The article provides classifications of scholarly journals by subject matter, periodicity, peer-review status, and indexing within various information systems. It reviews Russian rules for bibliographic description, the formatting of reference lists, and citations, supported by practical examples. A comparative analysis outlines international citation guidelines within the Scopus and Web of Science databases, as well as major bibliographic styles (including Vancouver, CBE, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, NLM, and APA), discussing their differences and the challenges authors face in adhering to them. It is shown that modern technologies rely on the adoption of unique publication identifiers (such as ID, DOI, and EDN), which streamline document retrieval and make it virtually error-free. In the future, particularly with the integration of artificial intelligence, these advancements are projected to significantly simplify — and potentially eliminate — traditional bibliographic descriptions in the reference apparatus of scholarly journals, replacing them entirely with numeric identifiers. 

The authors of the article cite the main statistical indicators for the output of domestic periodicals in 2025. The main text and 13 tables with comments give a clear idea of the number of journal, magazine, and newspaper titles, their circulation, subject matter and purpose, geography, and languages of publication. Special attention is paid to the specifics of publishing periodicals in the capitals and regions. A comparison of the main statistical indicators for publishing magazines and newspapers reveals some differences in the dynamics compared to 2024. The total number of newspaper titles declined from 6,536 to 6,222, and their total print runs dropped from 3.4 billion copies to 3.0 billion. At the same time, the total number of magazine and journal titles grew to 6,264 from the 2024 figure of 6,203, though their circulation also declined to 535.8 million copies from 588.4 million.

The article substantiates the need for systematic tracking and analysis of the results of reference and bibliographic services (RBS) to enhance their effectiveness and adapt them to the changing information needs of users. Key problems are identified: the simplification of accounting procedures, subjectivity in the classification of reference requests, and the lack of a unified methodology. The purpose of the work is to analyze the existing accounting system and propose recommendations for its improvement as a basis for transforming RBS into a user-oriented and efficient service.

The article introduces into scientific circulation the correspondence between figures of Russian book culture U.G. Ivask (1878—1922) and A.V. Selivanov (1851—1915), covering the years 1907—1911. It includes 16 letters held in the personal archival collections of the addressees in the State Archive of the Ryazan Region and the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library. The central theme of their epistolary communication during this period was the history of the Zhivago family, which was closely associated with Ryazan. A descendant of this family on the female line was A.A. Ivask, the wife of U.G. Ivask. While preparing an extensive genealogical work on the Ivask family and their relatives, U.G. Ivask paid special attention to the Zhivago family, many of whom made important contributions to the social and cultural life of Russia. A.V. Selivanov, a native of Ryazan, was closely associated with the local intelligentsia. It was from him that U.G. Ivask requested information about the lifespans and activities of some representatives of the Zhivago family. Through the mediation of A.V. Selivanov, U.G. Ivask acquired two portraits of members of the Zhivago family, which were later described in the brochure Collection of Family Portraits of U.G. Ivask (Moscow, 1911). The correspondence also reflected the correspondents’ bibliophilic interests. They discussed the start of publication of U.G. Ivask’s bibliographic index, Private Libraries in Russia, in the journal Russian Bibliophile.

To commemorate the centenary of the birth of the outstanding Russian artist M.P. Miturich, the article examines the features of his work through the lens of his illustrations for the books of two classics of children’s literature: S.Ya. Marshak and A.L. Barto. The relevance of this topic stems from the fact that the rich heritage of the leading Soviet-era masters is insufficiently known to the current generation of children’s book creators and readers, thereby requiring further research, reflection, and popularization. Using the artist’s autobiographical notes and the critical reviews from the 1960s and 1970s, the author recreates the history of the personal and creative relationships between the writers and the illustrator, analyzing the most significant publications that resulted from their collaboration. The evolution of Miturich’s graphic style is traced, as it moved from narrative compositions filled with detail to more generalized and concise interpretations of literary plots. The author emphasizes the artist’s sensitivity to the poetic word and the individual intonation of each author.

The article presents a review of A.S. Sokolovʼs book “Genealogy of the Romanovs: An Annotated Bibliographical Index”, published in Moscow in 2025. This edition is the first attempt at a comprehensive and systematic accounting of books, articles, and other works on the genealogy of the Russian imperial house. The index in many respects serves as a logical continuation of and a supplement to the fundamental reference work “The Romanovs: A Generational Chart (1728—2023)” by the same author. At the same time, the book under review has undeniable and independent scholarly value. This edition is intended both for specialists in genealogy and history and for the reference and bibliographic institutions that assist them.

This review focuses on the book “The Epistolary Legacy of Academician N.P. Likhachev: An Introduction” by O.N. Naumov, Chief Researcher at the Russian State Library, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor (Moscow, 2025). This fundamental and, essentially, pioneering monographic study consists of two parts. The first part provides a detailed description of the letters of the eminent historian, genealogist, bibliophile, and collector as historical sources, while also analyzing the history of their study and publication. The second part contains over 400 epistolary texts discovered by the author in 20 Russian archival repositories. The review provides a detailed overview of the book’s contents and demonstrates its significance for the history of the humanities. Particular attention is paid to the themes of bibliography, bibliology, and bibliophilia. The review concludes that Russian historiography has been enriched by this valuable work, to which researchers will repeatedly turn.

The article provides a brief analytical overview of the presentations included in the main program of the 24th Smirdin Readings, an international scientific conference entitled The “Book — Bookmaking — Reader” System in the New Media Environment. Held at the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture on April 23—24, 2026, the conference was dedicated to the memory of R.S. Gilyarevsky (1929—2025). The authors outline the conceptual meaning of the conference title, highlight the key content of the plenary session and thematic sections, and describe the participants, as well as the eographical and organizational scope of the scientific forum.

The article commemorates the 90th anniversary of Oleg Grigorievich Lasunsky, an outstanding contemporary philologist, book historian, local history scholar, and organizer of bibliophilic public associations. The author examines the honoree’s activities in the field of bibliophilia and characterizes his academic and popular science works on Russian writers, book collectors, and book collections. Furthermore, the paper presents assessments of O.G. Lasunsky’s contribution by fellow scholars, library and museum professionals, and activists of the bibliophilic community.

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the birth of O.G. Lasunsky, an outstanding Russian bibliographer, bibliophile, journalist, literary critic and historian of provincial culture, a bibliographic list of his works for 2014—2025 is presented. This bibliography comprises 216 items, including books, articles, reports, notes, reviews, memoirs and biographical works. The register of publications about O.G. Lasunsky, covering the chronological period from 2015 to 2026, contains 137 titles. The list of publications for which O.G. Lasunsky served as editor or editorial board member between 2014 and 2024 includes 20 titles. This publication continues the biobibliographic index prepared by the Voronezh Regional Universal Scientific Library named after I.S. Nikitin in 2016 for the 80th anniversary of O.G. Lasunsky’s birth.