By providing access to library materials, the service shows its mediating role. Most of the library services are currently carried out by the librarian (issuing documents, certificates, holding events), and the service is implemented directly in the course of the librarian's activities, and during oral events, the service is immediately consumed. Thus, library services usually appear as useful activities that are inseparable from the performer. However, in the conditions of automation, the activity of a librarian is increasingly mediated by technical devices. Nevertheless, the creation of the user's accessibility to documents and information is a specific social result, the benefit of library services (according to S.I. Ozhegov's dictionary, a service is an action that benefits, help another).

RSL specialists offer the following definition: library services (library and information services) - socially useful activities that provide access to documents and information, incl. to electronic library and information resources, as well as the Internet; certain conveniences provided to the population by the library.

There are bibliographic, documentary, cultural and educational, educational services, etc.

The library services also include activities aimed at improving the information culture of users, incl. training librarians to users in the skills of electronic library and information self-service, incl. using network (local and remote) library resources.

The definition of public services of the library is also given:

1. a way to ensure the rights and freedoms, as well as the legitimate interests of citizens and organizations (individuals and legal entities) to receive incl. in electronic form of bibliographic and textual information from state library funds in the part not related to copyright, carried out through the interaction of the user (consumer of the service) with the library;

2. library and information services provided by the library as part of the fulfillment of the state (municipal) assignment in accordance with Federal Law No. 83-FZ dated May 8, 2010 28 In accordance with GOST 7.0–99 “Information and library activities, bibliography. Terms and definitions "library service is defined as" the end result of library service that satisfies a specific need of the library user (issuance and subscription of documents, provision of information on new acquisitions, information, exhibitions, consultations, etc.).

A library service is also interpreted “as the aggregate end result of library activity (the beneficial effect of library labor), which satisfies the documentary and communication needs of society and the individual, including, as a necessary condition for consumption, the form of its provision to subscribers.

Basic features of a library service include their targeting (the presence of a specific person who applied for a service); connection with the rights of citizens (the service is a way for a citizen to exercise his rights and freedoms); addressee of the appeal (citizens or legal entities); interaction of the parties in the process of providing the service (the need for personal - oral or written contact between the service provider and the recipient of the service).

An information service is defined as "the provision of information of a certain type to the consumer at his request" and can be interpreted as a process of providing the user with information products (previously prepared information) in accordance with a previously received request or an identified information need. Among the characteristics of information services, the following are especially noted: usefulness, the ability to facilitate access to information, expand the possibilities of its choice, the intellectual nature of the service, inseparability from the performer, uniqueness (since each time the same form of service is created by different partners in different situations, with the help of different resources and a combination of their elements), the impossibility of accumulating and storing services, the reflection in the structure of the service of the subject of the request, the presence in the structure of the service of form, content, space-time characteristics. The uniqueness of each "library" or "information" service is explained by the individual nature of the reader's request; the heuristic nature of complex bibliographic and factual queries; different capacities of different libraries, including different professional backgrounds of the library staff providing the service.

Based on the foregoing, it is proposed to define a library service as a specific social result of library services, acting, as a rule, in various forms of useful activity and providing users with access to documents and information in order to meet and develop their information needs.

Library services have four characteristicsto consider for librarians.

1. Intangibility. They cannot be felt until the moment of purchase. For example, classes on acquiring speed reading skills - until they learned, until then they did not feel the results. Therefore, the future user of the service is forced to simply believe the advertisement. The library can take a number of specific measures to build confidence in itself among users, i.e. increase the tangibility of your service: describe it, focusing on the benefits associated with it: organize a meeting with people who have already mastered certain skills.

2. Inseparability from the source. The service is inseparable from its performer, be it a person or a machine. For example, meeting with a writer. The educational and cognitive value of the meeting is inseparable from the author. The service will no longer be the same if the organizers of the meeting report that the author is ill, and it will be possible to hear a tape recording of his speech, and hence the number of possible users of the service, i.e. those wishing to attend the author's "live" performance will be limited.

3. Inconsistency of quality. The quality of services varies depending on their providers, as well as on the time and place of its provision. For example, the quality of bibliographic information depends on the qualifications and experience of the bibliographer, his physical condition, and his mood at the time of the service. To ensure control over the quality of its services, the library can do the following: allocate funds for the attraction and training of specialists, constantly monitor the degree of user satisfaction through surveys, research, etc.

4. Non-persistence. The service cannot be stored. For example, if the user does not come to the library event "Night in the Library", then he will not receive those impressions, aesthetic pleasure, emotions, a sense of belonging, realized abilities, even if he watches the video.

However, it is necessary to distinguish between the concept of "library service" and the concept of "library service". According to librarians, library services also involve the labor of a librarian, but the result does not always lead to meeting the needs of the reader. For example, a service can be considered the process from the beginning of the execution of an order for a document until the moment it is offered to the user. If he is satisfied with the book and the forms of service, then the final results have been achieved, i.e. library service provided. The provision of services, in turn, requires the creation of specific library (bibliographic) products: catalogs, card files, databases, bibliographic lists, indexes, newsletters, etc. This ensures the efficient operation of the library collections.

Types of information products and services

Information products and services provided as a result of documentary services Address references.

Providing for temporary use (on a subscription or in the reading room of documents from the fund). Provision for permanent use (download) of documents from full-text databases

Electronic delivery of IBA documents

Information products and services provided as a result of bibliographic services Oral references: - to clarify the bibliographic description; - thematic.

Bibliographic aids (indexes, bibliography; DB): - thematic and problem-thematic; - new arrivals; - works, regional studies organizations, regional studies.

Thematic selections.

Bibliographic and abstract reviews.

Lists of cited literature IRI (Selective Dissemination of Information)

Information products and services provided as a result of factual service Factographic information.

Factographic databases, reference books, dossiers, (address-branded, biographical, price).

Business reference.

Press clipping (digests, news feeds (creeping line); personal newspapers)

Complex information activities

Exhibitions. Presentations. Trade fairs. Business seminars. Conferences. Round tables. Information days.

One of the features of information needs is manifested in subjectivity appraisals users of the quality of information products and services. Evaluation of any services is always subjective in nature and depends on the "waiting system" of the consumer, his attitude. Installation and evaluation are like a mirror image of each other: evaluation states the presence or absence of the expected properties and qualities of a product or service. However, both the needs and the system of expectations of consumers in all other areas of service are much more specific, and the assessment of products and services is amenable to independent examination.

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1. Library services. Their classification

Serving readers in the library includes two main types of interrelated activities: documentary and informational (issuing primary and secondary documents) and socio-communicative (organizing interpersonal communication of readers in the library). It aims to provide readers with a range of library services.

