TO THE 60-TH ANNIVERSARY OF RNPLS&T
Main development vectors for the Russian National Public library for Science and Technology (RNPLS&T) celebrating its 60th anniversary are discussed. Today, RNPLS&T is the largest sci-tech library in the nation, and also a research institution, and a federal information center. The major projects within the framework of the federal target programs are described, e. g. national subscription, EKBSON (Electronic Catalog of Libraries in Education and Science), science archive, National Electronic Library, etc., that make the Library one of the leaders on the information support of science and education.
Building the unified open archive system is an important challenge that RNPLS&T is facing today. The library’s education projects make an important part of its activities; it also plans to go on with its advanced professional training programs. The Library also serves a site for bringing together users and sci-tech professionals and creative community. RNPLS&T has accumulated vast experience in hosting various social activities (meetings, lectures, tournaments of the Chess Culture and Information Center, workshops, schools, fests organized by the Group for Ecology and Sustainable Development Projects; events hosted by Popular Science reading room, etc.)
Library collection development principles have been changing due to intensive introduction of digital resources. The authors examine the processes of library and information development and acquisition of printed and digital resources at of RNPLS&T which adds new possibilities for user information services. The increasing role of digital resources is determined by the appropriate services advancement. The use of licensed full-text digital resources is also discussed. The role of mandatory copy as a powerful, reliable and free source of collection development with domestic printed documents is revealed. The collection is also growing due to the remote access to national digital resources, and among them Russian State Library’s Theses Library holds a particular place. The high rank and importance of the centralized/national subscription are emphasized: RNPLS&T provides access to the leading foreign information resources. The significance of open resources for users information support is demonstrated.
The main task in the collection development strategy is seen as balancing various types of documents and providing the possibly complete information demanded by users.
The history of RNPLS&T E-library and Electronic Archive of heterogeneous information resource since 2006 is discussed. Development of RNPLS&T’s in-house digital resources is also examined. Special attention is given to the E-library development dynamics in 2011–2018. The most popular thematic collections for 2017 are analyzed. The Electronic Archive technological platform for digitized documents processing, hosting, storing and presenting is discussed in detail. The authors argue that with implementing the Electronic Archive the efficiency of digital books generation increased due to universal operator interface, which enables to prepare and host digital documents on several workstations. The technology of incoming documents processing for RNPLS&T’s E-library is based on the IRBIS64 LAS technologies and RNPLS&T’s E-catalog and enables to extract entries generated within a given time period. The technology specific feature is that in every extracted bibliographic record, digitized resource URL is changed to PURL (Persistent URL), which enables to relocate, if necessary, the digitized documents to another depository without changing its bibliographic description.
The relevance of user demanded documents from the RNPLS&T’s E-library is analyzed.
The authors acknowledge that RNPLS&T’s E-library resources in engineering make a significant part of the digital resources of the National Electronic Library.
RNPLS&T’s experience in providing open access and developing open archives is discussed. RNPLS&T’s heterogeneous information resources are evaluated; the structure of the inhouse digital resources in 2018 is described, including digitized books in RNPLS&T’s Electronic Archive, employees’ articles, articles in journals published by the Library, articles in the Library conferences proceedings, all hosted by the E-library, and the RNPLS&T’s information systems. The technologies of access to RNPLS&T’s digital resources are characterized, including in-house and commercial ones: access with Summon federated search system, access using Z39.50 and SRU/SRW protocols and access via the National Electronic Library access to the RNPLS&T’s resources, access to RNPLS&Ts E-library metadata using OAI-PMH protocol, etc. Integrated search external services are described. The technology of remote users access to individual subscriptions and licensed databases is specified. The current state of software solutions for server modules of the RNPLS&T’s open archive based on IRBIS64+ ILS is characterized.
The goal is to provide users with the extended set of instruments for information retrieval and access to demanded full-text publications, including the external ones.
The problems of depositing archival documents, types of digital archives, features of the VAK (Higher Attestation Commission) archival document information system under development are discussed. Design and maintenance activities are examined. Archival materials analysis, selection for digitization principle, and verification processes are presented. Digitization technology is specified; requirements to digital archive files and technological parameters are defined. VAK archival document information system, its structure and retrieval functions are described, along with the technological processing of scanned documents. The procedure of allocation, transfer and depositing files, the project results for 2016–2017, and 2018 vectors are reported.
The author examines the problems of automatic identification and publicizes RNPLS&T’s designing equipment and technologies of bar-coding and radiofrequency identification for libraries. He discusses the possibility for developing library automation systems through implementing radiofrequency identification and developing the concepts of Electronic Product Code and Internet of Things. The author argues that this would significantly increase integration of traditional library collections and digital documents into the modern information environment. He also discusses the possibility for using biometric identification systems which would enable to organize library space more flexibly and at the same time to exercise control of access to the building and reading rooms. The author concludes that new technologies would increase availability of library services for users and facilitate the global system of library and information support of human activities. This would enable libraries integration into the information space at the latest round of technological advancement.
