Regional Background for Digitalization of Public Libraries in Russia

The strategic management of library policy at the regional level, designed to ensure more integrated and harmonious territorial development, calls for a balance between the rate of digitalization and the digital transformation of libraries. The relevance of the research lies in highlighting regional disparities in the digital transformation of libraries. Its objective is to demonstrate the potential of clustering and visualization for managing library policy based on official state statistics. The study employed statistical methods, along with content analysis of relevant publications, comparative analysis, and ranking. Dashboards (visualization panels) were also developed. The main results include a typology of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation based on their digitalization outcomes. The data was sourced from the 2024 state statistics on the activities of public libraries, available on the official website of the Main Information and Computing Center of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The article provides a point-rating assessment of the success of regional digitalization of libraries. It also presents a user satisfaction calculator that measures the following metrics: overall customer satisfaction; the likelihood that a customer will recommend the library to others (Net Promoter Score, NPS); the customer effort score (CES); the average handling time (AHT); the first contact resolution rate (FCR); the customer acquisition cost (CAC); the customer retention rate (CRR), etc. The practical significance of the study lies in its application to planning the digital transformation of libraries in Russia’s regions. The paper describes the methodology for analyzing statistical data, developing tile grid maps (heat maps) in Microsoft Excel, and creating a user satisfaction calculator.

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