This paper presents a comparative study regarding the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-agents in the information services of public and academic libraries across Europe, the USA, China, Japan, and Russia. The inquiry is based on an examination of open reports, scientific research, and library publications. The article applies the following theoretical methods to address the objectives: content evaluation to characterize the state of the art and the specifics of using AI-systems and AI-agents in library and information services; a typological classification of AI-systems and AI-agents to identify regional specifics; and a comparative analysis of the operating experience of public and academic libraries to highlight emerging trends in the provision of digital products and services by libraries. The article identifies key integration models, assesses the level of technological development, and analyzes the sociocultural and institutional drivers shaping regional specifics. The conclusion formulates the critical challenges, risks, and strategic prospects for the transformation of library and information services under the influence of AI.

The 4th International Bibliographical Congress (September 16—19, 2025) paid considerable attention to children’s bibliography, as the foundation for fostering a love of books and reading, nurturing future readers, and helping them navigate the vast information flow. As the national leader in this field, the Russian State Children’s Library (RDGB) provides the essential bibliographic framework used by libraries nationwide. This article analyzes the RDGB’s diverse bibliographic resources, covering both the recommended reading lists and scholarly support materials available via its website and social media. The article demonstrates the diversity of the content and subject matter of these resources, their intended audience, and the variety of information delivery formats. It highlights the significance of the RDGB’s bibliographic resources in engaging children and adolescents with reading, as well as in providing methodological support to children’s libraries across the country and all those responsible for children’s reading.

In this study, the author — preparing for the second stage of modernization of the Medium Tables of the Library and Bibliographic Classification (LBC) — provides statistics on modern scientific monographs on Russian history based on an analysis of the Annual Bibliographic Index of Russian Books for the five-year period (2018—2023). The most relevant and popular areas of modern historical research (new social, regional, and political history, historical biography, history of everyday life, etc.) have been identified, and the percentage of each area has been calculated. The results of the analysis clarify which specific types of divisions in the historical section of the LBC need updatingin the next stage of modernization.

The article explores the role of bibliography as a key instrument in shaping and structuring the information space, using the State Public Scientific & Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPSTL SB RAS) as a case study. The authors trace the evolution of bibliographic activities from the 1950s to the present-day — from produsing of printed bibliographic guides and union catalogs to creation of digital bibliographic and full-text databases. Particular attention is paid to the development of automated library systems (ISIS, WebISIS, IRBIS), which enabled integration of resources into a unified information environment and provided remote access for users. The paper also identifies current challenges related to the limited flexibility of traditional library management systems and proposes forward-looking solutions, including the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, development of APIs for machine-readable access, and transition toward intelligent research support services. The strategic importance of bibliography in preserving, organizing, and updating scientific knowledge in the digital era is emphasized throughout.

This article focuses on the second volume of the bibliographic index “The History of Russia and the USSR in Memories and Diaries” (1939—1945), published in three volumes in 2024. Prepared by the State Public Historical Library of Russia, this volume includes memoirs published between 1983 and 2000 in journals, anthologies, and individual editions. The article examines the specific features of indexing memoirs dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. The article addresses the advisability of analytical indexing for collections and the presence of an author’s line. Specific examples of the new sections are provided, along with references to some of the publications included within them.

The article reveals the features of the life and creative path of the famous Russian satirist M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826—1889), whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in January 2026. The article provides various statistical and bibliographic information about the editions of the writerʼs works and literary studies on his life and legacy from the pre-revolutionary, Soviet, and modern post-Soviet periods. The article also lists the most important bibliographic publications dedicated to the writer.

