Abstract: The main stages of the development of the Internet in libraries are considered, starting from the use of e-mail in individual libraries, and ending with corporate library systems. The material covers the period from 1993 to 2003. Russian scientific libraries began to deal with the issues of using network technologies in the practice of their work in the mid-1980s. The leader in this area was the Library of Natural Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as LNS). In March 1984, an on-line search of information was carried out from the LNS building in Moscow in ISI databases located in ISI branches in London and Cologne. A group of specialists from ISI, who specially flew to Moscow with the necessary equipment, and technical specialists from the recently created All-Union Research Institute of Applied Automated Systems (VNIIPAS) took part in the experiment. Communication with the databases was carried out via a dial-up telephone channel. The first phase of the LIBNET network, which unites several Moscow libraries, is described. The network was created in 1994 with the financial support of the Open Society Institute. It united the State Public Scientific and Technical Library, the State Public Historical Library, the State Central Scientific Medical Library, the Natural Sciences Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Scientific Library of Moscow State University. Each library included in the project received the necessary equipment, and its connection was provided by employees of the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. At this time attempts were made to coordinate the development of network technologies for libraries, consortia were created for access to foreign electronic resources, etc.

Keywords: LibNet program, library cosortia, automation systems, historical aspect, network technologies, Internet, scientific libraries, LibWEB project, expert council, typical decisions

Abstract: Currently, large-scale projects are being implemented in the Russian Federation to preserve the rich historical and cultural heritage. Digitization (scanning, preparation for machine processing, open access placement) of newspaper and documentary materials fully corresponds to this trend of state policy, fully contributes to the implementation of one of its directions – the preservation of the industrial heritage of the Soviet era. The digitized materials of the newspaper "Vagonostroitel" make up most of the issues of this small-circulation publication that have been preserved in the region. When combining the resulting array of digitized newspaper files with incomplete sets stored in the regional scientific library and the regional state archive, a full-fledged database of materials on the production activities of one of the largest enterprises in the region and the lives of its workers is created. Digitized materials with an effective search system are posted on the Internet (on the server of the I. Kant BFU). The implemented project makes the newspaper "Vagonostroitel" accessible to all those interested in the fate of the plant, helps the descendants of factory workers to learn about the lives of parents, grandparents, which contributes to the education of patriotic feelings and family values. The discovered and digitized office documentation transferred to the archive significantly complements the existing archival fund of the plant, expands the possibilities for a comprehensive and objective study of its history. During the implementation of the project, foreign and domestic, including leading Russian libraries and regional scientific libraries, experience in scanning and posting periodicals and scanning archival materials on the Internet was taken into account. Bitrix, Phyton, html, Python-tesseract, and Yandex Disk 360 programs were used to create the website of the Vagonzavod newspaper and the search engine for the digitized Vagonostroitel newspaper.

Keywords: digitization, OCR Tesseract, Python, Kaliningrad, newspaper Vagonostroitel, historical source, industrial history, periodicals, industrial heritage, Soviet era

Abstract: The article contains a description of the results of the inventory of the Internet resources of the Russian archives, carried out in order to create a reference and information system on digital humanities (CISG). The objects that together form the infosphere of this discipline are determined. The problem of detailing the level of resources in their accounting and cataloging is considered. The criteria for selecting specific resources that are interesting to the user are discussed. The structure of the database of the projected system is given. The issues of using languages for indexing information objects are discussed. The quantitative characteristics of the inventory are given. The CG system should ensure increased visibility, citation and reuse of digital humanities objects created in Russia. In this study, the resources of federal archives, state archives of the subjects of the Russian Federation presented on the Internet were studied, as well as departmental archives in a small number, if they have socio-humanitarian content. The management bodies of the archives of the subjects of the Russian Federation were included in the database if they have their own website hosting resources of interest. Archives with dominant technical or natural-scientific content were not included in the study. Also, at this stage, the resources of municipal archives were not considered. The study also identified the main methodological problems of accounting and cataloging of Internet resources that need to be solved.

Keywords: information system, information search, internet, internet heuristics, digital humanities, indexing, cataloging, inventory, internet resources, Russian Archives

Abstract: The article studies the problem of the source base used to study the 1861 peasant reform in Russia in the context of mass digitization of documents of historical archives, in particular, the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg. The work informs about a significant expansion of the source base used to study economic consequences of the 1861 peasant reform. This expansion is caused by digitization of 577 fund materials (the main redemption institution of the Ministry of Finance) done by the staff of the Presidential Library in St. Petersburg and the Russian State Historical Archive. Because of its size, this fund has been studied incompletely and very unevenly as far as separate regions of the country are concerned. To date nearly 90000 files have been digitized which contain redemption materials of 49 provinces and regions of the Russian Empire characterized by the landlord property. Most of these archival files are categorized as “particularly valuable”. The article informs about the scanned documents, the prospects for their study and accessibility in scientific and educational centers of the Russian Federation and foreign countries. It also describes the information potential of some documents such as ustavnye gramoty, mirskie prigovory, etc. All materials are available for researchers both in the electronic reading room of the library and in remote access points to information resources.

