The Changing Academic Library: Operations, Culture, Environments

Access to scientific literature for research and teaching is a problem that researchers constantly face. In the globalization of the academy, as well as political developments in the world, the conditions for the receipt of new books in library collections and bookstores are changing. Many publications exist only in electronic format, which also affects the possibility of their inclusion in library catalogs and databases. In view of the information flow, they are often simply not aware of the publication of new publications, especially those prepared in small regional universities. Obviously, the most acute question is what publications scientific libraries have the opportunity to acquire in these conditions. This book plans to present a series of materials on the state of scientific libraries.

The current state and prospects for the development of academic libraries is a problem. Undoubtedly, over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in the logistical support of libraries, the information approach to library activities, and the professional level of staff. These changes occur on the general background of all accelerating technological progress and colossal transformations in the information space. At the same time, in the academic environment, all of the above is significantly behind the world trends and standards.

One of the most important parts of a library is its doctrine because the library is a central institution, the totality of which constitutes a more complex system called librarianship. This book provides insights into not only an understanding of the library as a key production unit of library service system, but also library science, the developed system, and forms of libraries of different types. The question of what a library is, when, how and why it occurred, what are the ways of the past, its contemporary social functions, structure, mechanism of action, and its main types, are fundamental to a proper understanding of a library. In order to just answer it, one can make a full and clear understanding of the mission of libraries in modern society, the main round of the librarian profession and how to implement them . The historical aspect of this issue is considered an important professional discipline of history of library work in the world.

Currently, there is no targeted recruitment. This is partly due to the funding of libraries. Often, the collection of library funds occurs at the expense of gifts, as a result of one-time, unsystematic exchanges, which leads to a chaotic replenishment of the fund. There are problems with subscriptions to professional periodicals because of their high cost and delivery problems. Most libraries have both basic and exchange funds in their composition. The latter is in active movement, as one of the main sources of literature for the past two decades are book exchange and gifts. Primarily these are unsystematic and uncontrolled processes, the only stable receipt among them is the international non-exchange book exchange, through which the NBUB academic libraries receive foreign profile literature.

There are different standards for bibliographic description. This complicates the library interaction between various countries. In the developed countries of the world at one time, the bibliographic description standard, developed, and was adopted; the IRBIS software was built on the same standards. The lack of domestic standards, and work on software that supports foreign standards, will entail a huge resource problem. This lack of a common vision and coordination within the Academy and has resulted in the existence of different programs or their complete absence. There is no universal system of corporate cataloging.

The problem of funding a scientific library is always relevant . Usually this state ranges from bad to very bad and is an integral component of almost any library problem. On the other hand, inadequate funding is often simply written off unwillingness to move and do something. The premises reserved for library collections are often crowded and do not always correspond to the conditions necessary for storing the fund. The problem of safety of funds has several aspects: physical safety, observance of necessary temperature regimes, as well as a lack of areas for the placement of funds. Often the problem can be solved only by changing the room or location to another, which is a large project. Often, libraries are not priority units in the distribution of computer equipment or peripheral equipment within institutions. It takes a lot of serious effort to justify the need to supply both the technology and the purchase and payment of techni¬cal support for the library.

In the rapidly changing information space, the task of lifelong learning is topical. At the same time, there are few Free State educational programs, and the number and variety of paid ones is limited. The range of offers is small, considering both the specifics and low demand, since paid programs are almost inaccessible due to lack of financial support for potential participants. More often, professional development is limited to several one-day seminars a year, organized by the Library Association. Even in a more difficult situation there are the employees working outside the capital without access to these seminars, for webinars are still not widely distributed, and business trips are associated with additional costs and other problems.

There is no information network within the academic environment. Most likely, non-established horizontal communication links are an interlibrary problem, which, if desired and with the availability of today’s opportunities, is simple enough to solve. Perhaps it is not yet fully understood?

All these problems exist, of course, in a complex and interrelated way. It is possible to count on positive changes in the situation with academic libraries with the active participation of three sides of the process - librarians, administrations and scientists. In our opinion, these fluctuations within the general trend depend primarily on the personal component, both on the staff of the library itself and on the institution’s administration and on the researchers themselves. However, cardinal changes, successful solutions to tasks that go beyond one in¬stitution, such as: changing the structure of funding, creating the conditions for attracting new young cadres, implementing joint scientific and technical projects aimed at building a corporate network within system, a consolidated electronic catalog of the academic network, creating proprietary electronic resources and digital libraries, provision of unified software search superstructures, etc., are in the sphere of opportunities for more global and institutional unity. And here, in turn, the direction of the state’s cultural strategy, the reform of the academy of sciences system is important. As a result, a change of priorities and focus not only on satisfying the needs of science and maximizing the effective use of its potential, but also on the disclosure of its potential (especially in the humani¬ties) to create an accessible scientific and popular resource, is needed.