Establishing of library development strategy is the most important stage in solving the tasks of adapting to the changing environment and increasing demand of users. The purpose of this study is to determine the vectors of strategic development of libraries (public libraries and libraries of scientific and educational institutions). Basing on the results of the analysis, the author identifies nine essential strategic directions and ten vectors, revealing the prospects for the development of libraries, being not only the information repositories and library and information centres, but also working, creative spaces, communication platforms, places for renting equipment, startup sites, etc. The article presents the specific features of public libraries, which are close interaction with the local community, promotion of intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, as well as socialization of the population. Strategies of libraries of scientific and educational institutions much attention pay to the integration of librarians in the research process, creation of analytical products, development of services for scientometric analysis and information support for open scientific research. Libraries strive to serve readers and visitors with the use of modern information technologies, organize spatial environment that ensure comfortable stay, provide resources and services that meet the changing preferences of users, which allows creating positive image of the library and attracting readers.

The article presents the history of interaction between the government authorities and the library and information sector in the project of development of municipal libraries. The project resulted in the “model libraries”. The project has been operating since the early 2000s. The purpose of the article is to reveal the implementation and analyse the support at the level of federal and regional government management of the program until 2018 (the start of work within the frames of the National project “Culture”). The author presents periodization of the project, as well as quantitative characteristics and approaches to the understanding the concept of “model library”.

Model library is a public library of municipal level that has standard and optimal set of material and information resources. At the same time, there is no approved definition of this phenomenon. It is assumed that the model rural library in its functions, content and equipment meets international and domestic standards and serves as a model for other institutions. The “model” indicators are reflected in the “Model Standard for Public Library Services”.

The project on creation of model libraries on the basis of municipal public libraries in rural areas of Russia started in 2002 with the emergence of the all-Russian project “Creation of model public libraries in rural areas”. Since 2012, funding under the federal target program “Culture of Russia (2012—2018)” is carried out in the form of subsidies allocated on a competitive basis. The project became a “catalyst” for modernization processes in rural libraries of Russian regions. The transformation program included the following stages: repair and equipment of the library premises; acquisition of books and electronic publications; conducting training seminars for staff. The rural model library targeted the goals of ensuring equal and free access to information, creation of a comfortable library space, etc.

After the approval of the “Model Standard for Public Library Services” (2014), it was decided to test its feasibility by creating so-called “pilot libraries of a new type”. According to this document, model libraries are intellectual centres equipped with high speed Internet, access to modern domestic information resources, which should provide access points to the National Electronic Library.

The regional leaders in creation of model libraries are the Republic of Chuvashia, the Belgorod Region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Kursk Region and the Republic of Mari El. As of January 1, 2019, there were 3,310 model libraries operating in the country. The creation of model municipal libraries has become one of the departmental projects of the National project “Culture”.

The article is devoted to the creation of the collection “Books of the Imperial House of Romanovs” in the National Electronic Library (NEB) within the framework of the project “Book Monuments”. The general approach to the designation of imperial and grand ducal collections is based on the analysis of presence of the books in the collections of the Russian State Library (RSL). To justify the decision, the author considers the history of private book collections that belonged to the Romanovs before 1917 and their fate after the revolution. The book collections of representatives of the family in historical and scientific literature are divided into imperial and grand ducal collections. After the revolution, the significant part of the libraries located in the residences of St. Petersburg and its suburbs were moved to the Winter Palace. Some collections remained in the owners’ palaces and were distributed and moved to different organizations. After the decision was made to allocate the books to different organizations, the significant part of them was sent first to the Rumyantsev Museum, and then to the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR (now the Russian State Library). After registration, the books were distributed between different parts of the holdings without taking into account the ownership of the previous owners; and at present, it is not possible to restore them as a single complex. Based on the study and analysis of the archival documents of the Russian State Library, which had covered the receipt and allocation of the books in quite a detail, it was decided to combine all the books into a single electronic collection, since only this decision will allow getting together the copies of imperial and grand ducal books on a single resource and making them available for general access and study. The NEB’s capabilities allow providing information to specialists in the humanities and a wide range of users.

Special libraries for the blind have become the unique information and cultural centres, key organizations in the formation of the inclusive society in Russia. Their activities are carried out within the framework of the inclusive paradigm, which assumes that a person with any needs can be included in public relations. New areas of interaction with users are being developed: diversity of special and inclusive programs and projects are being implemented, and innovative services are being introduced. Libraries act as focal points for working with blind people and users with other categories of disabilities, provide methodological and consulting assistance for cultural institutions of various profiles, conduct various professional development activities and provide information support to educational institutions in the field of defectology. The relevance of the article is due to the need for comprehensive promotion of unique information products and services created by libraries for the blind for people with different physical and mental special health characteristics: those suffering from dyslexia; who has suffered from severe diseases, with disabilities, etc. The promotion of information products and services becomes possible when implementing communication strategy based on integrated marketing communications, which are focused on establishing long-term relationships with various user groups.

