Continuity of knowledge is the objective regularity of library science development. Library science is characterized by non- cumulated model of cognitive potential growth. The processes of new knowledge generation, actualization and complementation go on continuously, although unevenly, with varying degrees of intensity at different historical stages. The goal of the article is rationale for continuity and dynamics as the main instruments of library science knowledge development. The article is based on data analyses (including content-analyses) in the framework of methodology of inductive approach. Traditions and innovations are the main categories that provide continuality and dynamics in library knowledge growth and its further enhancement. The author considers the ideological impact on library science development, shows the influence of political changes on library science and the professional community. The article gives examples of Marxist ideology blocking the creation of new scientific ideas, determining the nature and content of research programs and the methodological tools chosen by scientists. Continuity in science can be strengthen by organization and fulfilling microhistorical researches. Portraits can creates a good basis for biographical and prosopographic research. Portraits of researchers presented in scientific, popular science, memoirs and other texts give an idea not only about their lives, but also about the features of the historical era. The role of creating portraits, as well as biographical and prosopographical research, is very important for understanding the processes of dynamics and continuity in the development of library science knowledge. Studying the professional career of practitioners and researchers allows getting answers to questions related to the origins of ideas, concepts, and theories, and helps tracing the complex path of transition from practical activities to library science. These types of research help to identify the social background of researchers, understand their beliefs and motivation to improve practice based on the use of scientific knowledge. Biographical and prosopographical research contributes to the removal of many misconceptions on the development of library science at different historical stages. Local history research is also important for studying and understanding the development of library science and the features of professional and personal life of researchers who have contributed to its cognitive enrichment. The integration of the results of local history, biographical and prosopographical research allows the creation a more complete picture of the development of library science in the historical perspective.

The article presents the results of a study of signals conveying positive or negative messages about social scientists. We surveyed sociologists actively publishing in the Russian language (N = 810). Subjects were asked to respond to a hypothetical situation in which they were to assess CVs of a fictional applicant for a grant competition. Attributes of scholars comprising a standard academic biography differed markedly both in their salience and in the degree of consensus about their importance. A book written single-handedly was the most unanimously recognized symbol of academic merit among Russian sociologists. The least agreement was about the signals related to the presence at the international intellectual scene (teaching in a “well-known European university”, publishing in international periodicals) and to the participation in dissertation production (supervising or serving as a reviewer of many dissertations). Importance of these groups of signals depends on the overall orientation to the local or global audience and age. There were much more consensus about the attributes in different ways discrediting scientists, such as plagiarizing or multiple publications.

This paper focuses on the move by some academic libraries to replace subject-based organisational structures with new functional structures, introducing functional specialists instead of subject librarians. It reports 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior managers in UK libraries discussing their attitudes to this change. Key drivers for change included the desire to align the library more closely with institutional strategy and provide enhanced research support. However, there were also major concerns, particularly the loss of close relationships with academic departments. Little consensus emerged apart from agreement that this is a major current debate impacting significantly on the future positioning of libraries in their institutions.

Amateur children’s and youth press (samizdat) has historical roots in Russia, including in the Siberian-far Eastern region. At each stage it was characterized by specific features conditioned by socio-cultural factors of the time. The purpose of the article is to analyze current trends in the development of children’s samizdat. The work is based on an extensive source database. The author analyzed data from “The Russian school press Register”, looked through PDF-versions and online school publications on the official pages of almost one hundred educational institutions in the region, as well as individual printed samples of children’s and youth amateur magazines, studied the sites “Dai Zin”, “Children’s samizdat” and a number of blog communities popular with teenagers. The investigation showed that in the first quarter of the new Millennium the unique phenomenon called samizdat is an actively developing part of the information space. There was a quantitative growth of children’s and youth (teenage) press. Its type-specific and content characteristics have become more diverse. Along with subcultural periodicals prepared by young correspondent, home-made book are also published. The rapid development of new information technologies has resulted in the emergence of new forms of self-publishing: online magazines, blogs of young authors.

The article studies the history of the development of children’s books in Canada. The author emphasises the main political, socio-economic and cultural factors that affect this process and form its unique characteristics. The hypothesis that «Canadian cultural identity» cannot yet be defined since it is continually, significantly affected by domestic issues and foreign cultures is proposed and analysed.

The author analyses the historical way of Canadian children’s book development. The different stages of this development are taken into account: from the total domination of foreign children’s books on the Canadian market to the resurrection and reflection of the First Nation people’s history and culture in the new books of Canadian writers. The author suggests that the modern stage of the Canadian Children’s books existence gives these books a power to become an instrument of Canadian cultural identification.

Different concepts of formation of the term Canadian children’s books are evaluated and their commonality and differences are underlined. The author defines the criteria that modern researchers, writers, publishers, cultural foundations and non-profit organizations use to describe the uniqueness of Canadian children’s books.

The system of government and private financial support for Canadian writers, illustrators and publishers is described. The main strategies for support and promotion of Canadian children’s books inside Canada are analysed.

The article describes the directions of distribution of books for children in the Eastern regions of Russia that have appeared in the last decade. Based on a combination of landscape-reconstructing principles, surveys, and comparative typological analysis, the article presents data that expand previously studied aspects of the functioning of the main channels for the sale of books for children in the Siberian-Far Eastern region. It is shown that books for children are the largest segment of the Russian book market, which has been growing since 2008. At the regional level, they are widely presented in all book distribution channels: bookselling networks and independent stores; online stores; book departments of supermarkets (non-core retail); kiosks and stalls; book fairs. The purpose of the article is to analyze the current trends in the distribution of books for children in the region. Positive trends typical for the children book market in the Siberian-far Eastern region are identified. They are: the activity of children book supermarkets, the appearance of independent small stores of club-backstage format, the organization of specialized children Internet projects; increasing the importance of regional book exhibitions, fairs, festivals and holidays in the distribution of books for children; projects support by major Russian patrons. The significance of the study of new practices for the distribution of literature for children and youth in the region is determined by their influence on the formation of a new conceptual model for the popularization of reading, based on the idea of culture as a powerful lever of socio-economic development of territories.

This article provides an overview of the scientific productivity of the regions of the Republic of Belarus according to the data of the scientometric systems Scopus and Web of Science. The aim of the work is to present the results of bibliometric analysis of research activities in separate regions of the country. The following indicators are calculated: the number of organizations and publications, citations, average citations per article, highly cited publications. The performed analysis is relevant, since the topic of the regional distribution of publication activity in the Republic of Belarus has not been covered yet in the professional press. The analysis showed that the scientific productivity of the regions in Belarus is at a low level, even with the observed increase in publication activity in recent years. The results obtained can be used as initial data by specialists in their further research, heads of scientific organizations for making managerial decisions in the field of scientific policy, determining the most promising areas of research, etc. It is concluded that in order to improve the results of research activities of the territorial-administrative regions in the Republic of Belarus, it is necessary to actively develop national and international scientific cooperation.

Comparing changes in publication policies, the influence of translated books, and an important role that women writers play now, author analyzed new tendencies in American and Russian children’s and teens’ literature. The author concludes that American picture books reflect the varieties of contemporary experiences, and the Russian ones thrive with poetry and non-fiction. The comparison of teens’ literature of both countries shows a lot of similarities; both encompass more sensitive topics, such as illness, death, suicide, drugs, psychological trauma, and bulling.

The Review on the monograph by T. V. Maistrovich «The role of research electronic libraries in expanding the knowledge space»