The article is devoted to the issues of creating regulatory and methodological documents unifying the processes of bibliographic activity. The article reflects trole of the Russian State Library (RSL) in the creation and development of a block of documents regulating and unifying the bibliographic work of central libraries of the Russian Federation subjects. The monitoring of official websites of Russian central libraries was carried out within the framework of the research conducted by the RSL in 2024.The analysis of the forms of providing information on normative and methodological documentation containing various aspects of bibliographic work was carried out. At present the central libraries are preparing a large number of normative documents and methodological recommendations for the libraries of the region on a wide range of issues of bibliographic activity. It is concluded that the electronic environment has significantly expanded the potential of normative and methodological information.

On 30th December 2024, the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin approved the “List of Instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Following a Meeting of the Presidential Council for State Policy on Promoting the Russian Language and Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation on November 5, 2024”, which includes the instruction to “ensure the establishment of cultural and educational centers on the basis of public libraries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in order to promote and popularize the Russian language”. The authors of the article stress that cultural and educational work is inherent in the activities of a modern public library, and the creation of such centers on the basis of libraries seems to be natural and appropriate. Libraries complete their collections with the best works of Russian literature and works of the peoples of the Russian Federation in the Russian language, prepare and organize the use of bibliographic resources, arrange work with readers on the formation of reading culture, including pedagogical and educational work. The traditional direction of libraries’ activity on formation of reading culture, actualized on the content and applied methods, including pedagogical character, can be a serious basis for popularization and promotion of Russian language by libraries. Creation of modern, scientifically grounded methods of work with readers in the field of formation of reading culture is one of the most important social tasks, which are solved by libraries.

The article presents the results of the study of the current state of library practice in the field of recommendatory bibliography. The study was conducted at the Research Department of Bibliography of the Russian State Library in 2024. The material for the analysis was the publications of Russian specialists in the field of recommendatory bibliography, which reflect the experience of creating and using forms of presentation of recommendatory bibliographic resources, as well as the recommendatory and bibliographic activities of libraries in the network space. The diversity of presentation forms of popular recommendatory resources, transformation of their traditional variants, innovative methods related to the use of multimedia and Internet technologies are noted. The expansion of the scope of recommendatory bibliographic resources is shown: the platforms for their placement are both the library websites and library accounts in various social networks. It indicates a change in the role of the reader as a user of bibliographic products. It is concluded that the creation of various forms of popular bibliographic resources and their placement on various platforms in the library’s network space provide great opportunities for popularization of books and reading.

Due to the lack of comprehensive research, this article presents an analysis of children’s departments in libraries in Siberia and the Far East in the pre-revolutionary period. The number of names and volumes of books in children’s departments in libraries in the region at the end of 19th — the beginning of the 20th century and the place of children’s departments among others of these indicators is for the first time counted and submitted in absolute and relative measures. In the children’s departments of some libraries, literature was divided by the age of child readers, by its content and genres of fiction. Authors and publishing houses which books completed children’s departments are revealed. It is shown that among them there was not only art, but also popular scientific literature on various fields of knowledge.

The article examines Soviet-Chinese contacts in the field of book culture (primarily in the publishing sector) during the World War II (1939—1945). Despite the wartime conditions, both China and the Soviet Union continued to publish books that were relevant to many Soviet and Chinese readers. Based on the bibliographic data of that period, the quantitative indicators of publishing activity and its subjects, including in the field of translated literature, are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the situation with the publication of fiction (primarily translated) in the cultural interaction between the two countries. The study reveals the peculiarities of interaction between the countries during the war period, identifies the factors influencing the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of book publishing, and traces the main trends in the transformation of Russian-Chinese book contacts from the war period to the current stage of development.

The article is devoted to the Belarusian printed periodicals of the frontline and underground publications during the Great Patriotic War (1941—1945). The article considers the restructuring of the Belarusian Soviet press in connection with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The frontline Belarusian periodicals are analyzed. The creation of underground and partisan printing houses operating during the war in the temporarily occupied territory of Belarus is described. It is shown that the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus (CC CP(B)B) and the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (CHPM) organized a wide network of underground newspapers behind enemy lines. It is concluded that the underground press became a formidable weapon in the hands of the partisans and underground fighters in their fight against the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War.