The article presents the results of the study conducted in January — February 2020 and aimed at identifying and evaluating the promotion channels used by special libraries for the blind and other organizations that provide services to people with disabilities and special needs for the purpose of socio-cultural rehabilitation. During the research, there were used the methods of expert survey and comparative analysis. There were analyzed the promotion channels of 47 Russian and foreign institutions (public and special libraries, museums, theatres, charitable foundations and public organizations). The results of the study make the basis for creating the universal model of communication strategy of special library for the blind, aimed at promoting activities among various target audiences: increasing the loyalty of the real contingent of users, expanding the contingent of users among people with disabilities of different nosologies and special needs, the contingent of partners among institutions in the area of culture, education and social services. The author proposes recommendations aimed at improving the efficiency of various promotion channels.

The Synodal Singing Collection (SSC) of the State Historical Museum is one of the most extensive collections of singing manuscripts collected in the last quarter of the 19th — early 20th centuries from all over Russia in the Synodal School of Church Singing. It contains hooked notation manuscripts of various chants, notolinear manuscripts with harmonization of ancient chants, partes concerts and “Services of God” by composers of the 17th — 18th centuries. At present, the research focuses on the specifics of the musical techniques of Russian partes concerts, correlation of the verbal text and music, their repertoire, authorship, the fate of concert cycles, the arrangements for various number of singing voices, etc. However, the important issue of the time of compilation of concert collections has not received sufficient coverage in the scientific literature. The goal of this study is, firstly, to determine the specifics of the formation of such collections using the example of the manuscript No. 360/1-8 from the Synodal Singing Collection the State Historical Museum with the involvement of other manuscripts of this Collection. The detailed palaeographic analysis of eight manuscripts that made up the collection, which previously belonged to the Novgorod Bishop’s House, allowed the author to determine the time of recording of each concert, as well as the time of compilation of the collection. Analysis of the paper watermarks and the notes placed on the sheets of manuscripts showed that the collection No. 360/1-8 of SSC from the State Historical Museum is a convolute, which is based on the works rewritten in the 1720s with the inclusion of Services recorded in the early and mid 18th century. In addition, the cycle of stichera and slavniki from the Feast Services was written after the compilation and, probably, after binding the voice parts of the collection, possibly by its compiler. The study of the notes of singers placed in the parts of this collection allowed the author of the article to find out their names, time and specifics of their singing activities. The conclusions drawn from the example of the collection No. 360/1-8 of SSC of the State Historical Museum are applicable to many collections of that time.

The article considers the history of foundation and development of scientific libraries in Yakutia. In many ways, the opening of libraries was caused by the scientific interest in Siberia, the emergence of scientific and cultural-educational societies. Libraries strengthened the status of the societies and provided information support for their activities. The first scientific libraries were opened at the Yakut Regional Statistical Committee (1853), the Yakut Regional Museum (1891), the Yakut Department of the Agricultural Society (1899) and the Yakut Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1913).

The article notes the contribution of the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to the study of history of libraries and librarianship in Siberia, including Yakutia. Particularly, the author describes the influence of political exiles on the formation of libraries and the development of culture in the region. The author focuses on the activities of the Yakut Regional Statistical Committee, which established one of the first special libraries, which later became the main one for scientific libraries. The article considers its activities as an integral part of scientific research in the Eastern Siberia, since the Committee not only collected statistical data on the region, but also supported research institutions, took part in organizing expeditions to study the region, etc. The author describes the role of the Secretary of the Committee, S.F. Saulsky, in the ordering and systematization of the library’s collection, as well as the role of A.I. Popov, state councillor, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, in the organization of the Yakut Regional Museum. The article reveals the activities of the museum library on selection of books and periodicals of scientific societies, Sibirika, local history literature and manuals for the identification of collections and their systematization. The library kept valuable materials: manuscripts, archival files, geographical maps, route maps, plans of cities, villages, dwellings of foreigners, etc. Academic expeditions of the 18th — first half of the 19th century made an invaluable contribution to the study of Siberia; and the Academy of Sciences gradually transferred the functions of specialized stationary scientific body to the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The author attempts to trace the origins of the library at the Yakut Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Attention is paid to the activities of the governor of affairs N.N. Gribanovsky, who identified one of the main directions of the library activity — creation of local history reference and bibliographic apparatus that reflects the literature about Yakutia.

The article notes the general trends of scientific libraries: insufficient financing; acquisitions mostly consisted of donations and book exchange; involvement of political exiles in the work; limited access of readers (only for the staff or members of societies). The author reveals the fate of the first scientific libraries, whose collections were distributed among the libraries of Yakutsk and partially preserved in the historically formed library holdings.

