Libraries and Legal Regulation: New project for systematic upgrading of Russia’s libraries

Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS) has held a press conference which turned the spotlight on a brand new project for systematic upgrading of Russia’s libraries and attracting digital technologies in library practice. Russian libraries, striving to provide universal access to information and cultural values, whose principles are stated in the law “On Library Science”, have encountered a problem, i.e. introduction of digital technologies in library practice contradicts the norms of the Civil Code Part 4 of the Russian Federation, thus paralyzing modernization of libraries. Systematic solution of this current situation is today offered by the National Library Resource.

The National Library Resource is a unified system which operates to meet the interests of all the patrons countrywide and also evokes interest on the part of right holders. The National Library Resource will enter into a contract with any right holder, whose full-text books get released in this extensive information system covering libraries of the country. This contract will have the following nature. The right holder will transfer the right to the National Library Resource for creation of two electronic copies of his work for free. One of these electronic copies will go to the backup as a part of our book fund. Another one will be made available on the National Library Resource’s portal for users. Users include all federal, departmental, regional, municipal libraries. In other words, it will be hardly possible to enter the National Library Resource’s database just surfing the Internet”.

April 15, 2011 Moscow International Business Center (Moscow City) launched a solemn ceremony where professors and lecturers of a number of Russian universities transferred copyrights to the National Library Resource.

The National Library Resource thus has achieved a right to make digital copies of textbooks, monographs and other publications of authors at these universities. It means that patrons of the Russian State Library, the National Library of Russia, the Presidential Library and other libraries of Russia will get access to this literature.