In recent decade, the collection development expert system has been introduced into acquisition practice at the RAS Library for Natural Sciences CLS. Its major components are: the «experts’ institute», information base (Russian Book Chamber database, publishers’ information), and evaluation system. The system long-term successful operation is provided by simple and friendly interface, both for experts and acquisition librarians and applied technological solutions. Implementation of the system enables to solve a series of problems of research libraries: prompt informing scholars on the works published in the country, developing library collection that meets users’ information needs to full extent. The statistical data obtained from the expert system enables acquisition librarians to clarify selection criteria for nonperiodic domestic publications, to form the list of publishers, whose products are mostly demanded by scholars, important subjects and documents corresponding them. The statistical data for 2008–2017 (the experts’ roaster, the scope of their research interests; information of participants of domestic market of scholarly literature; data on scholarly publications demanded by scholars, etc.) are presented in the paper and conclusions are made upon them.

The authors examine the libraries role in building information competence of university students and the faculty. The academic libraries’ resources, their educational function of building information competence of the future professionals are discussed. Traditional teaching methods are analyzed, e. g. lectures, demonstrations, training workshops, consultations, printed and interactive instructive and methodological materials. Based on the reported statistical data, the authors conclude on the need to use every teaching method in the future. The libraries’ web-sites are examined as an educational site comprising teaching aids and materials. Interaction with social media is analyzed; the authors argue that the libraries should attract students, the faculty, and other university professionals via the social media. The experience obtained within the grant educational project “Publish right! (The role of the academic libraries in increasing publication activities of the university’s academic staff)” is discussed. Also the experience of the South Ural State University Scientific Library in building information competence related to various information activities of the faculty, students, and professional staff, is examined.

The activities of libraries in blogosphere as a segment of their presence in the media space in respect of realizing a humanistic mission of a library is considered.

The statistical data on the quantity of library blogs in 2010–2017 are presented. It is indicated that the total quantity of library blogs increases, but the quantity of those keeping updated at present reduces. The updated blogs (despite of relatively small amount of subscribers) operate actively enough which is proved by the year-to-year growing quantity of posts and users’ responses.

The activities university libraries in blogosphere (2016–2018) in respect of contents of content and frequency of its updating, amount of user audience, level of interaction with users and their subject preferences are analyzed. The accent is made on the statement that contents of the majority of blogs is oriented towards education and cultural growth. The importance of interaction with user groups is highlighted. The conclusions are made on the necessity of activating libraries’ activities in blogosphere on the basis of searching the cross points of libraries’ and users’ interests, studying users’ requests and accenting the attention on humanistic principles of the society development.

Classification culture – a set of achievements of the country in the field of classification systems (CS): the study of their history and theory, the creation of own systems and the development of foreign experience, publications and options, practice of application. It is told about the achievements of Russia: works on the history of library CS, the directions of theoretical studies. For example, he CS history is well studied – from ancient times to the present day. Interesting CS were developed in the 18–19th century (for the largest and some university libraries). Schedules of the foreign CS – complete translation of the Colon Classification and the Dewey Decimal Classification into Russian was published. Published Russian UDC retranslation in 10 volumes. The country has CS, recognized by the international community as the National System of Russia (firstly published in the years 1961–1968 in the 30 books). Contemporary classification practice is distinguished by the presence of variants of schedules – full, medium and abridged, in book and machine-readable form. The experience of developing classification schedules for children's and school libraries is unique. The conclusion is made: Russia certainly has a high level of classification culture.

The author begins with discussing the key provisions of document digitization. He characterizes the unified requirements of the National Electronic Library. Further, he analyzes the graphic formats for digitized copies (TIFF, JPEG, PNG). The advantages and drawbacks of each of the formats are discussed. Due to the rapid technologies advance and emergence of reader devices, the libraries that purchase now affordable HD-scanners can increase digitization efficiency with heavy graphic formats and to increase the rate of filling the servers’ storage. The modern text recognition technologies and programs enable to initiate collections digitization. Having analyzed the formats, the author expectedly asks the following question: how to use less resources for digitization and further storage without losing the documents cultural and historical value? To solve this problem, the author suggests to modify document classification and use text recognition technologies with further storing in files which would enable to use the text directly (TXT, DOC, PDF). The author concludes that there is the need for a new consistent technology deprived of the existing drawbacks.

The author examines the object model of the selective dissemination of information (SDI) that forms the basis for designing user information awareness system of the RAS Library for natural Sciences. The SDI system users are offered two types of services: the first is to provide awareness on the list of journals defined by the user, and the second is awareness building on thematic enquiries being formed with the keywords that the user supplies. The suggested SDI system differs from the traditional systems of the kind: designers do not limit the list of journals or the list of primary sources to be addressed within thematic search with the list of full-text resources available by the library’s subscription. This object model and the corresponding SDI system prototype have been operating since 2016. Its successful operation enables to suggest the described object model as a standard model for SDI system.

The term “digital reading” is defined. The author proves that digital reading is a natural stage of reading evolution as a civilizing process. Being “the other side” of writing, reading has been reflecting the changes of 5 thousand years of its history. The reading practices have been changing with changing writing practices. Today, as soon as the writing systems has been increasingly digitized and obtained some media features, the reading has been modifying itself, too.

Digital reading has become introduced into the sphere of learning and education. Firstly, it is due to the education sector being intensively digitized, and secondly, because the text (which means reading, too) forms the basis for education.

The author examines both advantages and risks of digital reading, in particular that of the hypertexts. She argues that student’s mastering digital reading requires to be supported by “a competent adult”. That is why the role of the libraries, and in particular, children’s, school, or academic libraries working in the digital environment, has been significantly increasing.

The article gives an overview of open access projects that form the new infrastructure for scientific communication. It provides information on initiatives and programs contributing to the development of open science in Russia and in the world. The paper also describes innovative scientific projects and platforms that significantly accelerate exchange of information and communication between scientists and create new opportunities for their cooperation and for society.

The scientific novelty of the article consists in the distinction between the notions of ‘publication’ and ‘article’ or ‘edition’ in the context of scientific communication and the work of libraries, the description of the challenges that the new media era puts behind the system of scientific communications and libraries, and Russian projects, which aim to solve the described problems.

The system of scientific communication has transformed significantly over the past two decades, alternative channels of information exchange are beginning to play a leading role and become the competitors of the traditional media (scientific journals), which have converted into electronic form, but still remain rooted in the past, supported by the inertia of administration of science.

In Russia the achievements of open science are still much too modest compared to Europe, but the necessary background has already been created by libraries and non-for-profit organizations. Further development of such projects will depend on whether government, libraries and universities could use these instruments and the capabilities of the new media, reorienting to a new paradigm of access to scientific information.