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.

1. Krakhotina V. Vladimir Firsov: At Home among Friends and Foes, Biblioteka [Library], 2002, no. 6, pp. 76—81 (in Russ.).

2. Firsov V.R. On the Principles of the Approach to the Analysis of the Activities of Libraries as a Social Institution, Problemy optimizatsii funktsionirovaniya bibliotechnykh sistem: sb. nauch. tr. [Problems of Optimization of the Functioning of Library Systems: collected scientific papers]. Leningrad, 1981, issue 1: Voprosy otsenki bibliotechnoi deyatel’nosti v nauke i praktike [Questions of Evaluating Library Activities in Science and Practice], pp. 24—33 (in Russ.).

3. Firsov V.R. Social Role — Social Functions — Library Activities. The Problem of the Principle of Delimitation, Metodologicheskie aspekty izucheniya protsessov funktsionirovaniya bibliotechnykh sistem: sb. nauch. tr. [Methodological Aspects of Studying the Processes of Functioning of Library Systems: collected scientific papers]. Leningrad, 1982, pp. 21—36 (in Russ.).

4. Firsov V.R. On the Problem of Goal-Setting in the Relations between Culture and Society (Instead of Conclusion), Problemy natsional’nykh bibliotek i regional’nykh bibliotechnykh tsentrov: sb. nauch. tr. [Problems of National Libraries and Regional Library Centers: collected scientific papers]. St. Petersburg, 1993, issue 2, pp. 197—204 (in Russ.).

5. Firsov V.R. Biblioteka kak sotsial’nyi institut. Teoretiko-metodologicheskie aspekty povysheniya ee roli v razvitom sotsialisticheskom obshchestve [Library as a Social Institution. Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Increasing its Role in a Developed Socialist Society], cand. ped. sci. diss. Leningrad, 1984, 223 p.

6. Firsov V.R. The Viability of the Library Has Always Been Determined by its Polyfunctionality, Knizhnaya industriya [Book Industry], 2012, no. 4 (96), pp. 19—25 (in Russ.).

7. Kazachenkova L.A. Vladimir Firsov: “We Are Strong to the Extent That We Unite the Best Professionals in the Library Sphere of Russia”, Sovremennaya biblioteka [Modern Library], 2014, no. 3 (43), pp. 10—14 (in Russ.).

8. Firsov V.R. New in the Coordination of Research and Development Work and Scientific Research of Libraries of the RSFSR, Sovetskoe bibliotekovedenie [Soviet Library Science], 1988, no. 3, pp. 89—90 (in Russ.).

9. Kolesnikova M.N. Scientific Graduates of the Department of Library Science: Top Managers in the Sphere of Culture and Higher Education in Russia, Bibliotechnoe delo [Librarianship], 2018, no. 20 (326), pp. 11—14 (in Russ.).

10. Firsov V.R. What Is It, the Future Law? Biblioteka [Library], 1993, no. 9, pp. 2—3 (in Russ.).

11. Firsov V.R. Public? — Yes, But Not Only, Biblioteka [Library], 1994, no. 3, pp. 68—71 (in Russ.).

12. Firsov V.R. (ed.) Biblioteka i zakon: spravochnik [Library and Law: reference book]. Moscow, Libereya-Bibinform Publ., 2008, issue 25 (2), 384 p.

13. Firsov V.R., Borisova E.I. (eds.) Biblioteka i zakon: spravochnik [Library and Law: reference book]. Moscow, Libereya-Bibinform Publ., 2009, issue 26 (1), 384 p.

14. Firsov V.R. Gosudarstvennoe zakonodatel’noe regulirovanie deyatel’nosti bibliotek [State Legislative Regulation of the Activities of Libraries]. St. Petersburg, 2000, 256 p.

15. Kuzmin E.I., Firsov V.R. (eds.) Informatsionno-bibliotechnaya sfera: mezhdunarodnye akty i rekomendatsii [Information and Library Sphere: International Acts and Recommendations]. Moscow, Libereya Publ., 2001, 272 p.

16. Kuzmin E.I., Firsov V.R. (eds.) Kul’turnaya politika v Evrope: vybor strategii i orientiry [Cultural Policy in Europe: Choice of Strategy and Guidelines]. Moscow, Libereya Publ., 2002, 237 p.

17. Kuzmin E.I., Firsov V.R. (eds.) Mir kul’tury. Mezhdunarodnaya mozaika [The World of Culture. International Mosaic]. Moscow, Libereya Publ., 2003, 264 p.

18. Kuzmin E.I., Firsov V.R. Normativno-pravovoe obespechenie deyatel’nosti bibliotek v zarubezhnykh stranakh [Regulatory Support for the Activities of Libraries in Foreign Countries]. Moscow, Libereya Publ., 2003, 212 p.