This set includes three relatively independent classes of services:

1. Documentary services, the result of which is the provision of primary and secondary documents to readers (issuance of literature, bibliographic references, information messages, etc.) to readers. The user applies to the library with a request for which he wants to receive literature on the topic of interest or a specific book, or a copy of the required article, or bibliographic reference, etc.

2. Communication services by organizing various forms of interpersonal communication between readers in the library (various kinds of mass events, reader clubs and associations, etc.). The user expresses his desire to participate in a particular library event.

3. Library services, which are a prerequisite for the implementation of the service process and act in the form of providing readers with various kinds of convenience in using documentary and communicative services.

A library service is the result of library activity (the beneficial effect of library labor) in meeting the information needs of library users.

The subject of library services can be: documents or their copies; bibliographic information (lists, references); fact or collection of facts; thematic collections and digests (fragments of texts of a wide variety of documents, identified and arranged in accordance with the content and logic of the reader's request); consultations that make it easier for readers to independently search for information, work with traditional and electronic documents, etc.

The various information needs of library users are met through their respective library services. Therefore, it can be argued that library and bibliographic services are a system of interrelated library services.

The service is unique, unrepeatable, since different people are involved in its creation every time. In addition, it is inseparable from the library environment in which it is provided. A service can only be called a result that satisfied certain needs.

Along with library services, library visitors are provided with other services that are the result of library work, but are aimed at creating a comfortable environment for readers to work in the library. These include dressing rooms, cafeterias and readers' canteens, lounges, private study rooms, playrooms for children where adults can leave a child in the reading room, etc. Services for readers related to their service are provided free of charge.

Libraries provide users with the following services:

· Receive all the necessary literature at one service point;

· Independently choose literature in open access funds;

· Receive literature for reading at home;

· Make a preliminary (several hours, days) order for literature (orally, in writing, by phone) by the date indicated by the reader;

· Get \u200b\u200bliterature directly to the workplace in the reading room;

· Leave the literature necessary for further work on the armored regiment;

· Take a photocopy of the necessary texts, which gives a noticeable (up to 20%) saving of readers' time;

· To receive literature out of turn (to the Heroes of the Soviet Union of Socialist Labor, invalids and participants of the Great Patriotic War, etc.);

· Hand over literature at one service point;

· To receive literature from other libraries on intrasystem exchange and MBA;

· Use equipment for reading microfilms, listening to sound recordings, etc.

This list of services and their volume in libraries is far from the same. In recent years, paid services have begun to be used in the practice of libraries of all countries. Therefore, today library services are divided into paid and free services. Mandatory free library services include:

· Obtaining information about the availability of a specific document in the library;

· Obtaining information about the composition of the library fund through the catalog system and other forms of library information;

· Receiving advice in the search and selection of sources of information;

· Receiving for temporary use of documents from library funds, in reading rooms and on a subscription.

The work on creating a clear and multidimensional classification of library services is of great practical importance. From the point of view of the features of the information and materials provided to readers, they are distinguished:

1. Services, the end result of which is the issuance of documents for temporary use;

2. Issuance of copies of documents;

3. Reference and analytical services: clarifying address information, thematic bibliographic lists and indexes, factual information, etc .;

4. Services related to the disclosure of the fund and resulting from the educational activities of the library (exhibitions, readers' conferences, etc.);

5. Consulting services.

From the point of view of the mode of service, library services can be one-time or provided on a permanent basis (exhibitions and indexes of new acquisitions, IRI).

From the point of view, the grounds for the provision of a service can be a response to specific reader requests and initiative, prepared by staff in the course of the implementation of the library and educational function.

From the point of view of the resources used for the provision of services, they distinguish between services based only on their own fund and SBA and services involving the aggregate information resources of society. The latter occupy an increasing place, immeasurably expanding the capabilities of the library. But it is precisely these services that libraries are most often forced to provide on a paid basis.

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Methodical monitoringis a system for tracking changes in librarianship. It is designed to provide information on the activities of libraries, the analysis of which would make it possible to judge the level of their work; about innovations in librarianship and their dissemination across the library network.

The meaning of methodological monitoring is to continuously monitor changes, for the emergence of new information about the activities of libraries. The objects of methodological monitoring are:

Dynamics of performance indicators of libraries;

Library personnel movement;

Identification and dissemination of library innovations;

Documentary stream on librarianship.

Methodical monitoring. Analytical activities ..._________ 343

The prompt receipt of these data, monitoring their dynamics allows one to assess the state and level of library activity and, on this basis, develop guidelines for improving the work of a library or a network of libraries.

Sources of information about the work of libraries are various library documentation (reporting, planning, information, etc.); materials of meetings, conferences, seminars of librarians; publications in local periodicals, etc.

However, the main method for obtaining and analyzing information is direct acquaintance with the work of the library and / or structural divisions (branches, departments), examinationtheir activities. As opposed to checking the library as a control method based on the principle of “penetration without warning”, the purpose of the survey is to examine the library's practices in order to identify innovations, analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of its activities. The survey is accompanied by the provision of consulting and practical assistance to the library staff and is carried out, of course, with the prior consent of the library's management.

Surveys can be frontal, when the work of a library (or a network of libraries) is studied in all areas of its activity, and thematic, when a certain direction in the work of libraries is investigated. The survey can be carried out both by one specialist (most often by a methodologist) or by a team, which usually includes employees from different departments of the library conducting the survey.

Direct communication of methodologists with libraries is carried out not only for the purpose of examining their activities, but also for providing methodological assistance, participating in library events, studying and / or introducing a specific innovation into its practice.

A library survey requires careful preparation, which begins with a plan for its conduct. The plan outlines the key issues of the survey, its objects, timing and methods.

The main survey method is direct observation methodat work of librarians. Along with it, methods of studying library documentation, conversations with librarians and readers, and their questionnaire survey are used. All these methods are used in combination, complementing each other.

The collected factual material is analyzed and evaluated, on the basis of which conclusions are drawn about the level of the library's work, about the successes and shortcomings in its activities. The results are reflected in the certificate, which pays special attention to the innovations identified in the library's activities; significant shortcomings are noted, their causes and remedies are analyzed. It concludes with specific recommendations for improving the library's performance.

Methodological support of library activities

The flow of information upward from the libraries, the information revealed about their work is cumulated in the information base of methodological monitoring, in the information retrieval apparatus, which allows you to quickly enter and retrieve the necessary data.

The accumulation of information in the system of methodological monitoring is carried out on the basis of comparative statistical tables and various kinds of card files: socio-economic profile of the service region; library network; library frames; library innovations, etc.

Along with traditional card indexes, databases are used, including both an "electronic dossier" for each library (its details; factual data on its activities, including statistical data; information about personnel, descriptions of innovations), and constantly updated summary statistics for the library network , factual and bibliographic information about innovations and their distribution over the network of libraries. The automated ISS, combining information about all the objects of methodological monitoring, allows you to monitor all parameters of the library system and changes in it for making methodological decisions.

