The American Library Association (ALA) – the oldest national library association in the world – played the key role in the formation and development of international library and bibliographic cooperation during its first 100 years of existence (1876–1976), and today, it has been still among the leading coordinators of the projects in this area. The author characterizes the main programs being implemented by ALA at the present stage in accordance with the principles of the international policy stated in the ALA Policy Manual. The significant proportion of Научные и технические библиотеки, 2022, № 5  15 the modern ALA’s projects is of global nature. These projects are aimed at involving library specialists in the world librarianship agenda, advocating libraries as an important engine of socio-economic development, monitoring observance of human rights and principles of intellectual freedom in libraries, professional development of librarians and exchange of professional experience on the global scale. The professional publications and information provided through ALA official website (http://www.ala.org/) evidence that that today ALA retains its leading position in strengthening international library and bibliographic cooperation.

The purpose of this article is to identify new trends in the research activities of regional libraries of the Russian Federation. The authors analyze in detail the documents that provide the legislative and regulatory framework for research activities of libraries. The authors emphasize that the well-defined legal status of central scientific libraries and their mandate are to support clear understanding of the concept of their research activities. Currently, the research activities are actualized in diverse formats. Library scientists have not achieved the uniform understanding of the object of these activities. Using the example of the State Universal Scientific Library of the Krasnoyarsk Kray [Territory], the content and main directions of modern scientific library practice are characterized; the number of general research patterns inherent to larger Russian libraries are revealed; and features related to regional specifics are identified. The authors suggest what the main motivations in choosing the thematic focus of library research are. At the present stage, these are: the national project “Culture” and the issues related to COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Based on the analysis of various approaches to understand the research activities of libraries, the authors conclude that there is a need for comprehensive revision of content and formats of scientific activities of central regional libraries.

Dynamics of national and world publication activity demonstrate that the number of publications on reliability of scientific information in various fields of knowledge has increased in recent years. In the Scopus database, almost three quarters of publications related to the reliability of scientific information belong to the field of medicine, engineering and computer science; in the Web of Science the distribution across thematic areas proves to be relatively even, while in the RSCI the largest number of publications is concentrated in the area of economics.

The author provides evidence that multiple references to a publication cannot guarantee its quality, moreover they even do not constitute a conclusive evidenceon the publication existence. The author refers to the situation around the monograph by Carl Martin Wiig that has been repeatedly cited in the RSCI. The monograph was allegedly translated into Russian and published in Russia in 1986. However, after searching for information in various e-catalogs, databases and clarification received from Professor K. Wiig, the existence of this monograph was rebutted. The information on the monograph was published by Russian Wikipedia in 2011, which gave the occasion for referring to the monograph in various articles, textbooks, etc. The author emphasizes that the overtrust in information loaded to Wikipedia gives rise to various myths and inaccuracies.

The approach to assess library performance was approbated; the results are discussed. The proposed instruments enable to calculate several indicators of social, technological, economic and organizational efficiency as well as summary efficiency index. This method enables to define whether the library goals are achieved, to relate the results to invested resources, to evaluate process satisfaction degree. The authors suggest alternative indicators for normal and extreme circumstances (e. g. during COVID-19 pandemic). The assessment is based on the indicators included into 6-NK statistical standard (Public Library Report) as well as the indicators used in plans, reports, analytical reviews to be submitted to founders, central libraries, or regional authorities. The methods require no extra information or special research. Its stage-by-stage description makes them replicable, which is evidenced by approbation results presented by many libraries. The element index enables to measure the indicators, to analyze and compare them, and to make informed managerial, strategic and political decisions. The universal method can be applied irrespective of library type, status, and departmental subordination.

The authors examine the possibility of using computerized workstations of classification developer for acquiring alphabetical subject index (ASI) to the Library-Bibliographical Classification (LBC) schedules. Through the computerized workstations, classification developers maintain the processes of the electronic standard of the Library-Bibliographical Classification schedules, including subject index development. In recent years, the problems of ASI development and its application for computerized information search have been insufficiently covered in the professional publications. The developers of the Library-Bibliographical Classification schedules take the chance to share their experience in this area. They analyze the problems of building summary ASI to the medium version of the schedules. The stages when the automated system failed to build the complex neststructure of the alphabetical subject index and repetitively had to be edited manually, are described. To illustrate the difficulties of building, the simple, complex and nest headings, as well as the fragments of index subject-nest headings are cited.

The author examines the issues of building the computerized system for reviewing and assessing graphic works and its application in distance learning. The need for integrating the system into interoperating digital library systems and online education systems, the role of digital library systems as the information resources for distance learning systems in the circumstances of online education and the need for seamless access to online information learning resources, are substantiated. The phenomenon of public open online courses demonstrates the significant place online learning occupies in the field of education. The need to prepare arts students through distance learning system actualizes the problem of building computerized review systems for graphic works.

Various types and formats of user participation in the key library processes like cataloging, user services, OPACs are analyzed based on science periodicals and foreign professional journals published in 2010–2020. Foreign library websites well-established within accessible digital environment has been developing, t o a g reat e xtent, a s t he p latforms f or u ser a pplications. This stimulates user extensive involvement in the key library functions like cataloging (social bookmarks, adding records and reviews) and services (social media, blogs, messengers, wiki-resources, podcsts and wordcasts). Being supported by social media resources that offer diverse channels of communication with their users, the libraries make it possible for the users to create new content and transform their services within “the unified participation framework” which is consistent with the modern digital civilization. The analysis of current practice of user participation in indexing a nd s upply o f n ew r esources a nd n ew m etadata s ets t o t he l ibraries, demonstrates that these processes have not been well developed; reviews and ratings have often to be controlled and filtered. The libraries cannot offer substitute to the Web 2 .0 a pps t hat a re in t he w ake o f g lobal d igital c ivilization. The status of social services as libraries’ additional optional services can be changed through increasing their effectiveness.

During the Second World War, European countries lost a significant number of cultural values, including book collections. These losses were not the result of the usual costs of conducting military operations, but were the result of the purposeful activities of various Nazi special squads engaged in looting and destroying cultural values. The problems of plundering, destruction, rescue and preservation of cultural values are reflected in the research works by domestic and foreign authors. The author analyzes the publications on the cultural values lost during the World War II. The peculiarities of the studies during the Soviet and post-Soviet period are identified. The gap in the resource base of the Soviet era due to the lack of access to foreign sources is revealed. The debatable aspects of the p roblem a re h ighlighted. A n umber o f p ublications b y f oreign a uthors were analyzed. On this basis, the author concludes that the significant part of domestic research differs from the publications by foreign authors in conceptual approach. He argues that this is owing to diametrically opposite assessments of the WWII outcomes.