An overview of libraries in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) is presented, beginning with an analysis of the role played by Lenin in shaping the development of the library system in that country. There follows a historical survey of libraries in the Soviet Union, with an emphasis on the period from 1955 to 1975. Certain aspects…

This paper describes the foreign and home literature collection on scientific research, natural sciences and technology, conference papers, and professional monographs; reference aids and catalogs; library reading facilities; and national and international library services of the National Public Library for Sciences and Technology (NPLST) in the…

Automated circulation systems in libraries for the blind are described in this report of research conducted by the Subcommittee on Computerised Booklending of the Round Table on Libraries for the Blind (RTLB) of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). Responses to the RTLB questionnaire from 12 libraries in 9 countries are…

Papers on national library services and activities which were presented at the 1984 IFLA general conference, include: (1) "The Role of National Libraries of the Soviet Union in Reading Promotion" (N. S. Kartashov, USSR); (2) "Regional Library Cooperation in East and Southeast Asia--A Japanese Overview" (Takayasu Miyakawa,…

The first of two papers presents suggestions on library services for the deaf by a British university lecturer, and the second provides an enumeration of Russian achievements in providing the blind with books. Based on an outline of the personal and social implications of deafness and unawareness of the deaf on the part of libraries and the…

This article surveys achievements in building up the library service in the U.S.S.R. during the eighth five-year plan (1966-70) and describes the main library targets under the ninth five-year plan (1971-75). (Author)

Describes some innovations in the organization of children's and school libraries in the USSR which were facilitated by the Public Law of 1973. (LLS)

Remarks by Dr. John Brademas, President of New York University, address the meeting theme--"Libraries and the Universal Availability of Information"--with special attention to research libraries and their service to scholars, the quality of public and school libraries, the plight of non-readers, the role of governments in supporting…

Official opening statements, organizational reports, and papers on libraries in a technological world, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) welcoming addresses by Franz Georg Kaltwasser and Mathilde Berghofer-Weichner; (2) opening speeches by Else Granheim (IFLA president)…

The development and management of children's libraries and library services in the USSR are discussed by N.S. Kobzarenko, State Republican Library for Children of the Ukraine, and comparisons and contrasts between that system and the U.S. system are outlined. Kobzarenko notes that library services for children, established along directives from…

Soviet library specialists consider the most important criterion of the value of a library's stock is quality, i.e., the extent to which its composition corresponds to the purposes of the library and the interests of its readers. This is directly reflected in the rate of use of library books. (10 references) (Author/SJ)

Describes a six-month retraining program developed for Israel's Russian-speaking immigrant librarians and information specialists that includes Hebrew language, Jewish and Israeli history, English, and library automation. Differences from the Soviet library system are discussed, including censorship and public libraries, and characteristics of the…

Discusses the possible impact of glosnost on libraries in the USSR and describes existing library conditions. The topics covered include the dependence on specialized card catalogs and bibliographies to retrieve restricted materials, limits on access to information within a hierarchy of users, and attitudes toward glasnost. (two references) (CLB)

Papers on libraries for the blind presented at the 1986 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Report on 'Study on the Tools to Improve the Availability of Library Materials for the Blind'" (Winnie Vitzansky, Denmark); (2) "Planning the Third Edition of 'The International Directory of…