Such decisions are based on analytical activity,aimed at analyzing the state of the library or library network. On its basis, methodological influence on libraries is carried out in order to provide methodological support for their activities, development of methodological recommendations, consulting and methodological assistance to libraries, etc.

The analysis of library practice involves identifying the essential and typical in the collected factual material about the activities of libraries. It should lead to generalized conclusions about the level of the library's work, to identify specific shortcomings in its activities and develop practical recommendations for improving library practice.

Library practice analysis is an analysis of the library's work in the aggregate of content, methods and results of activity. It uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative analytical methods. Quantitative analysislibrary practice relies on methods developed by library statistics 1.

Tasks qualitative analysisconsist in assessing both the totality of the facts of the library's activity, and individual, individual facts that reflect the new in its practice. It helps to understand the mass of accumulated facts, to separate the main, the essential from the accidental and insignificant; to highlight the specific, peculiar in the work of the library.

1 See the Library Management section about this.

Consulting and methodological assistance to librarians________________ 345

Various methods are used in qualitative analysis of library practice. The most common among them are the methods of structural and functional analysis, in which the object of study is considered as a system, respectively, divided into parts, and the functions of each are determined; analysis by analogy, that is, comparison of the facts of the activities of libraries; cause-and-effect analysis, which allows you to reveal the interaction of facts, to show how one fact (reason) affects another fact (consequence). The use of various methods of analysis makes it possible to comprehensively consider the phenomena of library practice and evaluate them. An important stage of analytical activity is systematizationfactual material, suggesting a certain orderliness of a number of facts, their grouping. One of the means of such a transition from direct analysis data to their systematization is their presentation in statistical summaries, diagrams and graphs.

Another result of analytical activity is the compilation of text reports and reviews of library activities. They can cover both all aspects of the work of libraries, and individual areas of their activities.

Reviewsare developed on the basis of reports on the work of libraries, materials of direct acquaintance with their activities, library documents, materials of local periodicals and other sources of information about the work identified in the methodological monitoring. The reviews reflect both the most typical facts of the activities of libraries, and the best practices of individual libraries. Achievements and typical shortcomings are noted, their reasons are revealed, concrete recommendations are given on the future work of libraries. Recommendations developed as a result of analytical activities constitute a scientific and methodological program for using the results of analysis in improving library practice.

For many centuries, the documentary system has provided information services to society as a whole and its various institutions.

The essence of documentary services lies in the fact that the information needs of members of society are satisfied by providing them with primary documents, the necessary information from which users obtain independently.

Usually, competent documentary service is carried out in two stages: first, the user is provided with a certain set of secondary documents relevant to his request (this stage is called bibliographic), and then, after the user selects a certain number of already perpetual3 documents from this set, he is provided with the documents themselves (this stage is called library service). Thus, the need for information in documentary services is satisfied indirectly, through the primary document.

Documentary service is defined as providing the user with the full text of the document, regardless of the type of material medium on which the information is recorded. Since it is the most traditional and obligatory for libraries and information services, the technology for its implementation is described in detail in the literature. Therefore, we will dwell only on the trends in the development of documentary services, which have been quite clearly manifested in recent years.

It can be stated that, in spite of the "familiarity" of this type of service (the image of a library is associated with the lending of books for an ordinary citizen), documentary service does not lose its leading position and has great potential. The reason is the user's constant need for the text of the primary source. But, if earlier libraries, bookstores, information services were the only source of satisfaction of these needs, now they have to compete in the information services market with commercial information firms, and, of course, Internet resources.

Within the framework of documentary services, traditional types of services are preserved: the issuance of documents to the house (subscription service) and the provision for work in the reading room, however, in recent years they have undergone significant changes under the influence of new information technologies and, as a result, increased consumer requirements.

Documentary service in the library can be considered as a concept that characterizes the processes of ensuring the information needs of users with the help of documents. The main elements of these processes are: document fund, user, librarian, material base (computer, library equipment, etc.).

The essence of documentary service lies in the fact that the information requests of users are satisfied by providing them with primary documents, the necessary information from which they obtain independently. Usually, competent documentary service is carried out in two stages:

1) bibliographic service - the user is provided with a certain set of secondary documents relevant to his request, which are the result of analytical and synthetic processing of one or more primary documents, for example, bibliographic description, abstract, abstract, review, factual information (table);

2) library service - after the user selects a certain number of already pertinent documents from the aggregate, he is provided with the actual primary documents reflecting the results of any activity, for example, a scientific report, an article, a description to the copyright certificate, monograph, textbook, etc. Thus, the need for information in documentary services is satisfied through the primary document.

Library service is based on the use of the documentary fund of the library, which reflects different levels of porting and fragmentation of various documents. Porting is the formation of collections of documents (for example, periodicals) or library collections according to a number of characteristics (content of documents, form of existence and presentation, author, region, etc.). Fragmentation of documents - presentation of parts of a document and / or a number of documents, selected according to a certain criterion (topic, reader purpose, formal characteristics, etc.). Fragmentation can be based on ported documents and / or those that are outside the library's document collection. Fragmentation can also be viewed as the process of providing a portion of ported or non-ported documents to the user. The level of organization of fragments depends on user requests and can be as follows: signal (informational), analytical, bibliographic, hypertext.

User needs for documents can be expressed in requests for a fragment (many fragments of a document or documents), the document itself, a group of documents, information about a document or a group of documents. The variety of needs forms a variety of types of documentary services: documentary, bibliographic, review (review and analytical and review and abstract).

Thus, documentary service is interpreted as a structured system that consists of two components according to the types of document provision: porting or fragmentation. Documentary service in the library is carried out: from the port fund, bibliographic or viewing - from non-portable, documentary service is carried out only using the capabilities of electronic networks and systems, which is possible only with the informatization of society. Thus, the documentary service provides the user with access to documents of any form and structure.

Consumer requirements for documentary services relate to expanding the resource base and increasing the comfort of service, in connection with which the term is increasingly used electronic documentary service .

The resource base of documentary services has undergone significant qualitative changes. Libraries and information services have moved from servicing on the basis of their own fund and reference and retrieval apparatus (STA) to servicing using aggregate (distributed) resources, incl. electronic.

Currently, documentary service is impossible without the use of full-text documents in electronic form. There are several ways to do this:

o purchase of electronic documents fixed on a tangible medium (floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD);

o digitization of their own funds with the subsequent organization of access to them both in a regular mode and by transferring information to a material medium;

o organization of access to full-text electronic documents located on the Internet in on-line mode.

The latter direction is getting more and more development. However, it should be noted that Internet resources are a rather ambiguous concept. Its structure can be distinguished as documents intended for free use; and authoritative "publishing house" full-text databases, access to which is subject to certain conditions; documents located on various web-pecypcax: individual articles, books, the use of which may entail copyright infringement.

