The article is presented in English: 

DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2020-8-27-38

The article analyses the key factors affecting the assessment of the quality of higher education by the state, the labor market and the individual based on the methodology of the subjective approach.

It shows the transformation of the requirements for job candidates that were traditional for the previous stages of reproduction of competent labor, the key ones becominginterdisciplinary competencies: creativity, speed of cognitive reactions, team work skills, result orientation, etc.

Expert opinions’ analysis is performed to identify the professions of the nearest future. This analysis is the basis for the study of the potential for training the specialists in the area of library and information activities. It is shown that in a broad sense, the library as the most important socio-cultural institution has no alternatives. It presents examples of job specifics that correspond with the realities of the IV Industrial revolution and are designed to form the information culture of the society and develop socio-cultural communications.

The specifics of personal preferences on the desired quality of education as a factor in achieving life goals are studied. There is a trend on a reduction of the number of people considering the higher education being a “social lift”. This fact strongly affects the subjective perception of the rating of the chosen higher education specializations and the corresponding higher educational institutions.

The author characterizes the society’s dependence on digital technologies and the direct demand for these technologies. The libraries are examined as the system of several functions, and among them — the cultural leisure activities. Modern technologies are seen as a harmonic way for the libraries to enter into the new digital environment. The specificity of research (academic) library resources is emphasized. The author argues that contemporary user demands in these libraries are viewed narrowly which is insufficient. The examples of digital technologies application in educational projects and cultural and leisure activities at research and academic libraries are provided. The author points specifically to three forms of these activities, i. e. teaching foreign languages, virtual reality technologies, and film screening. The specific character of these activities of public and research (including academic) libraries is discussed. The Google’s Expeditions platform is described; the efficiency of this technology in organizing cultural and leisure activities in libraries is proved. Science documentaries are seen as a lost user service offered by research libraries. The author also examines the financial aspect, i. e. high costs of hi-tech devices and equipment and possible funding resources. She concludes that digital technologies have engrained in our life. The trends in research (academic) libraries’ assimilating cultural activities specific to public libraries are described.

The author discusses services for users of various degrees of disability. Inclusion has become in the focus in this country. In theUSSR, the network of special libraries for visually impaired people and other disabled users existed. Library services for deaf users was also provided by the All-Russia Society of the Deaf. However, these special libraries were not oriented to the inclusion of disabled into intensive social life.

The national typhlolibrarianship addressed the inclusion problems after several laws and standards were adopted to provide services to various categories of disabled people at the institutions of culture (UN Convention “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, ratified by theRussian Federationin 2012, etc.).

The culture of inclusion means building the comfortable communication environment for everyone.

The readiness of current and potential users of St. Petersburg Special Central Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired to participate in inclusive programs and projects was examined. The study is to contribute to understanding the prospects for these activities.

Within the framework of the study, the in-camera snap poll (according toVladimir. A. Yadov’s classification) was taken. The findings are supposed to be used to develop a concept of St. Petersburg Inclusive information andCulturalCenter. 

The article considers the results of studying the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) functionality, revealed by specialists of domestic and foreign libraries. The user survey results showed that OPAC of foreign libraries provides a more developed search system than the OPAC of domestic libraries. While a foreign user is able to interact with a catalogue in a natural language, domestic library OPAC operate mostly in a query-response mode.

The problems were revealed which the user encounters during information search, connected with information perception, granting incomplete information on library collections, and absence of stability in work of servers. Often, there is no tooltip system. Users cannot understand the content of classification indices. It is difficult to find information about the library and access to OPAC on university websites, as this information is not always easily accessible.

On the other hand, there is often a low level of user information culture. Most of them do not have the skills to write search queries and use logical operators. Maintaining OPAC in different automated library and information systems (ALIS), involving different options for combining, shortening, clarification of terms in information search, exacerbates these problems. After all, even advanced users may get incomplete search results assuming that library ALIS works similarly to other systems they are familiar with. It negatively affects the OPAC use efficiency.

Ways of solving the revealed problems are suggested. Conducting regular training activities for OPAC users, development and improvement of tooltip system, ensuring integrated search in all library databases, providing information on classification information retrieval languages, conducting retrospective conversion of card catalogues, ensuring completeness and accuracy of provided bibliographic data, conducting systematic research to identify user requirements for the functionality of the electronic part of the reference and search apparatus will facilitate the process of searching and obtaining data about library information resources, improve the quality of OPAC information.

