The Russian Book Market in 2006

The authors examine trends in Russian book publishing in 2006, including statistics and subjects covered. Russia has been the guest of honor at several recent international book fairs, a testament to the vibrancy of its publishing culture. Major prizes and anniversaries related to books, journalism, and scholarship are discussed. The article concludes with a consideration of past, present, and future price increases for books and serials—wholesale prices in Russia and Russian Press Service's prices for its library customers.     

Library Services to Multicultural Communities: Russian Best Practice

Russia is a very diverse country with many ethnic groups, religions, and languages, including not only indigenous groups but also migrants and refugees. The author, chair of the Russian Library Association's roundtable Library Services to Multicultural Populations, writes about how Russian libraries are working to serve these populations, following guidelines issued by IFLA and UNESCO. She particularly singles out the Sverdlovskaia oblastnaia mezhnatsional'naia biblioteka [Sverdlovsk Oblast Inter-Nation Library] in Ekaterinburg, capital of the Ural Federal District. It seeks to preserve and develop the cultures of the Urals peoples and has become a cultural, educational, and methodological center for multicultural issues for other Ural libraries.     

Jubilee Conference in Honor of the Eighty-Fifth Anniversary of the Russian Book Chamber

ABSTRACT

The jubilee conference in honor of the 85th anniversary of the Russian Book Chamber (RBC) consisted of three parts: the 10th International Conference on Issues of Bibliology, a conference of the Association of Book Chambers, and a ceremonial session. The bibliology conference, the most important part, included discussion of such pressing problems as the decline of reading and book-buying in Russia, the difficulty of distributing books outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the problems caused by lack of modern equipment in printing establishments. But progress has also been made, e.g., the RBC's establishment of a single information platform for all participants in the book trade.     

俄文图书编目中的疑难问题及其解决方案

在分析俄文图书编目现状的基础上。针对俄文图书编目工作中遇到的著录标准和格式、俄文的输入和编辑以及俄文图书书目数据的获取和利用等问题,进行了深入的探讨并提出切实可行的解决方案。     

Russian Digital Collections in North America: A Survey

This article discusses an inventory of Russian digital collections that was gathered from publically available material on the Web in 2011. It touches on the opportunities and difficulties that come with the increase of digital material on the Web and how librarians can attempt to bring smaller collections to the attention of scholars and researchers.     

Russian Publishing, 2000-2001

Abstract

The Russian government is exerting increasing control over the country's media, although the media are resisting. This government-media conflict is relevant to Western academics and libraries, because the variety and quality of Russian periodicals is at stake. In addition, if the media are constrained, publishers of books are likely to experience restrictions, too. The difficulties the government is having in controlling the media, however, are a measure of how much Russia has changed. At the same time this conflict is occurring, book publishing is thriving. Official statistics show the number of titles published surpassed even the previous record set in 1977. Planning is in progress to restructure the state book industry sector, including publishing, printing and distribution. Book prices have increased more rapidly than inflation, and postage costs have also increased. Russian Press Service is doing its best to keep its prices to Western libraries down.     

Report on the Ninth Annual Conference of the Russian Library Association in Novosibirsk

ABSTRACT

The paper summarizes the ninth annual conference of the Russian Library Association in May 2004. Included are the exhibits, several plenary addresses, the work of the Bibliography Section, and election results.     

Moscow Publishing and Book Trade: Current State and Problems

ABSTRACT

The author, head of the National Bibliography Department at the Russian Book Chamber, discusses publishing and the book trade in Moscow and Russia in general. He breaks the output for 2004 down by subject and provides statistics for number of titles, print run, wholesale price, and retail price.     

Book Clubs: Not Just for Public Libraries

While recreational reading is often seen as the purview of public libraries, academic libraries can also reap the benefits of hosting book clubs. This article discusses the steps the St. Catherine University library took to create a book club on campus. The article includes an overview of the St. Catherine University's book club, the benefits of hosting a book club, and suggestions for starting a book club in an academic library.     