Libraries are taking the "official" route, legally providing their users with access to publishing databases. However, this path is associated with the solution of a large number of organizational, financial and other issues, the solution of which is beyond the power of a separate library. Therefore, all over the world there is a growing tendency to create library consortia - associations of libraries in order to solve one or several common problems. Compliance with the stated regulatory and methodological materials is a necessary condition for ensuring the compatibility of domestic electronic libraries and their entry into the global information space.

Bibliographic service is interpreted as providing the user with bibliographic information. Bibliographic service is the result of a bibliographic service that meets the needs for bibliographic information. Bibliographic information refers to the traditional and most common forms of information activities. It is designed for a wide range of consumers and is designed to provide a wide variety of requests when searching for documents. Bibliographic information is the basis of any scientific research, all types of information publications are created on its basis: abstract, analytical, review.

So the definition bibliographic service should be clarified in the following way: it is not just providing the user with bibliographic information, but bringing it to the user in order to meet information needs. Thus, bibliographic information is not an end in itself, but only a means for purposefully meeting the need for any necessary information. In any case, bibliographic service is a broader concept than bibliographic service; it includes the latter.

There is another terminological problem. The fact is that information needs, including bibliographic ones, are disclosed in the form of an information request, that is, a text that expresses in a natural language the need for certain information. True, in GOST 7.0-99, a bibliographic request is defined as "information request and bibliographic information" 4. But, in any case, the request does not always accurately reflect the information need, most often, through individual linguistic and logical features of presentation, terminological ambiguity, etc. In this regard, the introduction of such concepts into the theory of information retrieval as the criterion of semantic content in the process

(mode) "question - answer". Due to the subjectivity of the question - answer process, a certain formalization is required. In particular, on the basis of currently existing artificial languages \u200b\u200b(information retrieval languages \u200b\u200b- IPM), a kind of formalized query substitute is created, as it were, to a certain extent - a query search image (POP). For its formation, the headings and titles of sections, chapters, parts (content) of documents, indices and subject headings of the current bibliographic classifications (UDC, LBC, etc.), keywords (descriptors) taken from the corresponding thesauri and supplemented with synonyms, specific and associative terms from other dictionaries, but in any case correlated with the text of the user's information request.

It is important to note that it is the nature of the request - permanent (long-term) or one-time - that is the leading criterion for distinguishing two main types of bibliographic services: bibliographic information and reference and bibliographic service.

in accordance with GOST 7.0-99 reference and bibliographic service (BSS) is defined as "a service in accordance with the requests of information consumers related to the provision of inquiries and other bibliographic services".

A special case of RBS is "bibliographic consultation", when, in response to a one-time request, advice is given on the independent use of the ways and means of bibliographic search. In the practice of large libraries and NTI bodies, a stereotypical form of reference has already developed, it is issued about consultations, for example: "The material you need can be found in ... the catalog section (card index) or in ... bibliographic manuals, where it is advisable to search for the information you need in the following way...".

It is important to note that bibliographic advice can be given instead of bibliographic information from all kinds of inquiry. It is believed that this is useful for the user, since he becomes a direct participant in bibliographic search, is very active and gains experience in bibliographic work.

According to GOST 7.0-99 bibliographic information (BI) is defined as "the systematic provision of bibliographic information to the subscriber."

In GOST 7.0-99, there are three types of BI, depending on the category of the user. Individual BI is carried out taking into account individual information needs, a permanent request of an individual user, that is, it provides for informing an individual in accordance with his needs. Group BI carried out at the request of a group of people, selected on a specific basis, whose members have information needs that are similar in content. Mass BI - informing a wide range of information consumers on socially significant topics - targeted at a wide range of information users.

One of the most common forms of mass BI is the publication of information bulletins, in which information about the editions received by the library (NTI organ) is placed in a certain order (most often in a systematic way). The best is the monthly publication of bulletins with an information interval not exceeding one and a half months.

However, not all libraries and STI bodies are able to issue such bulletins. Therefore, the corresponding lists of new arrivals hang out near the table for issuing literature. Sometimes they replace lists with a card index, placing it on the table for issuing literature. Another way out is the use of mass media: local periodicals, radio and television broadcasts. In all cases, it is advisable to use headings known to the user like "Bookshelf", "New Books" and others. An effective form of acquaintance with new arrivals is holding "Information Days", "Specialists Days" (for a certain category of users - economists, engineers, teachers, etc.), exhibitions-viewing (demonstration of both new arrivals and retrospective views).

The essence of a differentiated BI is to provide specialists with the ability to constantly monitor new literature with a minimum amount of time, providing them with information about all the necessary sources of information with the required degree of completeness. The defining moment for such a BI is to establish the range of serviced specialists, identify their information needs, taking into account not only the thematic profile of their interests, but also their official, functional status, scientific-production and informational activity, stages of scientific research and the specifics of production, educational training, individually -psychological features, etc.

The methods of notification are different depending on the specific conditions and capabilities. Of course, written messages are sent on special forms, a telephone is used. Special filing cabinets, cabinets with compartments for each individual or group user are also used. In this case, it is important to establish a regular visit of the subscriber to the relevant library or NTI body. The subscriber gets acquainted with the accumulated information and makes an application for the documents that interested him, can clarify the request.

The most progressive form of differentiated BI is the system of selective information dissemination (VRI). Its main property is the presence of regular customers and feedback between users and the bibliographic service. Today, both manual and automated VRI systems operate. Manual systems serve a small number of subscribers (30-50) on the basis of a specially developed heading of the torus (list of topics), which collectively covers a certain specific branch of knowledge. Users notice in it those headings that correspond to their professional information needs. Typically, each subject heading is assigned a conditional digital code, which indexes both queries and documents that are entered into the system. This makes it easier to determine the required number of cards for distribution to subscribers.

The same principle is the basis for automated VRI systems. The difference lies in the fact that queries formulated in a natural language are translated into the information retrieval language (IPM) of this system (in most cases, descriptor) and entered into the machine memory, forming an array of query search images (POP). Bibliographic descriptions of documents that are entered into the system are also indexed by the same IPM and form an array of document retrieval images (PID). The machine compares POS and POD and, if they coincide, on the output device prints bibliographic information in natural language in the form of a list of documents indicating the subscribers to whom it should be sent.

To ensure the completeness and accuracy of BI, signal cards with annotated or abstract bibliographic lists are sent to users. Together with signal cards as their integral part, the subscriber sends a feedback coupon to evaluate the information received.

As mentioned above, in connection with the introduction of Internet technologies in libraries, a new type of information services has appeared - the so-called "virtual reference".

Timing "virtual help" or "virtual referral service" (English: virtual reference) are used as synonyms for similar terms: "digital reference", "electronic reference", "live help", "real-time help". All of them mean the organization of reference and library services (RBS) of library users via the Internet, when users have the opportunity to contact the library with an information request using the network, and also to receive an answer through it. This results in significant time savings for users, and libraries increase their popularity and role in society as a reference and information center.