19. Kuzmin E.I., Firsov V.R. (eds.) Formirovanie informatsionnogo obshchestva v XXI veke [Formation of the Information Society in the 21st Century]. St. Petersburg, 2006, 640 p.

20. For His Contribution to the Development of National Library Science, Bibliotechnoe delo [Librarianship], 2005, no. 9 (33), p. 19 (in Russ.).

21. Zamshev M.A. Vladimir Firsov: “I Don’t Share the Opinion That There Is Less Reading Now...”, Literaturnaya gazeta [Literary Newspaper], 2015, no. 35 (6523), p. 7 (in Russ.).

22. Firsov V.R. Reading in the 20th Century. Some Results and Reflections, Detskoe chtenie: fenomen i traditsiya v kontse XX stoletiya: mezhdunarodnaya konferentsiya (12—14 maya 1999 g.) [Children’s Reading: The Phenomenon and Tradition at the End of the 20th Century: International Conference (May 12—14, 1999)]. St. Petersburg, 1999, pp. 133—137 (in Russ.).

23. Firsov V.R. On the Dangers of Reading: Points of View, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2008, no. 6, pp. 67—72 (in Russ.).

24. Grikhanov Yu.A. (ed.) Bibliotechnaya entsiklopediya [Library Encyclopedia]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2007, 1300 p.

25. Filippova T. Vladimir Firsov: On the Eternal Movement Forward, Bibliotechnoe delo [Librarianship], 2011, no. 7 (145), pp. 2—3 (in Russ.).

26. Firsov V.R. Define a Strategy and Learn to be Persistent, Universitetskaya kniga [University Book], 2011, no. 11, pp. 14—21 (in Russ.).

27. Firsov V.R. The Fourth Part of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation in the Context of International Requirement, Sovremennaya biblioteka [Modern Library], 2009, no. 2, pp. 28—33 (in Russ.).

28. Firsov V.R. About a Hundred Russian Libraries, Primarily National Libraries, Are Concerned about the Problem of Digitization, Knizhnoe obozrenie [Book Review], 2010, no. 323, p. 13 (in Russ.).

29. Meshcheryakova V. Vladimir Firsov: It Is Impossible to Cope with the Task of Harmonious Personality Development without Libraries, Bibliotechnoe delo [Librarianship], 2016, no. 7/8 (265—266), pp. 2—6 (in Russ.).

30. Filippova T. Vladimir Firsov: In the Interests of the Library Community. Consolidation and Search for New Forms of Interaction, Bibliotechnoe delo [Librarianship], 2015, no. 6 (240), pp. 2—5 (in Russ.).

31. Firsov V.R., Trushina I.A. The All-Russian Library Congress in Samara: 20 Years of the Russian Library Association, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2015, no. 4, pp. 11—16. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2015-0-4-11-16 (in Russ.).

32. Firsov V.R. Russian Library Association: An Important Factor of Development, Informatsionnyi byulleten’ RBA [RLA Information Bulletin], 2020, no. 89, pp. 6—9 (in Russ.).

33. Firsov V.R. A New Model of the IFLA / UNESCO Public Library, Publichnaya biblioteka: professional’nyi bibliotechnyi zhurnal [Public Library: Professional Library Journal], 2002, issue 1. Available at: http://www.rba.ru/content/activities/section/14/mag/mag01/2.php?papka=14&id_sec=13 (accessed 24.12.2021) (in Russ.).

34. Trushina I.A. The Russian Library Association Presents: “IFLA 2010 Guide”, Rossiiskaya bibliotechnaya assotsiatsiya: ofits. sait [Russian Library Association: official website]. Available at: http://www.rba.ru/content/resources/publ/vyv_polntxt.php?id_doc=141 (accessed 24.12.2021) (in Russ.).

35. Trushina I.A. Professional Leader and Gifted Person, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2012, no. 1, pp. 72—74. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2012-0-1-72-74 (in Russ.).

36. Firsov V.R., Lodygina P.A. All-Russian Competition of Scientific Works in the Area of Library Science, Bibliography and Book Science as the Reflection of Research Potential of the Scientific Branch, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2020, vol. 69, no. 6, pp. 580—588. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2020-69-6-580-588 (in Russ.).

37. Firsov V.R. Experience and Problems of Increasing the Efficiency of Scientific Activity of National Libraries, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2019, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 119—129. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2019-68-2-119-129 (in Russ.).

38. Samarin A.Yu. (ed.) Nauchnye issledovaniya v bibliotekakh: tematika, organizatsiya, predstavlenie rezul’tatov: monografiya [Scientific Research in Libraries: Topics, Organization, Presentation of Results: monograph]. Moscow, Pashkov Dom Publ., 2021, 324 p.