The article introduces into scientific circulation the correspondence between the Russian book culture figures U.G. Ivask (1878—1922) and A.V. Selivanov (1851—1915) for the years 1902—1906. It includes 23 letters preserved in the personal archives of the addressees at the State Archives of the Ryazan Region and the Department of Manuscripts at the Russian State Library. The correspondents shared an interest in ex-libris collecting, bibliophily, and the compilation of bibliographies. The published letters detail the exchange of ex-libris and related information, highlighting certain stages in the creation of U.G. Ivaskʼs classic work, Description of Russian Bookplates (Part 1, Moscow, 1905). The epistolary messages contain valuable information about the personal libraries of the authors, their social circles, and the bookplates owners within their sphere of interest. The correspondence also addresses the complex issue of counterfeit ex-libris belonging to members of the Imperial family on the antiquarian market. Furthermore, the authors discuss the foundation of the Russia’s first association for collectors — the Moscow Society of Bookplate Lovers — and the preparation for the publication of the only issue of its journal, “Izvestiya Moskovskogo Obshchestva Lyubiteley Knizhnykh Znakov”. The correspondence between U.G. Ivask and A.V. Selivanov serves as a significant historical source for the history of Russian ex-libris, bibliography, bibliophily, and book culture in general.

This review presents the latest book in the Moscow Bookmen and Book Science: From the Book Chamber Archives series, published in 2025. It reproduces the texts of contributions by prominent Russian bibliologists, bibliographers, and library scientists who participated in the project to create a unique multilingual dictionary of book (including bibliographic) terms, conceived but never implemented in the second half of the 1930s. Most of these texts are being introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time and fill a significant gap in the history of theoretical research in the field of book culture. The review briefly describes the structure,content, and specifics of the published materials, demonstrating the significance of the Book Chamber’s terminological developments in the 1930s, taking into account the priorities of modern research.

The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the relevance of factual literature based on the memoirs of a man who made a significant contribution to the development of the humanities and book culture. The collection of articles and materials, Gottfried Kratz: Man, Scholar, Colleague, Friend (Moscow, 2025), was prepared by the Turgenev Society in Moscow with the support of the I.S. Turgenev Library and Reading Room. The book is dedicated to the memory of Gottfried Kratz (1947–2022), a renowned German Slavist, librarian, researcher of the history of Russian book publishing abroad, and a member of the editorial boards of the journals Bibliography and Bibliography and Bibliology, as well as the encyclopedia Germans of Russia. The book under review includes information about the life and work of G. Kratz, the memoirs of relatives and colleagues, and the scholar’s articles on I.S. Turgenev. Of particular value are two previously unpublished articles by G. Kratz on the history of printing, as well as a selected bibliography of his works.

On October 7—9, 2025, the Russian State Library hosted the International Scientific Conference “The World of Book That Changed the World”, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian bibliologist Evgeny Lvovich Nemirovsky (1925—2020). The event, organized by the Scientific Research Department of Rare Books (Museum of Books) of the Russian State Library, brought together representatives from state libraries, museums, research centers, and higher education across Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Belgrade, Prague, Novi Sad, Cambridge, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Kazan, Ufa, and Yalta. The main focus was on the personality and writings of E.L. Nemirovsky, the universe of books and book knowledge. The topics of the reports ranged from historical and book generalizations in the field of research on early printed publications to current issues in the theory and history of books; among the main areas were the history of the formation and study of book collections, book illustration, biographies of cultural figures associated with book collections and individual copies of printed monuments. The conference is a tribute of respect and gratitude to E.L. Nemirovsky, who contributed so much to spread historical and book knowledge.

On December 24, 2025, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RASL, St. Petersburg) hosted a seminar dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the grand opening of its building at 1 Birzhevaya Line. The relocation to this purpose-built facility coincided with the official establishment of several departments, including the Incunabula Cabinet, the 18th-Century Department, the Cartography Department, and the Main Reading Room. The reports presented at the seminar covered the significance of the new building’s inauguration (as one of the events marking the Academy of Sciences’ bicentenary celebrations) and examined the activities of the departments founded in 1924—1925, whose history has since remained inseparable from that of the RASL.

The anniversary article highlights the role of Oleg Pavlovich Korshunov (1926—2013), Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Professor at the Moscow State Institute of Culture, not only in establishing bibliography studies as a science, but also in ensuring the transition from the source-based period of bibliography development to the metatheoretical one. It is shown that in O.P. Korshunovʼs theory, bibliographic information acted as an intermediary in the system of documentary communications, and its various forms existence were identified. The search, communicative, and evaluative functions substantiated by O.P. Korshunov are now being implemented to varying degrees by present-day technologies (including digital ones). The textbooks prepared with O.P. Korshunov’s contribution are listed.