The Russian pre-revolutionary book features many various provenance marks including marks of ownership. Such marks indicate that a particular item belongs to a particular owner. They can have forms of supralibros (or super ex-libris), ex-libris (or bookplates), book stamps, signatures and inscriptions. There are also “non-specific” ownership stamps and labels, which do not have indications of their book nature (such as phrases “from the books/library of...”, “ex-libris…”) and can be used on any objects. Usually these are word rubber stamps (rarely — labels) with a text consisting of a book owner’s name and occasionally some additional information (such as an owner’s address, title, etc.). In Russia, bibliophiles and bibliologists have been studying bookplates for about two centuries. However, there are still many blank spots in the history of the Russian bookplate. Regional book ownership marks are mostly unexplored. This article presents an attempt to describe and analyse book ownership marks of the Russian Far Eastern book owners. Studying of library holdings of 13 regional institutions and conducting bibliographic research allowed revealing 58 local marks of ownership (excluding signatures and inscriptions) that belonged to 23 local book collectors of the pre-revolutionary period. The study showed that they used all types of marks from supralibros to inscriptions, but mostly preferred the “non-specific” book stamps and super ex-libris. There was also established that the bookplate labels were particularly rare — the author discovered the only specimen in the Far Eastern State Research Library. The predominance of book stamps as marks of ownership can be explained by their multipurposeness, cheapness and easiness of manufacturing. Far Eastern book owners frequently used two or three different types of marks together on one book, for example, book stamp and supralibros, inscription and book stamp or supralibros and inscription, etc. Often one collector used several different stamps or supralibros: almost 40% of book collectors had two or three marks of ownership. At the same time, 11 of 23 book owners additionally marked their books with the inscriptions.

In society, the concept of public library is traditionally associated with silence, peace and safety. However, modern realities indicate that the library profession is associated with many risks. As the experience of the United States shows, employees of public libraries are increasingly faced with problems that disrupt the normal functioning of library and information services and negatively affect the emotional and psychological state of staff and patrons. Ensuring safety of the library is a common concern, equally affecting both employees and patrons of the library. A threat to the safety of library is a potentially or actually possible event, action, process or phenomenon that can disrupt the stability of its operation or lead to shutdown of its functioning. The article considers the subjective threats, i. e. caused by the actions and behaviour of people. These can be mentally unbalanced, substance abusers or armed visitors, computer hackers, etc. Many of them pose a real danger to life and health of both librarians and library patrons. Based on the analysis of the U.S. periodical press, the author provides facts that clearly demonstrate the vulnerability of public library staff to the threats of the modern world: the risk of being killed, the risk of drug overdose of visitors, the risk of hacker attacks on library computers, the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. Library rules and regulations are created to protect the rights, interests and safety of users and employees. It is necessary to keep them up-to-date taking into account the socio-cultural changes in modern society and transformation of human behaviour. The article shows what measures are taken by U.S. public libraries to ensure the safety of employees and patrons.

Various modifications of the system of continuous library and information education are associated with the tasks of digitalization, determined by the national development goals of the Russian Federation. The purpose of this study is to identify the main transformational trends of this system in the context of the digitalization of culture. The authors reveal the concepts of “digitalization of education”, “lifelong education”. The article analyses the reports of the track “Professional education of specialists in library and information sphere” conducted in the framework of international scientific and practical conference “Science, Technology and Information in Libraries (LIBWAY — 2020)”, held on September 14—17, 2020. The authors identified the main problematic issues of continuous library and information education: personnel potential of libraries in the era of large-scale and accelerating technological changes; diversification of additional professional education for library staff as one of the links in continuous education; regulatory support for the development of system of continuous library education; new vectors in educational activities aimed at the formation of professional and supra-professional competencies as a factor of competitiveness of the library specialists in the context of multitasking and efficiency of the cultural sector. The article emphasizes that the continuous library and information education of specialists in the era of digitalization of culture is progressing due to the new information technologies, implementation of innovative library experience, as well as the formation of new competencies of library personnel. The authors state that the development of culture and the growth of the country’s potential depend on the success of building unified library and information knowledge space as a valuable resource and the basis for economic success in the future, part of which is the system of continuous professional education.

The article presents review of the textbook for bachelors “Management of library and information activity”. The author analyses the structure of the book and highlights the content of seven chapters. The article describes educational, scientific and practical significance of the publication. The book was published in early 2021 in the publishing house “Profession” as part of the publishing project on series of textbooks on basic academic disciplines for sectoral bachelorʼs degree course. The textbook is prepared by specialists of universities of culture and national, federal and scientific libraries. The basis of the publication is the marketing concept of management, considered in the context of priority areas of sectoral management. The textbook describes theoretical, legal, functional, technological and economic foundations of management of information and library activity and characterizes its areas. The author highlights the issues of personnel management and also considers the role of the head of library institution. At the end of each chapter, the textbook presents the summary, the questions for self-checking of knowledge learning, as well as the lists of the main publications on the topic. The textbook contains the subject index. In the text, there are graphically revealed the key concepts, using tables, graphs and figures. The textbook includes previously unpublished analytical material by I.M. Suslova “Evolution of approaches to library management”. The appendices contain provisions on the trends in libraries activity, as well as organizational and legal documents that can be used to develop their own local documents in specific cultural institutions. The textbook presents the material, taking into account the achievements of the modern level of domestic library science. The publication will be useful for both students and library specialists. The book makes significant contribution to the development of modern educational literature in the profile discipline and helps students learn the course “Management of library and information activity”.

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