Keywords: St. Petersburg, access, scanning, the main redemption institution, peasant reform, presidential library, Ministry of Finance, archive, document, digitization

Abstract: The article describes the creation and the structure of the information base covering statistical sources related to the history of Russian pipe industry in the late 19th – early 20th centuries, reviews the sources used, justifies topicality of the study and briefly characterizes pipe industry in this period. The author names four stages characterized in terms of their content and interrelation of elements, the presence of quantitative values and their analysis. The article gives examples of schemes for creating different tables that make up the basis of the resource as well as specific examples of their structure. The research novelty is the goals set and the way they are achieved. These have not been addressed by historians before as far as the industry, the chronological and territorial framework and some other parameters are concerned. Moreover, the use of mass statistical material in such a form is clearly individual and unique. In particular, the thematic digital information resource created which demonstrates operating rates of individual plants and the branch as a whole does not have analogs and can be further developed in accordance with the parameters introduced. In total, this resource consists of 25 Excel files containing 181 917 numerical values of which 73 591 are the values of sources the resource is based on. The methodology suggested for the creation of such an information base and analysis of its data can be considered a new approach to the source study of digitized mass statistical sources. 

Keywords: Market indicators, Performance indicators, Pipe industry, Ferrous metallurgy, Early 20th century, Verification, Digital resource, Information base, Statistical sources, Workforce structure

Abstract: The article crowns a series of reviews dealing with information resources created on the basis of online archival audiovisual documents and discusses collections of film documents. The author considers electronic finding aids (catalogs) and digitized collections of documentary, artistic as well as experimental and amateur cinema stored in various fund holders: archives, libraries and museums. Emphasis was laid on activities of international organizations which are in charge of film industry and archives of audiovisual documents as well as national institutes and cinematography centers carrying out research (theoretical and methodological) and thematic (specific historical projects) studies of film documents. The main research methods are historical-genetic, historical-typological and historical-comparative ones which were accompanied by problem-chronological, historical descriptive methods and the method of actualization. The research novelty is the composition of resources described and the historiographic method of their study as well as brief summary of traditional source-study methods for studying film materials and assessing their adjustment to the electronic environment. The article specially analyses the use of electronic copies of film documents in research practice. 

Keywords: electronic copies, film documents, portal, scientific reference device, archive, information resources, audiovisual archives, film documentation methods, historical source, online publications

Abstract: The article studies online information resources which are collections of electronic copies of historical photographic materials stored in organizations which collect, store and study historical and cultural heritage objects. Over the past 19 years the author of the article has identified and formed a collection of links to similar resources. The collected array of information allowed the author to classify and analyze the content of portals, websites, pages, blogs, etc., as well as identify new approaches to the publication and study of photographic documents presented in the digital environment. The main research methods are historical and genetic, historical and typological, historical and comparative ones. These methods of historical research were accompanied by the problem and chronological method, the historical descriptive method and the method of actualization. The research novelty is the composition of the resources described, the historiographic method of their study as well as the search for the most important (from the viewpoint of historical information science) methods and ways to digitize photo documents, their attribution, description and development of software which provides for studying electronic copies of photos as historical sources.

Keywords: analize of historiography, historiography, sites, archive, information resources, audiovisual archives, electronic copies, negatives, positives, photo print

Abstract: The article studies photodocumentary collections stored in national archives, libraries and museums as well as electronic catalogs, thematic projects and online exhibitions created on their basis. The review analyzes more than 100 information resources from 38 countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The analysis criteria are the number of photo documents stored, the number of online copies, the reference aid as well as the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. The main research methods are historical and genetic, historical and typological, historical and comparative ones. These basic methods of historical research were accompanied by the problem and chronological method, the historical descriptive method and the method of actualization. The research novelty is the composition of the resources described as well as the historiographic method of their study. The author compares information resources, characterizes their representativeness, completeness of attributions and reliability of descriptions. Special emphasis is laid on identification of electronic copies of photo documents related to Russian history.