The most accessible service for libraries and popular among users has become the "Virtual Help" service, where any Internet user who visits the library's website can send his request.

The types of answers in the process of a virtual BSS are the same as in a traditional BSS: bibliographic information (address, thematic, clarifying) and factual, bibliographic and factual consultations. The types of responses are shown in Fig. 13 .

Figure: 13.in

Considering the traditional RBS algorithm and the peculiarities of the "virtual help", G.М. Shvetsova-Vodka proposes to define the virtual SNS algorithm as such, which consists of six stages: receiving a request, forming a search request image (POP), determining search sources, searching for information, filling out a response, sending a response:

1. Receiving a request.

1.1. Clarification of information about the reader.

1.2. Clarification of information about the purpose of the request.

1.3. Definition of the topic.

1.3.1. Formation of the topic.

1.3.2. Definition of the area of \u200b\u200bknowledge.

1.3.3. Formation of keywords.

1.4. Clarification of the amount of information required.

1.4.1. Required types of documents.

1.4.2. Chronological framework of selection.

1.4.3. Language of documents.

1.4.4. Approximate number of entries.

2. Formation of the search image of the request (POZ).

2.1. Definition of subject headings.

2.2. Query coding according to the classification (indexing) scheme.

3. Determination of search sources.

3.1. Electronic catalog and card index of this library.

3.2. Other electronic databases of this library.

3.3. Card catalogs, systematic card indexes of newspaper and magazine articles of this library.

3.4. Other library files.

3.5. Reference editions.

3.6. Printed bibliographic aids.

3.7. Internet resources.

4. Search for information on certain sources in accordance with the amount of required information and REF.

5. Registration of the answer.

5.1. Descriptions of documents.

5.2. Indication of the cipher (location) of each document.

5.3. Formation of a bibliographic list.

5.4. Indication of used search sources.

5.5. Writing a response letter.

6. Sending a response.

The described algorithm of the virtual SNS is applied when executing any kind of information request. At the same time, the execution of certain types of bibliographic queries has some peculiarities shown in Fig. 14 .

Figure: 14.in

Thus, library services are aimed at obtaining a user - a document from a "traditional" library or an electronic copy of a document from an electronic (or virtual, digital, distributed) library. Bibliographic services (consultations, references, etc.) are aimed at obtaining information about the document by the user: bibliographic descriptions or their combination in the form of lists, reviews, annotations.

The methodological support is based on the analytical activity of libraries - methodological centers, since qualified methodological recommendations I require an analysis of the existing library practice and the level of work of libraries.

Currently, the analytical activity of methodological services is experiencing serious difficulties associated with a sharp reduction in library reporting and Upstream information from libraries. This circumstance poses with particular urgency the problem of methodological monitoring - a system for tracking changes in the library and - It is designed, firstly, to provide an upward flow of information about the activities of libraries, the analysis of which would allow to judge the level of their work, and, secondly , about Innovations in Librarianship and Their Dissemination Through the Library Network

Although the concept of "methodological monitoring" is only still part of the library practice, attempts to build a system for tracking the work of libraries and changes in it have long been undertaken by methodological guzhbs. The objects of such monitoring were library personnel, performance indicators of libraries, the content of their activity. Its results were reflected in comparative I I 11 ps gic tables, reviews of the activities of libraries, the I labor type of card indexes: the socio-economic profile of the region of service, the library network, staff, etc. However, all this is still not enough for the operational tracking of changes and the activities of libraries.

The meaning of methodological monitoring is to continuously observe changes, for the emergence of new information about the work of libraries and about library innovations. Based on the methodological practice and tasks of methodological support of the activities of libraries, the following objects of methodological monitoring can be distinguished:

The dynamics of performance indicators of libraries;

Library personnel movement;

Identification and dissemination of innovations;

Documentary stream on librarianship. Prompt receipt of this data, monitoring

their dynamics makes it possible to assess the level of library activity and, on this basis, to develop guidelines for improving the work of libraries.

Sources of information are various library documentation (reporting, planning, informational, etc.); materials of meetings, conferences, seminars of librarians; publication in the local | periodicals, etc.

The main method that allows you to obtain and analyze information is a direct acquaintance with the work of the library and / or its structural divisions (branches, departments, etc.), examination their activities.

Unlike verification, which is the main means of monitoring the activities of libraries in the system of methodological guidance, the task of the survey is to study the practice of the library in order to identify innovations, analyze and assess the strengths and weaknesses of its activities. The survey is accompanied by the provision of the team; libraries of advice and practical assistance and 26

is carried out, of course, with the prior consent of the management of the surveyed library. Surveys are aimed at:

To identify innovations in the library's activities in order to study them and disseminate them across the library network;

Find out the shortcomings in the work of the library, establish their causes and remedies;

Determine what methodological assistance the library needs and provide this assistance.

Library surveys can be frontal, when the work of the library is analyzed in all areas and areas of its activity, and thematic, when the work of the library is studied on a specific issue or topic.

Topical surveys are most fruitful, and are especially valuable when they cover a large number of libraries. Provided that a carefully thought out plan is common for a given type of library and for its members, a thematic survey provides an opportunity to get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe work of many libraries on a particular topic.

The advantage of the thematic survey is the first, that it allows you to more deeply and in detail get acquainted with the work of the library and provide it with concrete assistance. However, it would be a mistake to limit ourselves only to case studies and not take an interest in the work of the library in general. Therefore, in the practice of methodological work, thematic and frontal examinations are combined opinion.

In practice, there are different approaches to the selection of libraries for survey. Some Methodists believe that libraries should be selected for this purpose that have

the lowest performance indicators. This is motivated by the fact that such libraries are most in need of methodological assistance.

Another approach is to select libraries that have< ре шис показа­тели работы, что позволяет судить о среднем уровне работы библиотек конкретной сети. При этом однако упускается из виду, что одной из основных целей обследования является выявление передового опыта. Разумеется, что логичнее искать этот опыт не в отстающих и средних, а в лучших библиотеках. По уровню работы передовых библиотек можно судить и об общем уровне деятельности библиотек сети. Поэтому при выборочном обследовании низовых библиотек и филиалов целесообразно выбирать те из них, которые имеют наиболее высокие показатели в своей работе.

In addition to methodologists, the most qualified employees of the library - the methodological center and employees of other libraries are involved in the survey of libraries, especially during mutual visits to libraries. The survey can be carried out either individually by one person or by a group (team), which, along with the methodologists, may include employees of other departments of the library - the methodological center, as well as local libraries.

To ensure the unity of the collection of materials, their analysis and generalization, the survey is carried out according to a pre-developed plan, thereby achieving the completeness and consistency of studying the activities of libraries, facilitating the generalization of the material collected by different limes.

