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The changes in the libraries field of Sumy region at the 90s of XXth - beginning XXIth century are explored in this article. The major problems of the establishments of libraries in Sumschina in the new socio-economic conditions of independent Ukraine and the mainstream activity of development are analyzed here. The role of libraries in the field of patriotic and humanistic education of the population is shown. The attempts to optimize the libraries work in low funding conditions are exposed. The special attention is paid to the implementation of modern information technologies in the library work. Also the article contains recommendations on ways to further libraries developing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a retrospective overview of the research activities of the Latvian book science since WWII. The article shows the historical context of the research of book history in Latvia during the period of Soviet occupation as well as in exile, starting from the fifties and up to the eighties of the 20th century. The research activities by K. Egle and J. Straubergs were restricted significantly. The exiled researchers studied and published predominantly old Latvian prints found by them in libraries of Western Europe. The research activities by A. Apīnis had an enormous significance for the development of book science as an independent field of science. The article shows the controversial way of the development of book science in Latvia after regaining political independence in 1991. The research topics, the base of scientific sources, the opportunities for international cooperation have become more diverse, but there is still in place the nihilism on the state's level towards humanitarian social sciences in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bibliology, the methodology of historical studies entirely depends on an applied approach. The author adheres to the historical approach that says that a science development is traced with a kind of its historical logic, with all ways of its development, including those that are dead-end. Based on such approach and starting from G. Peignot's concept of bibliology, the author logically traces trends of bibliology development in Western Europe beginning from the 17th century. The author concludes that by the beginning of the 19th century when Peignot presented his works, in the science there had already been the established corpora of scientific knowledge used by this outstanding French bibliologist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key categories of book science (bibliology) changed through time, along with the evolution of science and according to different research perspectives present in different periods and pursued by different schools. Historical approach in book science has to be considered first, because of both for chronological reasons and its significance. Bibliology, usually called 'bibliography' at that time, was born as a historical science (Joachim Lelewel, 1786-1861, was one of its representatives) and has continued to be such, even if its scope now is far wider than of a science auxiliary to history. Historical school is closely related to philological school. For the latter, the importance of the book world resides in its ability to sustain language and writing. However, the book is a social phenomenon, too. Therefore, in book science itself as well as in other human and social sciences, research categories such as 'book in society' and 'social function of book' have proved useful. The wide scope of the 'book and society' formula has prompted many authors to distinguish an autonomous scientific discipline of 'book sociology' (bibliosociology). At different stages of evolution, global book science was accompanied by 'book psychology' (bibliopsychology) and 'book pedagogy'. Within these, bibliological issues were considered in the context of relationships between books and humans and the educational functions of books. One of the most influential concepts in the last few decades, the so-called functional book science (Karol Głombiowski, 1970), has its roots in sociological approach. Its essence is a simultaneous, dual consideration of the book and the book world. They are not only historical and social facts, but also manifestations of a perpetual process of interpersonal and societal communication and of fulfilling the role of book, whether potential or real. The functional concept in book science corresponds with information and communication theories which have allowed to focus on book characteristics as a means of recording information and as communication tools more than before. Here, the most important are theoretical constructs of Paul Otlet (1934) and Robert Estivals (1987). For Otlet, bibliology is identical with documentology understood as a broad universal science focused on any documents and their functioning. A 'documented being' („l'être documenté") as a subject of bibliology is decisive for its importance for any other sciences, within which 'documents' are produced (e.g. books, periodicals, various 'scripta'). Estivals, in turn, paved the way for considering bibliology as a science about written communication („la science de la communication écrite"). Over time, the cultural perspective in bibliological research regained importance and appreciation. Indeed, at least since the end of the 19th century, in humanistic literature of many countries, notions such as book, printing, library, or readership were intimately related to word 'culture'. The significance of the 'book culture' notion for establishing the identity of book science relates to its potential to bring together all material and spiritual aspects of a book and its usefulness for both historical bibliology and description of the contemporary book world. A confirmation of the usefulness of 'book culture' as of the central paradigm of modern bibliology is provided by the emergence of many related notions in international humanistic writing. Thus, we have 'script culture', 'print culture', 'typographic culture', 'publishing culture', 'bibliographic culture' (including historiography of literature), 'library culture' and 'reading culture'. The latter two are typically present in the history of culture, but also in bibliology, sociology, and literature science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]