The Twenty Sixth International Conference “Information technologies, computer systems and publications for libraries” (“LIBCOM–2022”) held on November 20-25, 2022, is reviewed. The key topics are covered, namely, the status of and prospects for modern information, computer and Internet-technologies in library services, in universities and research organizations, educational technologies, legal aspects in the work of libraries and information producers, e-libraries and digital information resources, etc. The authors focus on several events, i. e. the Seventh Industrial Conference “Book publishing and the libraries: Vectors of interaction”, scientific and practical conference of the National Library Association: Libraries of the Future: (NALF), the scientific conference “Scientometrics and bibliometrics in the modern educational environment: The role of libraries”, scientific and educational symposium “University and academic libraries to support educational process in the modern digital environment”, central discussion site “On the way to the new national system of sci-tech information”, presentation of the two-volume publication “Twenty annual reports to the Crimea International Forum” and the publication “Y. L. Shrayberg. The biobibliography”, expert panel “How to bring up inventors and researcher? The role of modern library. New approaches and technologies”, and the 2022 fall session of the permanent IRBIS School “Using and upgrading LIS IRBIS”. The conclusions on the Conference work are made.

The author discusses the findings of the bibliometric study of the national document flow (as presented in the RISC database) on the issues of open access to scientific and research information. The general volume of microflow made 1,076 publications of various types, including articles in periodicals and serials, as well as books, conference proceedings, reports, theses, and deposited manuscripts. The journal articles made the main bulk (74%) followed by the proceedings (20%). The dynamics demonstrates the upward trend though the growth rate is rather low.

The publication dispersion in periodicals is characterized. In general, it can be described by Bradford – Vickery law. The most productive (core) journals with the greatest number of relevant publications are defined. All of them are not specialized publications. The subject areas are defined. The analysis of the first and second zone journals demonstrates that they belong to 19 subject headings of the State Rubricator of Sci-tech Information which evidences on the interdisciplinary character of the problem under study.

The authors investigate into inconsistency between the purpose of the library as a social institution and stereotypical perception of libraries by involved and uninvolved audiences. The libraries modernizing and transforming themselves into digital ecosystems along with accomplishing their traditional mission of information archive, are becoming the centers of cultural life, interactive spaces offering users wide variety of information services and resources, and multimedia areas for co-working, communication, and learning. At the same time, the fixed stereotypical perception of the library as a book depository becomes a barrier to the expansion of the user audience. The purpose of the study is to diagnose the demands of actual and potential users of libraries and to assess the change in purpose and role of libraries as a social institution under conditions of expanding access to information services. The methodology of the study was determined by the works documenting the relevance of the search for fundamentally new approaches in the interaction of the libraries with their target audiences in the context of media communications to increase the attractiveness of libraries. Sociological methods were used to identify stereotypical ideas about libraries: the survey of two groups of respondents, i. e. engaged and unengaged users (adults and students). Methods of statistical analysis of empirical information were used for data analysis. The main findings are: the study captures the needs in positioning library services within the wider communicative space. The access is needed to special market segments with building multi-subject user chains and new ways of informing young actual and potential users about the array of services. The relatively 

inefficient building of awareness of new services may indicate the prevalence of traditional positioning in the nearest target market and, so far, rather low penetration into other segments. The novelty of the study is expanding knowledge of the library potential target audience, which would make the foundation for developing communication tools and attracting primarily the young audience. The flexibility of communication methods, formats, and channels is essential for interaction with the young users.

Before defining the essence and features of the electronic library collection, it is necessary to remove the issues related to the concept of an electronic document and a document as a more general concept and collection-building element. The regulatory documents – the Law on Information, Informatization and Information Protection, the Law on Librarianship, the Law on mandatory copies of documents, as well as state standards for information, library, bibliographic activities – make the significant foundation for the theory and practice. Based on their analysis, the author suggests to consider information or an object that corresponds to the profile of a library to be a potential document of this library collection. The document that belongs to the library collection is a real document. Within this definition, the focus is transferred to the specific nature of individual library, correspondingly, each library would give its own definition of the document. Thus, the concept of “electronic document of the library collection” has to be built on the basis of the document concept. The former defines the wider concept of “electronic library collection” interpreted as “the ordered collection of electronic documents”. This concept series is sufficient for the electronic library collection science, therefore all other innovations – “information object”, “information unit”, “electronic library object”, “information resource” are to be questioned or rejected. Information as a reality is disembodied, it cannot be detected in its pure form, hence many terms formed from it (information retrieval system, information transmission, information processing, storage of information, etc.) are inappropriate and should be replaced by that based on the root of the word “document”.

