factor is widespread digitalisation, which promotes open access to information. In this context, supporters of disintermediation emerge who believe that there is no need for libraries and librarians as intermediaries in the search for information now. The second factor is that modern libraries are institutions, which help to create civic engagement through conducting public debates. Digitalisation enables libraries to focus on their social mission instead of focusing on curating physical collections in this connection.

Organisation and Maintenance of Library Authority Files in Russia and Abroad

The article provides review of foreign and domestic publications on the problems of creation, development and use of authority files (AF) of names of persons, names of organizations, geographical names and other objects both at the international, national and regional levels. The paper presents analysis of the foreign experience of AF maintenance. The authors note that, due to the availability of universal collections and qualified specialists, AF formation abroad is usually carried out by national libraries. A substantive analysis of foreign publications has shown that national AFs (NAF) are characterized by data variability and diversity of approaches. The authors studied the experience of successful combination of NAF created according to different methods within the framework of the international corporate project — Virtual International Authority File (VIAF). The article notes that most of the Russian libraries do not use AF, since AF, created in republican and regional scientific libraries, as a rule, are not publicly available. At the same time, creation by a separate library of its own AF leads to high labour and material costs, and the formation of a large number of AF leads to the variability of the AFs created for the same objects. The authors conclude that for efficient use of AFs within the country, it is necessary to apply unified methods and rules for creation of authority records. Another way out is the application of the Semantic Web technology, which allows linking AFs created according to different methods. It is necessary to make maximum use of existing dictionaries or create dictionaries based on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Resource Description Framework (RDF), RDF Schema (RDFS) and Web Ontology Language (OWL) standards.

Books and Events: Trends, Projects, Achievements in the Light of the 34th Moscow International Book Fair

The leading event for the library and publishing sector — the 34th Moscow International Book Fair (MIBF) — took place on September 24—27, 2021 at the Central Exhibition Complex “Expocentre”. The forum was held in a “hybrid format”, foreign participants joined the events online. There were announced the winners of the National competition “Book of the Year — 2021” and the 9th Competition of the Russian Library Association “The Best Professional Book of the Year — 2021”.The business program of the MIBF contained sectoral conferences and round tables devoted to the insight of state of the book industry. The 2nd International Conference “The World Book Industry in new realities: new technologies, new challenges, new prospects”, the sectoral conference “The Russian Book Market — 2021”, the round table “Books in the city” took place at the Fair. The MIBF outlined the vectors of the development of modern culture, creative industries and creative entrepreneurship in the context of books; prospects for the development of new formats for the reorganization of territories and the formation of a stable local identity; intersection points of interests of citizens, local and federal authorities, business and cultural institutions. The article summed up the overall results of the MIBF.

Searching business information in digital information systems of Russian libraries

The author continues with her study initially presented in the article “The possibilities of information search in electronic platforms of Russian libraries” (A. V. Kulikova. The possibilities of information search in electronic platforms of russian libraries // The Journal of Encyclopaedic Studies. – 2019. – No 2. – P. 30–52). She demonstrates the methods to be applied for business information search related to local encyclopaedic book publications and identifies the principles to find recent publications promptly and to satisfy user demands most effectively. The bibliographic search success depends upon how the user understands the system. Optimum query formulation saves time and excludes information noise. The key characteristics of library digital information retrieval systems are discussed. The computer systems of 113 regional libraries were analyzed within the study. The following automated library information were tested objectively: IRBIS, RUSLAN, OPAC-Global, Foliant, MacWeb. The author does not intend to advertise or subvertise any ALIS. Her main goal is to reveal the convenient and speedy retrieval methods with existing functionalities.

Using Marketing Technologies to Increase User Engagement on Library’s Social Media Pages

A significant portion of the online activities of a modern man is associated with the space of social media, where his need to demonstrate his competence, to be recognized by other users, and to possess information is realized. For libraries, such a space is a vital tool of ensuring interactions with users, allowing them the organization of activities to inform subscribers, create and publish content related both to the promotion of library and information resources and services, and to the formation of the image of the library as a whole. However, there are problems related to user engagement on pages and in library groups. The purpose of this work is to describe marketing technologies that allow the creation of favorable conditions for the development of discussion among users of social networks and increasing their activity on the pages of libraries, which has a favorable effect on the coverage of basic, informational records. Contests, quizzes and promotions are offered as such technologies. An analysis of the ‘VKontakte’ pages of the fourteen largest libraries in Russia showed that these forms are not widespread enough in the online environment: libraries prefer to advertise offline promotions, contests and quizzes, rather than conduct them on the social media platform. The following important criteria for the implementation of these technologies are identified: the use of direct appeals to the audience with the positive emotional coloring; topics that allow one to show his social activity, as well as those close to the interests of the audience. Thus, these criteria should be taken into account when libraries conduct contests, quizzes and promotions in social media.