In libraries - methodological centers< оспшлиются графики посещений библиотек, в которых vk.i н.тастся, кто,

when, what library and for what purpose he will visit. It should be borne in mind that examination is the most common, but not the only purpose of visiting the library. Visits can be conducted to provide specific consulting and methodological assistance, participate in a library event, study a specific library innovation, etc.

The survey requires careful preparation, which includes:

Study of the socio-economic and cultural profile of the area served by the library;

Study of materials about the work of the library (plans, reports, certificates of previous visits, etc.);

Selection and study of regulatory documentation, methodological and bibliographic manuals on the topic of the survey.

On the basis of the studied documents and materials, a plan of the library survey is drawn up. It outlines the topic and key questions of the survey, its objects and timing, methods and the documentation that will be developed by the methodologist during a visit to the library. For example, if the methodologist undertakes an analysis of the reader's forms, then the final document of this procedure will be a summary table of their analysis. The result of studying the library service of the population will be a map-diagram of the location of the network of stationary and non-stationary libraries, etc.

In methodological practice, various survey methods are used. Among them, one must first of all single out the method of direct observation. The methodologist oversees the work of librarians, is present at

mass events, m "< 1 ш i......п и......|ные пункты,

studies directly any shelf * ni .......... chiy fund,

looks through catalogs, filing cabinets, etc., stumps and, and SHOES, etc.

The value of this method is concluded by the fact that the methodologist can directly get acquainted with the work of the library and evaluate it. At the same time, the limited possibilities of this method are also obvious. A methodologist can observe the activities of the library for a relatively short time, which does not allow him to draw generalized conclusions about its work.

Therefore, along with direct observation, when examining the library, the method of studying the documentation is used. Documents are used primarily to obtain various information about the work of the library (statistical, thematic, etc.). All information extracted from documents is subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Along with the use of library documentation, the methodologist himself can create the documents necessary for collecting factual data and analyzing the library's activities (for example, develops a questionnaire for interviewing librarians and / or readers; collects readers' feedback on the library's work, etc.).

The survey also uses the method of conversations with librarians, in which the details of the library's activities are clarified, the positive aspects, shortcomings and difficulties in its work are clarified; motives of the librarian's actions in specific situations, etc. Conversations with librarians also make it possible to identify the level of their professional and general cultural training.

The method of conversations with readers is also used. Such conversations are conducted primarily with activists, members of the readers' council, as well as with library visitors. The main goal is to find out the opinion of readers about the work of the library, its fund and reference and bibliographic apparatus, about the mass events held, etc.

All these methods are used in combination, complementing and controlling each other.

The survey begins with a general acquaintance with the work of the library, with the conditions in which it works, with its staff. The methodologist talks with the director and other managers of the library, gets acquainted with the work plan, with organizational and administrative documentation.

The further sequence of the survey is of no fundamental importance and is established depending on local conditions. As practice shows, it is more expedient to conduct it through the structural divisions of the library, getting acquainted with all areas of their activities.

When determining the sequence of examining the work of structural divisions, they proceed mainly from the specific conditions of the library, take into account the days off of the department or branch, hours of work, the time of the greatest influx of readers, etc. The methodologist seeks to organize the acquaintance in such a way as not to disrupt the normal work of the structural unit as much as possible. For example, the hours devoted to internal work and the hours of the least influx of readers are used to familiarize themselves with the work of the service department. During the hours of the greatest attendance, the methodologist can only observe, without interfering with the work of the librarian.

Information about similar processes carried out in different departments of the library (for example, information

bibliographic service, mass work, etc.), further generalized by the methodologist

Usually, the survey begins with the library fund, since it is its composition that largely determines both the content and the volume of the library's work and largely influences the nature of conclusions about its work.

When familiarizing with the fund, attention is drawn to its composition, acquisition, use, purification of obsolete literature, correct accounting, measures to ensure safety. At the same time, the methodologist actively uses documentation (thematic and typological plan of recruitment, recruitment card files, documents of summary and individual accounting, etc.). These documents are used to extract from them and then analyze and evaluate statistical data. At the same time, the correctness of the preparation and maintenance of planning and accounting documentation is being studied. The method of direct study of the library fund is also used, especially the open access fund, its organization, placement, disclosure. Since the fund presented on the shelves does not fully reflect its composition, since the most requested literature is found among the readers, the methodologist studies the composition of the fund selectively from the systematic catalog.

When familiarizing with catalogs, attention is drawn to their organization, to the observance of the rules of bibliographic description, to the correct classification, and the quality of editing. As a rule, such a study is carried out selectively due to its complexity.

The methodologist's judgments on the formation of the fund are clarified in conversations with members of the Library Council and readers, during which their opinions on the quality of its acquisition are revealed. Of course, the survey of the collection, like all other areas of the library's work, is carried out in the presence of librarians who are working on the acquisition, organization and use of the library collection, which allows both to clarify the information retrieved from the documents and at the same time to consult librarians

When studying the use of the library collection, attention is paid not only to statistical indicators (the number of issued literature, the circulation of the collection, etc.), but also to work with refusals. At the same time, it is important to get acquainted not only with the accounting, but also with the work to eliminate them.

When familiarizing with the catalogs, the completeness of the reflection of the library fund in them, the timeliness of retrieving cards for retired literature, the accuracy of the placement of cards, the timeliness of allocating new headings, etc. are selectively analyzed.

When studying the service of readers, the methodologist, along with accounting documentation for extracting statistical information for its subsequent analysis (the number and composition of readers and book loans, readability, attendance, etc.), uses the method of selective analysis of reading according to reader's forms or demanding sheets.

The quality of individual work with readers is assessed through direct observation, when the methodologist observes the work of the librarian with the readers and takes notes of their conversations. Of course, these observations are later clarified in conversations with librarians. The methodologist also judges the quality of service to readers by their feedback.

Along with the study of the service of chiipels in the departments and branches of the stationary library, both the work of mobile libraries (library buses) and selective library points are also carried out. In this case, it seems advisable to choose for the survey library points operating in different conditions (for example, at a production site and in a hostel).

When studying work with readers, their reference-bibliographic and information-bibliographic services are simultaneously examined. The presence and quality of the reference and bibliographic apparatus, card indexes, archive of completed references is determined. Information service files are reviewed, the quality of bibliographic and information materials prepared by the surveyed library is analyzed.

Particular attention is paid to the organization and quality of propaganda of library and bibliographic knowledge. At the same time, along with the study of the relevant YuHumentation, the methodologist also uses the method of direct observation (for example, the service of readers in the bibliographic department, the conduct of classes on library and bibliographic literacy, etc.), as well as conversations with readers about the quality of their reference bibliographic and information services.

