Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation of the Russian State Library staff.

About the Fifth Visiting Meeting of the Public Committee Assisting Russian Libraries Development concerning preservation of book monuments which was held on the 3rd of December 2009 in Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, St. Petersburg.

About the work planned following the results of the Fifth Visiting Meeting providing
preservation of book monuments and expansion of access to them for readers.

On consideration of scheme of the project “Development of Librarianship” which was included into the principal directions of Government activity till 2012.

The article carries information about the All-Russia Master Class on work with book monuments, which was held on November, 17—19th, 2009 in the RSL.

On 12th International Research Readings dedicated to the 180th anniversary from the date of birth of outstanding thinker N. Fedorov, which was held in June 2009 in the Russian State Library.

The article is devoted to the discussion of library’s activity in Russian modern society value system. “Conflict” technical and humane ideas in library science and practical work of libraries are analyzed. The author proposes and investigates hypothesis about the necessity of the humanism system of values as philosophical base for modernization of library’s activity in modern terms.

For the first time it is analyzed the process of forming the digital library of liturgical service books in the Russian Orthodox Church’s key publishing entity — the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate. The author recounts the strategy and approach used by the Publishing House, the problems of interaction between the Church and the digital environment. Of relevance is the study of the corpus of liturgical service books as hypertext as well as the use of the concept “digital library»” to publishing house activity.

The article deals with the history of the toy libraries in our country. The coincidence
of functions of toy library and library is mentioned. Domestic priority in the creation and development of the term “game library” and in the work of game library is emphasized.

The article is devoted to the new form of reference service, so-called “the virtual reference service”. Its purpose is to provide the personalized information support to the remote users, without dependence on their site. Virtual reference service is constructed on a combination of opportunities of the automated search toolkit and professional skills of a bibliographer. Abroad the first virtual reference services have appeared in the middle of 1990th and now many foreign and Russian libraries have the specialized sections on the web-sites. In the Russian State Library the virtual reference desk has opened on April, 17, 2007. In spite of the fact that virtual help service of the Russian State Library has a small operational experience, it can be an example for successful realization of reference service on the basis of Internet technologies. It provides to the remote user efficiency, completeness and high quality of the information.

Article continues a scale and inexhaustible theme “Image of the book and library
in fiction”. This time the attention of researchers was centred on M.Yelizarov’s postmodernist novel with the symbolic title “Librarian”. The meanings which were put by the writer in mystic and fantastic treatment of the book and library are reconstructed.

The attempt of explanation of “key values” of the work from the positions of modern socio-cultural situation and development of literary and creative process was made. The author of the article comes to a conclusion that the perception of a phenomenon of book and an essence of library profession reflects outlook of several generations and is not beyond tradition, however doubtless interest is caused exactly by conceptual and style interpretation of ideas and images undertaken by the writer.

Off-hour preferences, values and confessions of readers of Lipetsk Regional Universal Research Library are considered. The influence on the choice of reading by not only sex, age, education, professional status, but also by marital status, economic conditions, kind of business in which respondents are engaged, is shown.

Specificity of reading preference of primary school age children on an example of students of 1—3 classes of five comprehensive schools of Izhevsk is considered. The survey was conducted in 2008.

The article represents the first scientific research on the periodicals of the Russian Far East. It views the specifics of circulation and usage of journals and magazines issued in the region under different socioeconomic conditions. The author gives the analysis of acquisition sources and reasons for lacunae in the collections of the regional library. Subject and thematic study of Far-Eastern journals and magazines is described. The accent of the article is put upon the cultural and historic significance of periodicals for the region development. Further ways of the collection of periodicals of the Far East are outlined.

Nikolay Samokish is an outstanding representative of Russian battle-piece painting in the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. One of the major aspects of his creativity — the book graphics which brought him the All-Russia success and fame is analyzed in the article. In his book graphic art Nikolay Samokish is more than “illustrator”. In his graphic of ornamental character he obtained constructive easiness, simplicity combining it with the features of a well-conceived.

Article is devoted to the outstanding Soviet military figure, the military historian, the Marshal of Soviet Union B.M.Shaposhnikov (1882—1945). It is told about a role of military collections in a service and cultural-educational life of officers, and also about B.M.Shaposhnikov’s activity as a head of the officer library during service in 1st Turkestan infantry battalion.

R. Simonov, a well-known historian of Old Russian science, bibliognost and historian of the book, the doctor of historical sciences, professor, accomplished 80 years on December 13, 2009. The article reflects the main stages of his life and creative activity.

Congress of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres will be the first time in Russia, in Moscow. The article describes the preparatory work for the Congress.

Cooperation between the Russian State Library and the European Library, as well as national libraries of Europe continues to develop.

Spread of the Gothic novel in Britain at the turn of 18—19th centuries marked the birth of the phenomenon of mass reading. Formats of Gothic publications was focused on different social strata: expensive three-volume editions and much more cheap and thin paperback were published. Reader’s demand was satisfied also with the libraries which number was growing rapidly. The popularity of this literature was so great that has caused advent of the publishing house specializing in the given genre, and a network of libraries under it.

The article deals with the history of library work in Vyatskaya province of the 19th century, educational mission of libraries among the provincial reader and their value in development of cultural level of the population. There features of the organization and operational experience of the first public, private and national libraries of the region, the role of local democratic intelligence representatives in formation of cultural forces and traditions are shown in the article.

Increased interest to provincial history last decades has promoted activation of historical and library researches in different regions, including the southern Urals. The article considers the pre-conditions for incipience of libraries in the territory of the Orenburg Cossack host, describes the main types of library institutions in the host, and gives detailed description of some of them. The process of establishment and development of libraries is studied on general historical background of the formation of the host, the development of education and socio-cultural sphere.

This article offers insight into the past of Dissertation Department of the Russian State Library. It attempts to review researches of the last years carried out by the best specialists of the department, led by its former head A. Pozdnyakova. The aim of the article is to preserve the traditions, the experience of creative work with dissertations’ collection, to make its heritage to a wider audience and keep it from gathering dust in archives.

Presentation of S. Jamshchikov and I. Zolotussky Books in the Russian State Library.

The article is concerned with Interregional scientific conference “Library and Reading in the Structure of Modern Education”, held in October, 2009 where some experts whose activity is connected with the problem of reading participated.

The basic principles of publishing activities in universities and their interrelation, all stages of redaction, the problems each of them, and ways to solve them. The activities of the distribution sector of publishing in the structure of the Research Library of Chelyabinsk State Academy of Culture and Arts and the history of its creation are described.

On the “round table” “Culture of Speech and Spiritual and moral Education of Society” held on December 18, 2009

About the solemn ceremony devoted to the 100th anniversary of the monument to the first printer Ivan Fedorov.

About the International Military historical high day in honour of events of 1812 “Day of Borodino” on September, 6th, 2009 on the Borodino field.

Obituary to Yuri Gorshkov

Abstracts in English