Research and Development Work at the Russian Book Chamber: Results and Prospects

ABSTRACT

The Russian Book Chamber (RBC, Rossiiskaia knizhnaia palata) is Russia's national bibliographic center. In addition to compiling the many series of the national bibliography, it also publishes two scholarly journals and prepares periodic reports about book publishing and distribution in Russia as a whole and in her separate regions. The RBC has been undergoing many changes, including modernizing its telecommunication infrastructure, updating its capability to provide information in electronic format, setting standards, working with other agencies to prevent piracy, redistributing responsibilities between itself and the regional book chambers, creating bibliographical formats compatible with those of other countries, etc.     

Typology of Electronic Libraries

After talking briefly about the history of digital libraries in Russia, the author compares them to traditional libraries. She then proposes the foll owing typology based on their purpose: national, scholarly, public, educational, specialized, and international. Each type is illustrated by Russian examples.     

The Acquisition of Russian Publications Through Independent Book Agents

Abstract

Librarians frequently have the opportunity to purchase Russian publications from nontraditional retail outlets, such as authors, book agents, or other independent sources, rather than book vendors. These transactions take place for a number of reasons, but generally they are done to acquire specialized materials that are not readily available through established outlets. In addition, the domestic price of Russian books is substantially lower than the prices charged by foreign vendors and as a result independent Russian purchasing agents can offer books at very competitive prices. Unfortunately, because these transactions do not follow established library procedures, they are often very labor-intensive and difficult to complete.     

民营馆配商的演进及对图书馆藏书建设的影响

　　民营馆配商经历形成、快速发展和平稳发展三个阶段,在促进图书馆采编业务重构进程、加快新书上架速度、拓展图书采选渠道、创新馆配供书模式等方面产生积极作用,也存在馆配服务缺失、抗风险能力弱等问题。图书馆应研究民营馆配商的演进及其运行规律,慎重选择合作伙伴,加强对合作馆配商的监督管理,把潜在的风险降到最低程度。     

Pashkov Dom,Publishing House of the Russian State Library,Seeks Partners and Recommendations for Translation Series

ABSTRACT

Pashkov dom, publishing house of the Russian State Library (formerly the Lenin Library) is seeking partners and recommendations of significant foreign works for its translation series “Biblioteka budushchego: zarubezhnyi opyt” (The Library of the Future: Foreign Experience). Contact information is provided.     

对图书馆配商能力评价的探讨

首先介绍图书馆配市场的起源，提出馆配商的概念并构建其服务模型；其次分析国内主要馆配商的特点，着重就馆配商的管理水平和能力评价进行探讨；最后指出科学评价馆配商的各方面能力可以为图书招标工作提供统一科学的评分标准，同时提升馆配商的服务质量，促进馆配行业的健康发展。     

Russian Online Bookshops

ABSTRACT

The article discusses Russian online bookshops and notes that they are one manifestation of the literature-centered quality of Russian-language Internet.     

现代图书馆的藏书剔除工作

阐述了藏书剔除的重要性，以及做好滞书鉴别、清理和优化馆藏的工作思路。     

The Cultural Legacy and Libraries in Russian Legal Space

ABSTRACT

The author discusses federal laws that relate to Russian libraries and demonstrates the need for legislation to protect the physical condition of collections, particularly special collections (rare material, deposit collections, etc.). A working group from the Historical Library has drafted a proposed law, called Regulation for the Use of Special Collections Materials in Libraries of the Russian Federation.     

Sociological Research and the Kremlin Museum Library

Until very recently, Russian libraries attached to museums have not envisioned the general public as potential users, but rather have focused on the information needs of museum staff and special researchers. In this article, the author analyzes some of the results of a research project that examined information expectations and needs of actual and potential visitors to the Moscow Kremlin Museums, the visitors' sources for obtaining museum information, their perceived gaps in such information, and the implications of these issues for the services, operations, and “image” of the museums' library. The project was facilitated by a public-opinion organization.     

图采会现实困境及其发展的思考

梳理图采会的发展历史,认为图采会是为馆配主体各方提供销售、交易与合作平台的创新之举,在解决图书馆大批量采购难题,缓解馆社供需信息不对称矛盾等方面起到积极作用,但图采会面临形式单一、内容雷同,现采功能被异化,采购成本居高不下等现实困境。应切实研究并不断适应图书馆藏书建设需求,让图采会模式推陈出新,不断丰富图采会的内容,形成一套与图书馆专业需求相契合的业务理念和行之有效的业务模式,促进图采会的健康可持续发展。