When examining the mass work of the library, the methodologist makes extensive use of the method of direct observation. He seeks, whenever possible, to personally attend mass events, studies the visual propaganda of literature in the library. Of course, documents that characterize the mass work are also involved (minutes of readers' conferences, programs for thematic evenings, texts of literature reviews, schemes of book exhibitions, etc.). Details of the preparation and conduct of public events are specified in conversations with librarians and readers.

The methodologist gets acquainted with the activities of clubs and associations of interests at the library, attends their classes and meetings, talks with leaders and participants.

The activity of the reader's council (its plans, minutes of meetings) is also examined. The methodologist talks with library activists, advises them on helping the library and public control over its activities. Simultaneously with the study of the activity of the asset, the methodologist is interested in how the library works with the asset, attracts him to help the library, instructs, encourages, etc.

If a library is a methodological center, it is studied how it provides methodological assistance to libraries. At the same time, they get acquainted not only with methodological documentation (plans for methodological assistance, methodological materials, certificates of library visits, curricula and advanced training programs for librarians, etc.), but also necessarily visit several libraries or branches to which this central library provides methodological help.

The methodologist seeks to attend individual training events (courses, seminars, schools of excellence) and, as a rule, not only attend the classes, but also take part in their conduct.

The state of the library management organization is also examined and, above all, work with personnel: the availability and quality of job descriptions, planning and

rationing of library work availability of organizational and administrative documentation and i and Methodist gets acquainted with the composition of librarians (by education, experience, etc.), studies the reasons for turnover.

Particular attention is paid to how librarians improve their professional and educational level. The methodologist studies the curriculum of industrial training, attends classes and takes part in their conduct. The professional and educational level of librarians is clarified during conversations with them, which should be casual and not turn into an exam for the librarian. In general, in the course of communication with librarians, a methodologist should show maximum goodwill and tact.

The methodologist also identifies how the surveyed library interacts with other libraries, cultural institutions, public organizations, STI bodies, etc. To this end, the methodologist studies coordination plans, talks with the director of the library and heads of structural units. When necessary, together with the director of the library being surveyed, visits those libraries, institutions and organizations with which the library has no relationship, or with which these relationships need to be strengthened.

When visiting the library, the methodologist not only examines the library, but also provides it with advisory and practical assistance. However, such assistance should not be about trying to do something for the librarian. The main purpose of assistance is to teach the librarian best practices.

The factual material collected during the survey is analyzed and evaluated, on the basis of which conclusions are drawn about the level of the library's work, about the successes and shortcomings of its activities.

The survey results are reflected in the certificate. It indicates the topic and timing of the survey, lists the libraries visited, indicates the persons who took part in the survey.

Further on, the reference tells about the positive that is available in the practice of the surveyed library. At the same time, special attention is paid to the innovations identified in its activities; significant shortcomings are noted (if they are found); their causes and remedies are analyzed. The certificate also lists the work done by the methodologist during the visit to the library (reports, consultations, practical help, etc.).

In conclusion, a general assessment of the library's activities and suggestions for improving its work are given. Proposals should be given specific, with an indication of the actual timing of this or that work.

The survey certificate is sent to the library director. One copy of the certificate is kept in the methodological department of the library that carried out the survey. The methodological department collects and stores references and other materials of visits to libraries, regardless of which department of the library, the methodological center, carried out the survey.

The results of the survey are discussed at a production meeting of the staff of the surveyed library, or at the board of the director, as well as at a meeting of the readers' council. The results are presented to the founder, who is in charge of the surveyed library.

The accumulation of experience in the examination of libraries is facilitated by the discussion of its results in the methodological department,

during which a UNIQUE analysis of the survey methodology should be carried out. In the future, METOJA is obliged to systematically maintain contacts with the surveyed library, to help her with advice.

Despite the fact that surveys are one of the main forms of methodological assistance to libraries, librarians often rate the visit of a methodologist to the library rather low compared to other forms of methodological assistance.

The reasons for this attitude are that the librarians' assessments reflect an objectively existing contradiction between what the librarian wants to get when the methodologist visits the library and what the methodologist gives him. Librarians see the greatest value in visiting a library as a facilitator in information about new things in librarianship and in providing practical assistance.

Therefore, one should not forget that the main purpose of the survey is not to check, but to analyze the activities of the library, on the basis of which it is established what specific methodological assistance it needs. On this basis, methodological manuals and recommendations are developed, and the professional development of librarians is carried out.

The flow of information upward from the libraries, the information revealed about their work is cumulated in the information base of methodological monitoring, in the information retrieval apparatus, which allows you to quickly enter and retrieve the necessary data.

For methodical practice, the following problems are important:

Creation of an information base for methodological monitoring, i.e., ways of obtaining information on issues of interest to methodologists;

Accumulation of this information in the methodological center;

Construction of a search engine that allows you to quickly enter and extract the necessary data from the system.

The solution of these problems requires the creation of an automated database, including both an "electronic dossier" for each library (its details; statistical data on its activities; information about personnel; factual data on its work and innovations, etc.), and constantly updated summary statistics for the library network, factual and bibliographic information on innovations and their diffusion in libraries.

The ideal is to create such an ISS that combines information about all objects of such monitoring, which will allow you to monitor all parameters of the library system and changes in it for making both operational and predictive methodological decisions.

The basis for making such decisions is analytical activity aimed at analyzing the development and state of the activities of both individual libraries and the library network as a whole. On this basis, methodological influence on the work of libraries is carried out in order to provide methodological support for their activities, the development of methodological recommendations, operational consulting and methodological assistance to libraries, etc.

Libraries - methodological centers carry out analysis both on the basis of direct acquaintance with the work of libraries and library networks, and indirectly through the study of reporting, planning, information and other documents of libraries.

Analysis of the activities of libraries and library systems allows you to assess the level of their work, to identify positive

and negative aspects of activities, outline ways to eliminate deficiencies and improve work

The analytical activity of the methodological centers serves as a prerequisite for increasing their organizing role and the scientific level of work, making the most optimal decisions and developing prospects for further improving librarianship. The results of the analysis are used in the long-term planning of methodological support for the activities of libraries, in the preparation of various methodological manuals and recommendations for libraries, in measures to improve the qualifications of library personnel.

The analysis of library practice includes:

Revealing the essential and typical in the collected factual material about the activities of libraries;

Establishing the place of each fact in the general system of library practice;

Comparison of facts to establish connections between phenomena.

The main task of the analysis is to single out from the mass of factual material collected about the activities of libraries that is really advanced, worthy of dissemination. The analysis should lead to generalized conclusions about the value of the library experience, to practical recommendations for the application of this experience in the work of libraries. Along with this, in the analysis, an important place is occupied by the identification of specific shortcomings of library practice.

Library practice analysis is an analysis of the entire work of a library in the aggregate of content, methods and results of activity.

