Russian State Library as the Center for Coordination and Regulatory and Methodological Support of Bibliographic Activities in the Country

Abstract

An important direction in the implementation of the functional activities of libraries at various levels is the coordination of bibliographic work and mandatory methodological support. The issues of coordination interactions are poorly covered in the professional press. For library science, information about the activities of domestic libraries in this area remains not only a source of information, but also an object of scientific study. The purpose of the article is to study and analyze the activities of the Russian State Library as a coordination center at the national (interlibrary) level. It is established that the 1960s–1980s were the period of the highest level of development of national coordination. The analysis of existing methodological and instructional documents made it possible to determine that the leading role in the complex of such products belongs to methodological recommendations. The study of published documents for the intended and reader purpose was carried out. The practical application of the recommendations by libraries made it possible to improve the processes of bibliographic service, optimize reference and bibliographic funds, develop common principles and approaches to the scientific processing of catalogs and card files. The influence of the Russian State Library on the interrelationships of libraries in the humanitarian branch allowed us to establish a stable stage of development of coordination based on the distribution of forces in optimal conditions for scientific activity. Basing on modern realities, it is necessary to study the existing experience and resume coordination cooperation at the Russian level.