The author discusses the theoretical legacy of Russian bibliography scientist Natalia Andrianovna Slyadneva (1950–2023) through the lens of the contemporary bibliographic theory and practice. She attempts to reveal and promote among the scientific community the ideodocumentоgraphic approach developed by N. Slyadneva in her doctor’s thesis of 1994. The concepts of the ideodocumentographic approach and its value for the bibliographic science for that period are discussed; its theoretical and practical impact on the contemporary information environment is examined. Within the relevant conceptual framework of library and bibliographic sciences, the logics of theoretical construction and the theory key provisions are revealed: Slyadneva’s understanding of bibliography and bibliographic method, specific character of bibliographic object contemplation, hierarchy of sovereign information entities (meanings, text, document, author), and bibliographic information cycle. The author endeavors to explain why the theory has not been implemented in the professional practice and to identify the consequences of rejecting ideographic forms of bibliographic information. The article is based on the author’s private archive.

What the library in the future will look like? What the modern library has to be to have a future? To answer these questions, we are to imagine the library of the future based on modern realty and prospects for social advancement. Today, the concept of “green libraries” as the libraries of the future has become increasingly popular in the world. The researchers discuss enthusiastically and conceptualize the key ideas and characteristics of “green libraries”.

The article logically breaks up into two parts. In Part 1, the authors discuss the key lines and findings of their study of global trends of developing “green libraries’, as well as the related practice specific for Russia. They analyze the libraries’ efforts in ecological education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and examine the approaches to establishing “green libraries” in the Russian Federation with the examples provided. Through monitoring accessible materials (library websites and subject-related digital resources in ecology and sustainable development), and survey analysis, the authors conclude on the need for the list of “green libraries”, e-libraries and digital information resources on ecology and sustainable development, and, in the long run, the national standard for “green libraries”, and professional development educational course.

The author suggests that, to revise the traditional goals of reading studies, we have to develop the deeper understanding of reading as a global civilizational phenomenon. The actual scope of reading, comparable with the role and scope of writing, demonstrates its social power seen as the power of influence. The author specifies the two levels of the power of influence manifestation: the phylogenetic (individual identity) level and ontogenetic level (the mankind, or its part, e. g. social group, national community, team, etc.). Despite the vast, over 200 year, experience, of the reading studies in Russia, the empirical materials are rather biased. This is due to predominating sociological methods that address the exposed sides of reading. The author proposes the following tasks for reading studies: Study of reading impact (power of influence) on personality formation during his or her lifetime (deep comprehensive longitude studies are needed comprising psychological, pedagogical and other methods); studies of social power of reading in the transforming environments of different scope (from families, school class, team up to the region and the state). The author also argues that the interdisciplinary research teams have to be established and the array of modern scientific methods have to be applied to reveal the actual power of reading and to evaluate the degree of its social impact.

The author undertakes to classify digital reading and produces the criteria for classifying digital readers. She refers to the traditional classifications of readers, i. e. by reading culture, structure of reading interests, reading motives. The author reviews Russian and foreign studies of digital and traditional reading, identifies trends and distinctions. Based on the reviewed literature analysis, the following patterns are specified: apprehension and retention of traditional texts are much higher; digital reading is very popular with the young; increasing demand for audio books, in China, in particular. The positive and negative features are recognized (decrease of cognitive capabilities of modern readers, psychological problems in communication functions). The author introduces the definition for digital readers, develops additional indicators for classification: by sensitive qualities of information perception, search methods, information hygiene, and by the capability of building critical attitude toward the information one read.

The role of libraries in the scientific communication has been changing under the stimulus of digital technologies. With these information technologies, the libraries can influence the modern science. The authors discuss the consequences of digital revolution for the historical sciences: emergence of new types of historical sources; improved status of datasets and their role in the historical studies; new historical information systems; increased value of digital technologies for the public history. Based on the trends analysis, the promising vectors for librarians and historians cooperation are identified. The librarians can contribute to the national scientific infrastructure through intensification of data processing, i. e. providing the datasets of valuable historical information, establishing librarybased data laboratories, supporting historians in scientific data management. The authors analyze the cases of library integration into the “civil science” projects. They point to a promising vector of cooperation between librarians and historians, i. e. preservation of digital heritage and building web-archives. The authors conclude on the key role of libraries in the emerging national infrastructure of the humanities knowledge.

The authors examine the aspects of generating statistical reports in COUNTER format based on processing and interpretation of statistical data on the online access to open archive and e-library digital resources. The library statistics reflects the library services performance. The e-catalogs, digital documents and resources accessible for the users to browse and load have become ingrained in the libraries worldwide. The related statistics is highly demanded, and COUNTER format expands foundation for further interpretation of these statistical data. Academic organizational open archives allocating their employees’ publications are also interested in developing statistical instruments. The study is focused on the data of users’ accessing RNPLS&T’s IRBIS 128 LIS supporting e-catalog and the pilot version of the RNPLS&T Single Open Information Archive (RNPLS&T SOIA).

The analysis of statistical data of open archives and e-libraries using COUNTER format facilitates generation of alternative scientometrics indicators of the relevancy of organizational research outcome. The researchers may also use alternative scientometrics indicators to assess their individual performance.

The digital transformation of the modern society is characterized by the onrush of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as one of the promising and long-term vectors of librarianship digitalization. The AI-based chatbots provide a number of library services and accomplish tasks that traditionally were pertained to human librarians and information specialists. The author investigates into the potential of chatbot technology, specifies and characterizes them, and defines the related risks of using chatbots in library services. The purpose is to understand how the chatbot technology changes and supplements the library and information services. For the purposes of the study, the general dialectical method, theoretical analysis and generalization of research and specialized technical literature, standards on AI and library digitalization are applied. Within the study, the basic functions of chatbot technology are determined, i. e. interactive personalized dialog with a user, economically efficient virtual reference instrument for library routine. The author concludes that the chatbot technology is a trend of distance communication with the users, meeting their information and sociocultural demands online 24/7. However, despite their vast intelligence and technological potential, the chatbots are unable to remove human librarians and interpersonal communication, though they supplement their capabilities, computerize the major part of library services, thus make it possible for the library staff to focus on complex interactions with library visitors and creative professional tasks.

The institutional repositories are important for science advancement, accumulation of research capital, data exchange within the global science community. The academic repositories have been extensively growing in the global information space. The purpose of the study is to analyze universities’ organization of interaction with repositories, with the focus on research data acquisition, materials allocation technology, promotion and advocacy, etc. The survey of the specialists in charge of institutional repositories in 27 Russian and 11 Belarusian universities was conducted in 2023–2024. Based on the survey findings, the author identifies the key vectors of development of university-institutional repository interaction: repository technological and informational infrastructure, specifications and documentation procedures, fulltext data, repository promotion to the research and academic community. The author concludes that the participated universities are at a high level of repository support, though the lacking national policy of open science, the issues of academic repositories’ inclusion into the single research network hinder their progression. The essential professional skills and competences for academic institutional repositories and open science communication in the academic community are specified.

The author reviews the All-Russian meeting on the issues of application and modification of the LBC Medium Schedules held on October 8–9, 2024, on the premises of the Russian State Library, and its key topics: the experience and workflow management, development of scientific concept of the LBС Medium Schedules 2nd edition, prospects for the LBС under the library digital transformation, professional development, methodological support, and corporate interaction. She discusses the sessions and the key papers, makes conclusions, and conveys the key content of the recommendations approved at the meeting.