When analyzing the content of the work, the main attention is directed to the active nature of the activities of libraries, to the connection between their work and life, to the place of work on the topic under study in the general complex of library activities.

However, the subject matter in itself, no matter how fully it meets the tasks facing the library, still does not determine the quality of its work. The subject matter is reflected in the entire complex of the library's activities, in its application of various methods and rational organizational forms of work. Therefore, when analyzing library practice, it is important not only to analyze the themes of the library's work, but also the ways in which it was carried out in its activities.

The analysis of methods aims to reveal in what concrete forms the work of the library is expressed, in what ways it solves the assigned tasks, to reveal the system of its work. At the same time, it is important to identify the features of the library under study, the originality of the use of various forms and methods in its practice.

The most important place in the analysis of library practice is the analysis of the results of the work, since only on its basis it is possible to draw general conclusions about whether this experience is advanced, worthy of dissemination throughout the network of libraries. In doing so, it is important to establish a link between the changes made to the library practice and the results achieved.

In the study of library practice, a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods is used.

Quantitative analysis of library practice relies on methods developed by library statistics. The diverse activity of the library is expressed in various numerical indicators (absolute, relative, average) that characterize the library from both quantitative and qualitative aspects. These indicators are unequal in their scope and content, and, consequently, in importance for the analysis of library practice. Some of them register individual facts of the library's work. Others reflect the work of the library over a long period, summarize a lot of individual facts.

Statistics, analyzing generalizing indicators, establishes connections and dependencies of the studied phenomena of library practice and thus reflects trends in its development. Against the background of statistical averages, it is easy to compare facts, it is easy to see the new and the advanced, the rare and the widespread. Following the statistical rules, one can reliably speak on the basis of a selective study of facts about their entire totality.

A quantitative analysis of the library's work should not only compare the same type of generalizing indicators with the planned ones, reveal their dynamics, but also show the relationship of various generalizing indicators, their influence on each other. When analyzing library practice, it is necessary to consider the absolute, relative and average values \u200b\u200bin combination, that is, to compare some values \u200b\u200bwith others; the conclusions obtained on the basis of the analysis of some quantities should be checked with the conclusions obtained with the help of other quantities. Only under this condition it is possible to give an objective assessment of the library's activities, to draw generalized conclusions, which are the result of a quantitative analysis.

A quantitative analysis of the library's activities makes it possible to draw generalized conclusions about the volume and content of its work, about the results achieved, to establish a connection between phenomena in library practice. It allows you to identify the leading libraries that have achieved the best results in their work. However, when analyzing library practice, we cannot limit ourselves only to a quantitative analysis of the activities of libraries. This applies to the analysis of both the methods of library practice and the results achieved.

The study of the phenomena of library practice consists primarily of identifying their qualitative nature. If we always operated only with generalizing indicators for the entire process under study as a whole, then many individual facts that have a particularly progressive meaning would remain unnoticed. Deviations beyond the "statistical mean" usually indicate the emergence of a new one. To study these qualitatively new phenomena, not only quantitative-statistical, but also the corresponding qualitative methods are needed.

Quantitative analysis is also completely insufficient in determining the results of the library's activities. Her work cannot be judged solely by the number of books issued or public events held. Quantitative indicators, answering the question of what has been done, what has been achieved, cannot give an answer to another, less important question - how it was achieved. Therefore, quantitative analysis can only give correct objective conclusions if it is combined with a thorough and comprehensive qualitative analysis.

Qualitative analysis makes it possible to assess both the totality of the facts of the library's activities, and

a separate, individual fact that reflects something new in library practice. Its task is to find a way through the mass of accumulated facts, to separate the basic, the essential from the accidental and insignificant; to highlight the specific, peculiar in the work of the library. The most important task of qualitative analysis is to explain the facts of library practice, to reveal their meaning.

The complexity of explaining the facts of library practice is associated with the versatility of its phenomena. This necessitates the use of a set of qualitatively different methods of analysis, depending on the purpose and object of study.

Structural and functional analysis is of great importance in the analysis of library practice. In it, the object of study is considered as a system, respectively divided into component parts, and the functions of each are determined. So, when studying the practice of holding reader's conferences, individual elements of the preparation and holding of this mass event, their place and significance for the reader's conference as a whole are analyzed.

Analysis by analogy is of great importance, i.e. comparison of similar in nature or origin facts of the activities of libraries. Such a comparison can be made both on factual material about the activities of one library, and on a number of libraries collected from the practice. By means of this method, the similarity or difference of the studied phenomena is established, their correspondence to the put forward theoretical positions and methodological recommendations. For example, in the given example, by analogy, individual readers' conferences are compared with each other, the common elements of which they are composed are established, and significant differences are determined.

Causal analysis is also important. It allows you to reveal the interaction of facts, to show how one fact (reason) affects another fact (consequence). In our example, such an analysis will help to find out how the use of certain methods of preparing and holding a reader's conference affected its results.

The use of various methods of qualitative analysis to explain the facts of library practice makes it possible to comprehensively consider the phenomena of practice and evaluate them. Methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis are closely related to each other, mutually condition each other. Just as it is impossible to give a substantiated assessment of the quality of the library's activity only by numerical indicators, it is impossible to give generalized conclusions about the library's work based on individual facts or even their totality, without quantitative analysis. Quantitative and qualitative analysis are two sides of the same process for analyzing library practice. An important stage in the analysis of library practice is the systematization of factual material. It presupposes a certain orderliness of a number of facts, their grouping according to the issues on which the analysis was carried out.

Statistical processing methods are one of the means of such a transition from direct analysis data to their systematization. Their application to a more or less significant number of facts revealed in the process of analysis allows us to obtain a generalized fact instead of a multitude of single facts. The results of this calculation are reflected in statistical summaries, charts and graphs and serve as the basis for further analysis.

Statistical summaries are annually compiled by methodological centers in order to quantitatively and qualitatively characterize the activities of libraries in the served territory on the basis of statistical reports of libraries. All results are reflected in summaries, as a rule, in comparative numerical indicators (in comparison with the plan, with the last year, etc.). In this case, both absolute and average and relative indicators are used, which are given, as a rule, for each library and the total for the network of libraries.

Statistical summaries also include a textual part (explanatory note), in which quantitative indicators and their dynamics are analyzed and evaluated, and specific proposals addressed to libraries are given.

Another result of analytical activity is the annually drawn conclusions on the reports and plans of the libraries. The conclusion is given on the report and plan of a particular library or its structural unit (branch).

Drawing up a conclusion on the plan and report, the methodologist analyzes how correctly and specifically the tasks of the library for the current year are defined, how they are fulfilled, what measures are used to ensure their implementation, what is the efficiency of the library, what significant shortcomings are in its activities, how well the plan is drawn up in form or report. At the end of the conclusion, proposals are made aimed at improving the library's activities.