The authors discuss the main vectors of RNPLS&T’s educational activities, in particular the program system of advanced professional education on the premises of the Library’s Learning and Educational Programs Division, specialized seminars and workshops for college lectur ers and students, graduate and post-graduate students of Moscow State Institute of Culture, webinars for librarians, research and educational organizations. The RNPLS&T’s material and technical resources used for these events are described. The results of RNPL&STs divisions (including those within the framework of the State Task Order) independent activities, and those achieved in collaboration with interested organizations and aimed at upgrading the skills of specialists in education, science and culture, are analyzed. The authors also focus on the projects held jointly with the National Library Association “Libraries of the Future”. The plans are to develop online educational programs and to cover pressing themes. Special attention is given to secondary schools and colleges, regional boarding schools, orphanages and organizations for children without parental support.
The results of bibliometric analysis of using digital versions of articles of “Scientific and Technical Libraries” Journal in 2017 are published. Russian Science Citation Index and retrieval results for the queries made via RNPLS&T www-site, elibrary.ru, and click-through from search Internet portals, are compared. Data on the articles cited in Russian Science Citation Index and WoS are given. The major part of accesses is observed within the first months since publication and then their number decreases though individual articles get high level of access for many years. The queries from libraries’ research and educational organizations are analyzed. The author offers recommendations on how to increase demand and citation of the articles. The bibliometric analysis demonstrates that digital versions of the journal publications are demanded by the professional community and other users accessing them via Internet search portals. The Scientific and Technical Libraries’ should expand their abstracts—their content and completeness influence indexing provided by search systems. They also often underestimate citations within the subject they are exploring which results in unnecessarily low citation the Russian Science Citation Index and WoS.
The RNPLS&T’s www-site ecological section (since 2003) is oriented toward library users and partner libraries working for ecological education and ecological awareness building. It provides access to bibliographic annotated database “Ecology: Science and Technology”, e-library in ecology, publishes monthly bibliographies of new acquisitions and videos of thematic webinars. All these resources are used to inform user and partners on publications in ecology and sustainable development and on RNPLS&T activities in ecological education and awareness building. The section popularity and traffic rate enables to conclude on its relevance and effectiveness. The authors offer the results of the bibliometrical analysis of the ecological section materials and analyze statistical metrics such as number of accesses, views, scroll reach, access duration, key phrases of search queries when moving to the RNPLS&T www-site within the period from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2917. Based on the data obtained, the vectors of the site section improvement are defined. The study makes the first stage of bibliometrical studies of RNPLS&T’s www-site ecological section.
The Fourth World Professional Forum “The Book. Culture. Education. Innovations” is reviewed with the main focus on the 25-th International Conference “Libraries and Information Resources in the Modern World of Science, Culture, Education and Business”, the Third General Conference of the National Library Association “Libraries of the Future” and the First Scientific and Educational Symposium “Building and Developing the Modern Digital Environment for Education and Science”. For the first time, RF President Vladimir Putin, sent his welcome address in which he emphasized that the Forum became an important event for the representatives of research and educational organizations, professionals in arts and humanities, the site to discuss acute professional problems, and to make plans for the future.
Several Forum events are reviewed, among them the open press-conference, the National Libraries Day, ROSPATENT Day, Day of Library Innovations, Intellectual and Discussion Duel «To the Barriers!” Within the framework of the Forum, over 130 simultaneous events were held in diverse formats: lectures, discussions, workshops, round tables, and business games. The Forum conclusions are made; the participants say that the Forum has its unique character, traditions and bright future.
The ceremonial and special events held on the occasion of RNPL&T’s 60th anniversary on October 17, 2018, are reviewed. At the festive evening, the RNPLS&T received testimonials and congratulatory addresses from legislative and executive authorities, figures in science and culture, among them directors of national libraries, universities, publishers, museums, bookselling companies; it has received over 60 congratulatory telegrams. Presented are the greetings by Olga Yarilova, First Deptuty Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation; Grigory Trubnikov, First Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education; Timur Bronnitsky, Director of Monitoring, Analysis and Forecast Department of the RF Ministry of Science and Higher Education; Svetlana Zhurova, First Deputy Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the RF State Duma Federal Assembly, Chair of RNPLS&T Supervisory Board; Andrey Guskov, Director of SB RAS State Public Scientific and Technological Library; Mikhail Afanasyev, President of the Russian Library Association; Oleg Belyavsky, Director of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research; Elena Nogina, Director General of the Russian Book Chamber; Asdaa Kutani, Vice President of Springer Nature; Vladimir Grachev, President of V. I. Vernadsky, and others.
Index of materials published in 2018. Subject index.
Index of materials published in 2018. Authors index.
ISSN 2686-8601 (Online)
