Characteristics of Library Services as Public Goods

Abstract

One of the important issues being actively discussed at the international and national conferences is determination of the economic essence of basic categories related to the library services. The article considers economic nature of library services as public goods, describes classification of library services (by the level of competitive performance of consumption and the principle of excludability; by the level of use of information and communication technologies; by the form of ownership of manufacturer), shows the active efforts of public libraries in the market of goods and services as real competitors to private entrepreneurs providing market services. The article considered the process of diversification, penetration into the Russian market of library services of publishers, archives and other organizations by means of creation of pure public goods. Special attention is paid to the goods temporarily not belonging to the pure public goods.