The article is devoted to the history of the library of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray in the pre-revolutionary period. The library was opened almost simultaneously with the Society in 1884 and became the first scientific library of the Russian Far Eastern region. The core of the library collection was acquired mainly through donations and book-exchange, and the unique library collection of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray was established. Through the book-exchange, the library was receiving periodicals and continuing editions, both domestic and foreign. The publishing practice of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray contributed to the expansion of its reciprocal book-exchange contacts with other scientific institutions, which entailed in increase of acquisitions and steady growth of the collection.

Despite its unpublic nature, the Library of the Society for the Study of Amursky Kray has made a serious contribution to the development of the book culture of the Russian Far Eastern region and become a cultural oasis, center for cultural legacy and advocate for scientific knowledge.

Among the other IFLA sections and thematic groups, IFLA Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB) is in the thick of sustainability problems and, in particular, of ecological component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). ENSULIB encourages the libraries to inspire their communities for the ecologically sustainable course of action through providing materials on “green” librarianship, giving the floor to “green” librarians and library projects, by taking the lead and propounding the discussion.

On IFLA ENSULIB web page, one can find materials and projects for the libraries working in ecological education and advocating sustainability ideas, and among these initiatives are IFLA Green Library Award, news bulletin, open access thematic information resource, Library Map of the World Project, and regular webinars. The ENSULIB provides support to zero-waste and decrease-ofconsumption projects. The authors discuss the materials that might be useful for Russian libraries.

Scientific libraries as an essential part of science, education, sociocultural and industrial complex of a region (big academic or industrial city) are engaged in developing information and communication environment. Therefore, systematic developing of library and information space is vital. Within the framework of the project “Regional scientific libraries in the changing science and education environment” (Fundamental Studies Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2022–2026), the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch has been designing the model to adapt regional libraries to modern communications and new methods of scientific publications dissemination within the context of social transformations and changing paradigm of library acquisition of scientific literature and information resources, the services provided to specialists in science and education and meeting their information needs, modified user preferences, behavior and reading styles, and the concept of libraries interaction in building and using their document resources. The authors focus on the science and education space and library and information infrastructure of Novosibirsk (big science and education center) and Western Siberia (Tomsk, Kemerovo Regions and Altay Kray) and, for comparison purposes, that of Chelyabinsk, the large industrial center in the Urals.

The authors characterize in brief Chelyabinsk industrial, science and academic specialization and its library system (based on the monitoring findings), as well as the primary results of the study of library users information needs (survey based); they also examine the compliance of document resources of Chelyabinsk Regional Universal Scientific Library to the user information needs to update the conceptual model of library and information services offered to students and specialists.

The authors discuss the preservation of dissertations by national scientists in the libraries of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) research institutions. A share of theses defended in the Russian Empire before 1918 makes the part of the general collection. Since 1934, the scholarly manuscripts havebeen spinned off into a separate collection, since 1950, along with theses abstracts. The dissertations were transferred to the organizations where they were defended, therefore the collection comprises the works accomplished in different institutions. This could be the only location for the manuscripts of 1930–40s, as the Dissertation Collection of the Russian State Library was established after 1944. The authors argue that apart from their information value, the dissertations make the valuable source on the history of national science and society, demonstrate communications between academic organizations and continuity of scholar schools, and are of great memorial value. The mission of libraries is to preserve the scholar legacy of this country and to support accessibility of information on dissertations through e-catalogs and digitizing full texts of the Soviet-era theses.

The problems of building up the single information space and industryspecific digital knowledge space are examined. The normative acts regulating and defining the creation of the unified information space of Russia, including the Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Russian Federation for 2017–2030 and the RF Presidential Decree “On the approval of the Foundations of State Policy in the strategic planning in the Russian Federation”, are discussed. The purpose of the study was to analyze the current state of the process of shaping the unified information knowledge space (UIKS) of the agroindustrial complex. To form the unified information space of the industry, it is necessary to develop and adopt regulatory documents at the industry level, unified methodological approaches, software and linguistic tools, data presentation format; to design the scheme of interaction between system participants. There are 216 research institutions (RI) operating in the agricultural industry, i. e. 181 research institutes (SRI), 35 experimental stations and 57 higher educational institutions (HEI). In 2012 by the decision of the Russian Agricultural Academy, the centralized electronic library system was created, the cornerstone of which is the Union Catalog. The joint software, linguistic tools, data presentation format, and methodological foundations also exist. However, the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences has changed the situation, some research institutes have ceased implementing the decisions of the Russian Agricultural Academy. The formation of the UIKS of the Agro-Industrial Complex requires the relevant regulations approved by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the willingness of the research institutions’ executives.

Digital transformation of document arrays has changed the nature of information infrastructure, as the digital documents are created, distributed, discovered and delivered in principally other way than in the epoch of printed matters as the main information media. The transition to digital information infrastructure has resulted in the loss of role of libraries as an essential intermediate on the document author-to-reader way, reasonably displacing libraries to the periphery of information activities and depreciating the majority of methods and technologies of document array organization developed through the centuries. The author substantiates the rationale for degrading information component of library mission and the necessity to transit to prevalent analytical services. The decreasing role of libraries is determined by the following factors: reduction of overall printed publications; their lower contextual value; capabilities to store, distribute, process digital information array formally and semantically, information deliver to users without the input of librarian. Therefore, not all the manual processing operations have become demanded any more. The print arrays grow scanty quantitively and contextually, and the increasing and dynamical digital flows are processed by ever-improving software. The author sees the solution in expanding analytical function of libraries which envisages inclusion of professional competences related to complex analytical processes, i. e. fact search and verification; acquisition and processing of statistical and experimental research data, preparation of analytical surveys, reviews and reports.

Technological evolution of the civilization have been increasingly define the integrated global landscape and contribute to political, economic, social and ecological changes. Innovative high-speed communication systems and wide access to information consolidate the states, economies and businesses in the more sophisticated way one can envision. This global interdependence bears the risks of increasing social and economic inequity; in particular, due to instability and social unsustainability of the weaker economies. The authors discuss the problems of the library profession digitalization affecting the transformation of library education as the condition for preserving and developing human resources in librarianship. They insist that training librarians should comply with the requirements to modern libraries. They specify the key professional competences for library specialists of a new breed, and suggest prospective vectors of training at library departments.