The authors examine the possibility of computerized abstracting of publications based on generative abstracting models. They review the approaches toward automatic control including that of neural networks, characterize popular software environments, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages for computerized abstracting. The problems under discussion are relevant as the technology of computerized abstracting increases the accessibility of publications, in particular, those out of the open access while decreases bibliographic processing costs. The authors insist that augmented bibliographic record supplied with annotation or abstract is very important for providing information on new environmental technologies. At the same time, the appropriate abstract consumes intellectual efforts and time of competent professionals. The database “Ecology: Science and Technologies” was chosen as the study object; the database comprises publications on implementation of new environmental-friendly and resource-saving technologies. The authors conclude that computerized abstracting as opposed to similar manual process requires no specialists highly qualified in the discipline of the document being processed while the quality of the abstracts is rather high even when the standard datasets are used.

Within the framework of developing fundamental scientific discipline “e-librarianship”, the RNPLS&T designs its electronic terminological dictionaries. The authors describe the System of Electronic Dictionaries being developed by the Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology. For today, the System comprises subject terminological dictionaries and dictionaries of abbreviations, i. e. “Electronic terminological dictionary on SIBID”, “Union terminological dictionary in e-librarianship”, “Information technologies in education:

The electronic terminological dictionary”, and “Electronic dictionary of standardized abbreviations in the Russian and 25 foreign European languages for bibliographic records”. The goal is to organize and systematize the terminology in the library and information sciences and related disciplines, which is especially important in the period of intensive development of e-librarianship as a fundamental scientific discipline. The practical significance of these electronic dictionaries is evidenced by the statistics of page traffic at RNPLS&T website where the dictionaries are accessible for free loading and further use. The characteristics and design principles of the subject terminological dictionaries are analyzed; the software designed at RNPLS&T for building them is described. The focus is made on methodological guidelines on how to manage the databases of subject terminological dictionaries.

The paper demonstrates the features of author and organizational publication profiles in Dimensions and Lens information systems. In recent years, these systems have been successfully competing with many subscription-based systems. The authors discuss the advantages of these databases in terms of coverage of research content in publication profiles as compared to that of commercial bibliographic platforms, as well as the wide range of functional capabilities. As illustrated by publication profiles of two research organizations and their authors, we describe original approaches to searching bibliographic information, as well as editing bibliographic errors in databases. These features enable (a) to monitor effectively the scholarly output of research organizations and authors, and (b) to enhance visibility of research findings in the international information space. Solving information-retrieval problems and editing publication profiles of Russian organizations and authors in Dimensions and Lens prove to be similar to that of commercial systems, i. e. Web of Science and Scopus. The vast experience of working with proprietary databases and subscription-based systems, would enable Russian academic libraries to adapt to new interfaces in a short time frame.

The political, economic and cultural aspects of the Soviet era heritage, best pieces of culture, literature, applied and fine arts make the universal human values that bring people together and unite them. We have to study and appreciate the work, role and merits of individuals who play an important role in building and developing cultural environment.

Aliajhdar Seyidzade was a progressive intellectual who devoted his life to culture, book and reading popularization, libraries, and extending literary ties in the hard periods during the Soviet era.

The authors investigate into Seiydzade’s versatile cultural activities. He lived an interesting life, and being government official himself, did not abandon the national concept and values within the Soviet ideological system. His works, his thoughts and efforts reflect the breadth of his knowledge and widest view of the world. His attitude: “Not in all cases propaganda is an ideology, propaganda must be progressive...” is especially noteworthy.

The foundation, development and activities of the Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology (RNPLS&T) are examined in the historical aspect. The precedent events, the origins of the library and development from the initial library collections in science and technology in the early 20-th century are described. The RNPLS&T (the USSR State Public Library for Science and Technology, SPLS&T USSR, at the time of its establishment) has inherited the legacy and, partially, the collections of the State Science Library. The authors focus on the evolution of the SPLS&T USSR as the head sci-tech library of the nation providing information support of new developing industrial technologies as well as prospective scientific disciplines. The authors offer information on current RNPLS&T activities, their vectors and performances; characterize the library collections, e-catalogs, digital archives and RNPLS&T’s e-library, as well as library and information services, educational activities and its large-scale international scientific and educational events. The publication is prepared on the occasion of the RNPL&T’s 65-th anniversary