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The article summarizes the main provisions of scientific theories regarding the role of socio-humanitarian studies in the development of society and analyzes the factors contributing to their actualization in today’s scientific processes. Arguments are given that confirm the leading role of social and humanitarian studies in the research of society’ dynamic changes, forecasting of social development, determination of value orientations and strategic goals of the modern world. The change in the nature of globalization impact on the socio-humanitarian sphere, from restraining to stimulating, is noted, and it is manifested in the participation of the relevant sciences in solving the most large scale problems of our time, such as overcoming the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, finding answers to the challenges of war, understanding the European civilizational choice of Ukraine, etc. The practical possibilities of social and humanitarian studies in society are analyzed, in particular, their functioning as a basis for social practices, as a platform for justifying political decisions, as a basis for interdisciplinary research, as a core for the analysis and understanding by the world community of the modern place of science in the system of human values, its key role in improving the quality of life, creating a favorable and healthy environment for current and future generations. It was revealed that the analysis of the past carried out by the social and humanitarian studies, the definition of fundamental values, the substantiation of social, legal, moral and other norms, the meaningful directions of the development of social, political, and scientific processes are crucial factors in the effective response to these challenges.

The goal of the research - to investigate the using by readers and by staff the electronic and traditional reference aids of Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (VNLU) and practicability of preserving consulting services in the context of simultaneous using traditional (card) and modern (electronic) systems of documents searching. The methodology of research. The methodological supplement based on the complex of scientific principles and methods. Here we used historical, comparative and widespread scientific methods, as for example structural as also s tructuralfunctional methods of systematization and classification. Academic novelty. The use of card and electronic catalogues for documents searching is compared. The typical mistakes of users in filling out of demands for different informational sources were carefully considered. The matter of using traditional searching tools by readers and staff were also researched. The qualifications of con sulting bibliographical staff, the ways of dialogue between librarians and readers, communicative competence and informational culture and psychological skills of librarians were also taken into account. Some difficulties which readers face in searching information by their own hands and considering the advantages of searching of documents with support of consulting staff were pointed out. According to the results of the annual reports of the information retrieval sector of the VNLU 2018-2019, an analysis of the dynamics of growth of readers’ needs in the provision of information and consulting services was carried out and substantiated the need to provide such services in the VNLU. Conclusions. It is concluded that traditional catalogues continue to be in demand and together with electronic catalogues complement each other and confirm the need for their coexistence. Thus, a significant increasing in the number of readers’ requests for consultations to bibliographers in the catalogues hall proves the need to maintain the positions of bibliographic consultants and requires a constant improvement in the professional level of librarians-consultants for information retrieval and navigation in information resources.

The article focuses on the analysis of the change of the information and communication environment towards the dominance of virtual communication channels of the network character in it. This change is caused by the improvement of computer technologies and the growing influence of the Internet on all spheres of human activity. It is noted that one of the most widespread and accessible public communication tools today, with a high level of user engagement and sufficient communication tools, is social networks − online communities with similar interests, messaging, and sharing. The main features of social networks are accessibility, interactivity, personal involvement of users in the generation and retransmission of display content, maximum feedback speed, user personalization. Therefore, modern libraries are striving to use the social networking environment as a communication platform, which helps to convey information to users in a convenient way, expand the range of services to meet their information needs, advertise library services, attract new users, solve the professional tasks of librarians. The representations of libraries on social networks, by means of which the conditions for the fulfillment of these tasks are created, considerably extend, thus, the field for library to perform its communicative function. In this context, there has been a significant expansion of social communication space in general and of library in particular, due to the formation of two types of communication interactions − virtual (mediatized) and real (direct), which makes possible to consider the library as a multilevel communication system. Research into libraries virtual communication interactions, in particular through their representation on social networks, is recognized as deserved scientific attention. This communication examines the process of communication facilitated by network representations, and which in sociology and psychology has been called communicative practices. The definitions, formulated by scientific discourse means, of communicative practice as an orderly set of rational activity samples, are presented. This activity aims at transmitting / receiving socially meaningful information, or as typical means of communication, through which person interprets, represents his/her values and norms and builds common field of meaningful interaction of communication subjects. The features of virtual communication, specifics of communicative practices in online communities and the possibilities of their application in library network offices are considered.

The article analyzes the possibilities and advantages of using library offices in social networks as platforms for hosting professional information resources for librarians, analyzes the experience of presenting such resources on the web pages of Ukrainian libraries, clarifies their importance in the development of professional communication of librarians, social communication researchers. It was determined that professional information placed on the pages of library network significantly diversifies the system of professional information resources for library workers, improves the process of obtaining the necessary information, reduces the time spent to search for specific information. In this context, the pages of libraries in social networks are viewed as a new tool for the professional development of librarians, through which the formation of a professional information resource base for librarians takes place.

The necessity of developing a system for assessing the effectiveness of libraries in social networks is substantiated. Proposals on criteria and methods, relevant for application in such system, are analyzed, the modern experience of their use is analyzed. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the effectiveness of the library activity in social networks can be evaluated using methods proposed by librarians for the overall evaluation of the library work, in particular, program-target, expert, natural, methods of comparison, monitoring, certification, and others. It is quite effective to determine the efficiency of the network representation of the library, as well as the collection and analysis of indicators of statistical services of Internet platforms, which are the most informative regarding the degree of user activity and satisfaction of their information needs through participation in network communication with the library.

The article substantiates the expediency of developing and implementing standards for libraries presence in the environment of social networks that promote their effectiveness as channels of social information communications. Based on the monitoring of the representations of foreign and domestic libraries in the social network Facebook and the recommendations of the professional community, proposals on the approximate standards for building and filling the Facebook page of the library are formulated.

The paper deals with current practice of managing libraries activity in social networks and based on its analysis, substantiates the feasibility of introducing and benefits of using administrative standards for network representations servicing. It is determined that an effective tool to research modern practice of libraries presence in social networks is online questionnaire, through which one can analyze the activity of Ukrainian libraries in social network environment for availability of regulatory documents, level of awareness of library page administrators in technological processes supporting the network representation, to identify existing problems and to make constructive solutions. Summarizing and analyzing information obtained through the questionnaire could serve as a basis for developing of proposals, methodological recommendations, standard documents that would determine the optimal algorithm for creating and maintaining network pages of libraries and outline the approximate model of library representation in social networks. Among the documents regulating work, the decisive and compulsory for development of each library is to elaborate a strategy of library activity in social networks, provisions on the organization and policy of library presence in networking space, job descriptions of employees, who are responsible for administering these resources etc.

The article defines library place in information and communication processes in the period of transition to information society. The focuse is on transformation of the functions and the role of modern library as an information and communication society institute, as well as on issues that greatly inhibit the rapid development of librarianship in Ukraine. It should be noted that the new technological conditions of libraries functioning caused by development of information have formed the basis for its transformation from passive information broker to productive knowledge management system. Changing the stereotypes of relationship between library and public and diversity communication practices of modern libraries in the context of the knowledge society is grounded. The article presents arguments to prove thesis that in the information society libraries as the most open communication structures are not only objects of informatization, but also are an important actors in this process.