Ten letters from N.P. Likhachev from 1885–1887 are published, addressed to famous second-hand booksellers P.L. Baikov and P.P. Shibanov, as well as to the historian and collector Baron M.L. Bode-Kolychev. They are stored in the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library, and the State Archives of the Russian Federation and concern the formation of the scholar’s library, demonstrating his bibliophilic passions, personal connections, and communication style. Although in the mid-1880s N.P. Likhachev was just beginning his career in science, as evidenced by the reproduced sources, he already had well-established ideas about priorities in collecting books, was well versed in rare editions and persistently sought to reduce prices when buying, which he would be faithful to for the rest of his life. He acquired any publications of the 18th — first half of the 19th century, including periodicals, preferably in covers or leather bindings, but first of all he was attracted by publications of sources and works about them. The published letters can be used to study the history of bibliophilia, the antiquarian and second-hand book trade, book culture and, in general, the intellectual life of Russia in the late 19th century.

The article presents the publication of 14 letters from the outstanding bibliophile and bibliographer D.V. Ulyaninsky (1861—1918) addressed to the owners of large personal libraries S.P.  Vinogradov (1853—1918), P.A. Kartavov (1873—1941), I.A. Shlyapkin (1858—1918), L.I. Zheverzheyev (1881—1942). They are kept in the Manuscript Departments of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine  Arts and the National Library of Russia, the Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Archival Department of the A.A.  
Bakhrushin State Central Theater Museum. The epistolary messages are devoted to the issues of the formation of D.V. Ulyaninskyʼs library, contain requests for publications and clarification of  bibliographic information. The letters to S.P. Vinogradov from Kislovodsk provide a rare opportunity to learn about D.V. Ulyaninskyʼs lifestyle during vacations, when he was off duty and was not engaged  in collecting books. Of particular interest is one of the letters addressed to L.I. Zheverzheyev, which is actually a detailed review by D.V. Ulyaninsky of the printed catalogue “Inventory of My Collection”  (Petrograd, 1915, vol. 1). It outlines approaches that allow us to learn about the principles of Ulyaninskyʼs work as a bibliographer and compiler of a detailed catalogue of a personal library.

This article presents an overview of 25 German-language journals in library and information science (including information services for users) freely available on the websites of professional library associations, scholarly publishers, and national, academic, and regional libraries. Such journals are also published in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Its cover various aspects related to scientific research in the field of history and current state of libraries, their branches and departments, restoration and construction of library buildings and halls, library funds and collections, bibliographic and information activities.The authors of the journals share their successful or unsuccessful experience in implementing innovations, inform about professional competitions, courses and professional development activities, as well as vacancies for job seekers.

The article provides a brief overview of the speeches at the Memorial Day dedicated to the participants of the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress and the international round table “Smolyans — Defenders of the Brest Fortress” (March 26, 2025). The events were prepared on the bases of the materials of the bio-bibliographic reference book “Smolyans — Defenders of the Brest Fortress”, which was worked on by Russian and Belarusian researchers. Information about the soldiers of the Brest garrison, natives of the Smolensk province and conscripted from the Smolensk region, was collected from the funds of the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex, the Smolensk Region During the Great Patriotic War 1941—1945 Museum, the Velizhsky Regional Museum of Local Lore of the Smolensk region, Russian and Belarusian publications, Internet resources, personal archives of soldiers’ relatives. This handbook has become a valuable contribution to the study of the biographies of Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War (1941—1945), and its updating seems very timely.

An analytical review of the 27th International Scientific Conference Skvortsov Readings — 2025 “History and Modernity of Library Practice, Science and Education: Towards the 80th Anniversary of Victory and the 95th Anniversary of the MSIC” (held at the Moscow State Institute of Culture on April 15—16, 2025) is presented. The conference events were highlighted: a plenary session, a panel discussion “Library Today and Tomorrow: A Dialogue Between Government and Society”, online breakout sessions “80 Years of the Great Victory: Pages of Professional History in the History Book of the Country” and “Library and Information Sciences, Practice, Education: Modernity Based on History Lessons”, as well as a full-time “Session of Short Reports by Caring Students” on “A Young Vision of What Is Relevant in the Library Profession”.