The article presents the International Bibliographic Congress, scheduled for September 2025 in Yakutsk, which will continue the tradition of similar events in recent decades. The first International Bibliographic Congress was held in 2010 in St. Petersburg, the second — in 2015 in Moscow, the third — in 2021 in Novosibirsk. Each time they were cities, and respectively libraries (Russian National Library, Russian State Library, State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), preserving and developing rich bibliographic traditions. It is shown that by holding international bibliographic congresses, the bibliographic community of Russia aims to achieve several goals: 1) to identify the current (at the time of the next congress) state of bibliographic science and practice not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world; 2) to discuss the most pressing problems facing bibliographers; 3) to outline ways of further development of bibliographic activity in the near future and in the distant future.

The authors of the article cite the main statistical indicators of the output of printed domestic periodicals in 2023, especially analyzing in detail the typology of magazines and newspapers, the current state and trends in the development of this sphere in Russia. The role of printed information in general, and in the sphere of periodicals in particular, as the most reliable source of socially significant information in the current conditions of hybrid warfare with the West is emphasized. 14 tables with comments give an idea of the number of magazine and newspaper titles, their circulation, geography and languages of issue, subject matter and purpose. There has been an almost continuous decline in all annual core indicators for both these groups of publications since 2015. The article analyzes the current regulatory framework for Russian state press statistics and the prospects for its modernization in accordance with the legislation about legal deposit, the current state of the publishing industry and the information needs of its main subjects.

The article describes the study of library sites in order to analyze the organization of bibliographic services of universal republican, regional and regional libraries of the Russian Federation. This project is carried out by the Research Department of Bibliography of the Russian State Library in several stages (starting in 2021). The structure of Internet resources, the purpose of the personal pages of the main bibliographic departments, the main directions, forms and methods of presenting work on the pages of sites are considered. The effectiveness of library sites for informing and obtaining the necessary information for various categories of users is shown. It is concluded that the pages of bibliographic services, various sections and headings of websites currently reflect the main range of information and bibliographic activities of the libraries under study.

The authors of the article provide the main typological characteristics of the cartographic editions as a whole and of the printed geographical maps (GM) especially. The statistical figures of these editions output for 2020—2022 are given, as well as the information about the history and current state of their normative and information provision in the post-Soviet Russia. In 2020 it was published 489 editions of GM with print runs 12,866 billion copies, in 2021 — 372 editions and 15,956 billion copies, in 2022 — 401 and 14,244 correspondingly. Among the publishers dominating positions have imprints of “AST-PRESS SCHOOL” and/or only “AST” (both Moscow). A special attention is given to the different classification criteria and identifying features for GM and in particular to the publishing of the main groups of such editions in the contemporary Russia.

In the article analyses the epistolary heritage of the historian, bibliophile, bibliographer, art historian and collector, academician N.P. Likhachev (1862—1936), which is kept in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library. A total of 109 letters and telegrams (dating from 1885 to 1927) have been discovered. These texts contain diverse and reliable information about the main events of the biography, scientific interests and personality of the eminent scholar, including the discussion in connection with the publication of his fundamental monograph on the the hierarchy of 16th century dyaks (1888), his contribution to the study of icon painting, his publishing activities, his cooperation in public organisations, his attitude to the book as a cultural phenomenon, and his bibliophile preferences. Most of the letters are in the fund of the antiquarian book dealer P.P. Shibanov and concern the formation of the historian’s library, the purchase of books, criteria for their selection, prices for antiquarian editions, and the distribution of his own works. Special attention is paid to the fate of N.P. Likhachev after 1917, first of all to the difficulties he faced in his scientific activity and everyday life. The epistolary sources significantly expand and clarify the ideas of modern science about the development of many areas of Russian humanitarian knowledge: bibliology, bibliophilia, archaeography, art history, medieval studies, source studies, etc.

The article is devoted to the manuscript prospectus of the anticipated book “Bibliology” by M.N. Kufaev (1888—1948), which is kept in the personal archive fund of N.Yu. Ulyaninsky (1872—1937) in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library. It was prepared in the summer of 1926 and was intended for the State Publishing House. In the document M.N. Kufaev outlined an expanded understanding of bibliology as a general philosophy and methodology of book studies, which he had formulated earlier in his work Philosophy of the Book. The prospectus gives an idea of M.N. Kufaev’s ideas in the field of book terminology and classification of book disciplines. In particular, the document testifies to the scientist’s desire to use the concept of “book culture”, to develop the theme of “book studies and Marxism”, to pay attention to the economics of book studies.

There are a number of publications dedicated to the legendary publishing house “Academia”, but its history has not been studied enough yet. In particular, it is necessary to dwell in detail on the work of artists who have created authentic masterpieces, currently recognized as examples of the art of the book. With the help of a complex of book-based, art-historical, source-based methods, the article examines editions of classical works of foreign literature, commissioned by “Academia” by the outstanding domestic graphic artist V.M. Konashevich (1888—1963). Although some of them have already been analyzed to one degree or another, a new look at the evolution of his artistic views is proposed. The purpose of the article is to trace how V.M. Konashevichʼs works relate to the general design concept of the publishing house, what role cooperation with “Academia” played in the artistʼs creative biography. The books of the 1930s, previously bypassed, are characterized in the most detail.

A review of the reference edition “Local Libraries’ Local History Activities in the Digital Environment”, which was published in the publishing house “Profession” in 2023, is presented. This edition was a generalization of the experience of research and educational practice of L.G. Taranenko, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, associate professor of Kemerovo State Institute of Culture. The structure and content of the handbook are disclosed, its local history specificity is considered. It is concluded that the publication of the handbook is an important milestone in the development of library local lore.

The article reports on the 17th scientific and practical conference “Rural Russia: Past and Present”, organized by the scientific research and cultural and educational society “Encyclopedia of Russian Villages” and the A.A. Nikonov All-Russian Institute of Agrarian Problems and Informatics (held on October 24, 2023 at the Faculty of Economics of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University). The geography of the participants covers many regions of the Russian Federation (from the Arkhangelsk Region in the north to the Republic of Crimea in the south, from the Pskov Region in the west and to the Primorsky Territory in the east). Traditionally, the scientific forum aims at a comprehensive local history study of the past and present of our Fatherland. The sources of the reports were numerous materials from the collections of libraries, museums, archives, as well as regional periodicals and bibliographic indexes.