Web Archiving as a Task of National and Local History Bibliography

The foreign experience of forming the majority of national web archives (in national libraries) and many accessible local history archives of public and university libraries has been analyzed due to the development of a model and methodology for electronic local history archives for Russian libraries.It is shown that the global activity on preserving network content is divided into national and regional segments and is national and local history in both contents. Its goals and structure fully fit into the classical forms and directions of national/local history bibliography, which turns out to be the key in all processes of selection and bibliographic processing of a new class of sources. For selection, all the criteria of connection with the country/region/territory, the place of production of the resource, its national language and content, characteristic of the national/local history bibliography; the selection itself is carried out by library specialists. The analysis has revealed the reasons why the preparation of the archived online content for use, regardless of the capabilities of automated technologies, in practice also requires the involvement of specialist in bibliography, the use of classical tools and methods of bibliographic description and indexing of content. The issue of choosing objects for archiving (sites, subdirectories, individual documents) is specially considered. The special significance, advantages and problems of treating individual documents are shown. The necessity of forming such web archiving strategies is substantiated, in which “starting points” are separate documents, and sites are evaluated and selected for productivity as their “containers”. Taking into account the global trends and the conditions of Russian libraries, a model of web archiving is proposed, the implementation of which, in the absence of a national repository and modern tools, will allow the beginning of accumulating some necessary experience and valuable network content.

Electronic Guides on Websites of Russian Libraries: Types, Topics, Structure

The problem of a user orientation in modern information resources is raised. The role of electronic guides as a means of multidimensional information search is noted. The authors of the article translate the previously proposed definition of the concept of “electronic bibliographic guide” and reveal its significant features as a polystructural phenomenon. The authors analyze electronic bibliographic guides presented on the websites of federal and central libraries of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Their multidimensional classification is proposed. It takes into account 19 division bases. The results of the proposed study of these resources are presented. The characteristics of electronic guides on the following features are given: the method of access to reflected objects; access mode; language; the breadth of thematic coverage; belonging to a certain field of knowledge; a storage medium; the presence of a printed analogue. The three-part structure of electronic guides is considered, including an introductory article, the main part and auxiliary pointers and/or a search bar. The results and key findings can be used to improve the creation of electronic guides and improve the quality of electronic information resources created in libraries.

Work of Libraries with the Older Generation: Experience of Germany, Canada and Australia

The article highlights the experience of libraries working with older generation users in certain foreign countries faced with the modern demographic problem - the aging of the population: Germany, Canada and Australia. The modern forms of work of libraries of these countries with the elderly, which are of interest to Russian libraries, are identified and characterized. Difficulties in the work of foreign libraries with the older generation during the COVID-19 pandemic are separately noted. The authors come to the conclusion, that despite the differences in location, size, departmental affiliation, quantity and quality of the fund, and so on, many libraries in developed countries face the same problem - the increasing number of elderly readers and reconstruct their work in accordance with the new demographic and socio-cultural situation, which requires libraries to develop special services to save the cultural capital of older generations.

A. E. Presniakov: A Note on His Library at Columbia and His Contributions to the History of Russia

ABSTRACT This paper recounts the details of the purchase of the historian E. A. Presniakov’s Russian library by the Columbia University Library in 1930 and gives a general description of its components and significance. It uses the library as the basis for a general assessment of the breadth and depth of Presniakov historical contributions, concluding that the originality of insight and interpretation place him among a number of great prerevolutionary historians. The lateness of his professional development, culminating after the Bolshevik seizure of power and during the vicissitudes of the 1920s, and then his early death by cancer have deprived him of that recognition. This paper describes and assesses his major works on medieval Russia, the Lithuanian-Russian state and Ukraine, as well as his late writings on nineteenth century monarchs.