Progress of computer-aided library technologies in Russia: Thinking of something expected, though unaccomplished

Abstract

The author reviews the development of computer-aided library technologies in Russia. He analyzes why we have stopped half way and do not design union e-catalogs, do not introduce single user cards, or uniformed computer-aided retrieval software. The author also questions why we abandoned card catalogs though had not define whether e-catalogs could fully make up for their functionality, why almost every national ALIS is alike those foreign systems; why we use three formats at once - MARC21, UNIMARC, RUSMARC? The author concludes that departmental dispersion of libraries prevents them from solving the problems.