The paper analyzes the importance of power engineering for solving a wide range of practical problems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of the research of scientists and specialists in 2013–2019 in power engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and radio engineering on the basis of RSCI databases (Russian Science Citation Index). The analysis was carried out taking into account a number of scientometric indicators: the publication activity of researchers – the annual number of their publications, as well as the citation of these publications and the demand for the results of their work. Features of dynamics of formation of indicators of publication activity are revealed: its high values are typical for electronics and radio engineering and minimum values (more than three times smaller) – for electrical engineering. For all three industries analyzed the number of publications increased in 2013–2018. It is noted that the citation indicators for the three industries have been continuously decreasing since 2014. At the same time, in the field of electronics and radio engineering in 2013–2017, citation rates are three or more times higher than similar indicators for energy and electrical engineering. The results of research in the field of electronics and radio engineering are the most popular, while the results of research in the energy sector are the least popular. At the same time, the annual demand for research results in electronics and radio engineering exceeds similar indicators for energy by about 1.4 times. The low demand indicators for all areas of research in 2019 are obviously due to the same reason as for small citation indicators this year: the slow “response” of the scientific community to this year's publications.

The authors address the issue of impact of the Internet on academic libraries providing information support of science research and studies. Based on the 20+–year experience of the RAS Library for Natural Sciences, they demonstrate how the Library interacts with the Internet and what impact it has got. The key Library functions are specified for the current period. The authors argue that academic libraries preserve their functions in science information support though modifying them in some way. The libraries are to accomplish the same tasks though on the basis of their extended collection comprising the virtual segment accessible online. The library collections now comprise traditional sources (printed and digital) and new ones (primarily, various databases). Still the libraries train their users (formerly interpreted as readers) to use arrays of science information now comprising digital formats. Besides, the academic libraries have been gaining new functions related to bibliometrical analyses of research and science studies of individual users and organizations being served. For certain degree, this makes the academic libraries a player in scientific communication.

To design information space, to attract users and to develop collections, the libraries have to implement new technologies, and augmented reality (AR) is among them. This technology combines the real and virtual worlds which enables to visualize demanded information and to facilitate access to this information. Several applications are based on AR principles. However, there are still no popular AR solutions to support library processes. In her study, the author examines the AR technology with the view of its implementation and use in libraries.

The study of foreign experience demonstrates AR relevance for the libraries. Both experts and users are interested in implementing AR library solutions.Tours, displays and exhibitions, search navigation and AR-books make the most advisable ideas for AR projects. The positives of AR implementation in libraries are specified, i.e. almost free implementation, high adaptiveness to technologies, and the higher interactive character of libraries. However, AR implementation in libraries is limited due to lacking unified apps and insufficient technological support.

The concept of the information society arose at the beginning of the industrial revolution and is defined as an automated society, which in its daily activities relies on information and communication technologies, on organizing data and turning them into useful information using a set of equipment and computers for the development of both society itself and economics, trade, education, healthcare, etc.

In the information society, not only production will change, but also the whole way of life, the system of values, the importance of cultural leisure in relation to material values will increase. Compared with the industrial society, where everything is aimed at the production and consumption of goods, in the information society, intelligence and knowledge are produced and consumed, which leads to an increase in the share of mental labor. A person will need the ability to be creative; the demand for knowledge will increase.

The directions and features of the formation of information and communication technologies inSyriaare considered. The six most important projects of the Syrian ministries on the development of the information society, as well as signs of the reality of this activity are shown.

Government ministries inSyriaplay different and complementary roles that contribute to the development of the information society.

The Syrian government has recently begun a movement towards creating an information society that can keep abreast of developments in the current era, and the Syrian government is making serious efforts to develop special policies for each ministry to move towards an information society.

The scope of personality and expertise of Konstantin Ivanovich Abramov, outstanding Russian library scientist, promoter of higher library and information education, Doctor of Science in pedagogy, professor, RSFSR Honored Worker of Science, library science chair head (1960—1998) is emphasized, Konstantin I. Abramov’s contribution to the library science and practice, training library professionals at Moscow State Institute of Culture is characterized. Abramov supported the concept of combining sustainable general library disciplines with new dynamic modules in higher library education which contributes to competitiveness and career building capabilities of the graduates. In his lectures and publications, Abramov substantiated the priority of studying libraries as a social institutions. Abramov also contributed to promising library theoretical studies and applied research, and influenced professional career of his colleagues and school of thought. Being Abramov’s disciple, the author emphasizes Abramov’s impact on his own professional career and studies.