Library in the Culture of Information Society

Abstract

The article deals with the transformations of social institution of library in the information society. High emphasis is placed here on social and humanitarian changes. Formal and informal aspects of social relations as well as the role and status of a librarian are identified. The article considers the compliance between formal legal regulations and informal socio-cultural norms, between actual practices and formal and informal norms. It examines explicit and implicit functions of a library, the conflict between traditional structures and new institutional norms. Roles of a librarian and a reader in the process are revealed.