Keywords: electronic copies, site, historiography, scientific reference device, photo documents, information resources, audiovisual archives, negatives, positives, photo print

Abstract: The article is an introductory part to a series of materials which historiographically consider and describe Internet document resources and contain finding aids and electronic copies of historical and cultural heritage objects. It includes integrative information resources developed by groups of countries or institutions. These resources aimed at providing remote access to descriptions and electronic copies of historical and cultural heritage site as well as developing methodological approaches (including standards and formats for description and digitization) that were to become common. Several research methods are used in the article. The main are comparative-historical and descriptive ones. At the same time interdisciplinary methods and methods of historical information science were used. The research novelty is the composition of resources described and the historiographic method of their study as well as the identification of methods and traditional historical sources information transformation techniques which are important for historical information science and can be further introduced into the electronic environment and employed in historical studies

Keywords: objects of historical and cultural heritage, historiography, sites, portal, information resources, documentary resources, electronic copies, information system, scientific reference, record

Abstract: The article studies how to use the results of the survey of academic information resources to design the Unified Russian Electronic Knowledge Space (UREKS). The study carried out earlier in the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (ISISS (INION)) of the Russian Academy of Sciences covered institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations dealing with social sciences and humanities. This article describes information resources of the history academic sector and discusses the distribution of historical information resources by the Department of Historical and Philological Sciences (DHPS) of the RAS, provides the reader with statistics about the information resources owned by the DHPS institutions and enumerates other categories of academic institutions. For analytical purposes the author employs the information resources typology used in the ISISS of the RAS when the navigator of information resources in social sciences (NIRSS) was being created. The article also gives examples of the information resources of the RAS institutions and formulates the goals of information resources catalogue publication. The author puts forward the principles of UREKS formation which demand the study of resources similar to the described one. The article concludes that these are academic information resources (as the most reliable ones) that could be the initial UREKS sources. Herewith, the NIRSS resources must be qualitatively estimated.

Keywords: traditional resources, electronic resources, typology of information resources, information resources Navigator, history, academic institutions, information resources, Electronic knowledge space, resource ownership, resource estimation

Abstract: The article studies information resources of academic institutions related to social sciences and humanities. The author defines information resources data to be collected in the process of inventory as well as the inventory sphere and the source composition. Qualitative data on the main information resources categories (both traditional and electronic ones) are given. The main resources are as follows: archival funds, funds of traditional libraries, museum funds, bibliographical lists and catalogues, periodicals, electronic libraries, databases and other AIS, reference resources, linguistic resources, encyclopedic resources, data on events, prosopography, photographic documents, audio documents and video documents, etc. The author discusses methodical issues related to information resources inventory accounting for the ongoing transition from traditional forms of creation and storage of various resources as well as access to them to digital forms. The article also addresses the issues of resources in the sphere of social sciences and humanities and academic resources. The author proposes a classification of resources and a database structure containing the inventory results. The author concludes that the inventory results can be used to solve the following problems: •acquisition of basic data for further coordinated development of information resources in academic institutions related to social sciences and humanities; •organization of efficient navigation within the information field of social sciences and humanities in academic institutions; •determination of parameters of a program to digitize library, archival and museum funds of academic institutions; • determination of parameters of a program to preserve (store in archives) valuable scientific digital information of academic institutions; • development of suggestions about conditions and prospects of information space development in the sphere of social sciences and humanities;• determination of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences’ role and place to coordinate the development of the information space within social sciences and humanities;• development of principles of constant recording, monitoring and evaluation of information resources.

Keywords: monitoring, social sciences , FANO, libraries , archives, sites, bibliographies, collections, database, information resources

Abstract: The articledescribes the creation and functioning of the internet resource “Letopis of Moscow University” developed within the frames of Lomonosov Moscow State University’s official portal. This specific resource is a constantly updated database about Moscow University since the moment of its foundation up to the present day that grants direct access to its data. The author describes genealogy and the main stages the resource has gone through and characterizes its detail structure, key sections and projects carried out on the basis of the site, those in social networks included. When evaluating the resource interactivity level, the author gives examples when the site data were used in research papers, presents statistics and analyzes the most popular publications in “Moscow University Diary” that is a “daughter” project of the site in the biggest social networks. A number of methods were employed to write the article. These are general scientific methods (a historical method, a logical method, classification and systematization), historical methods (a chronological method and a systematic and structural method) and interdisciplinary methods (a statistical method and imagology methods). The research novelty is the summarized experience of Moscow University database creation on the basis of website. The author considers the form of hypertext data arrangement which meets principles of systematicity, multimedia character, transparency and interactivity to be in line with the task of creating databases with a constantly updated content. The resource is important as long as its scientific and educational tools are concerned as well as a project being an actor forming public discourse about Moscow University.  

Keywords: history in the Internet, MSU history, Letopis, Letopis of Moscow University, site, social networks, digital history, annual, diary, hypertext

Abstract: The article describes a new online project presenting the statistics of the Russian Empire foreign trade in 1896–1917. The project has electronic tables with data on exports and imports throughout the period understudy and some parameters can boast a longer time period. In particular, it is the first time when consolidated time series has been published that cover the volume of foreign trade with all the countries and regions throughout the whole registration period (since 1827). The souce problems are adressed as well. Statistics of the project and the structure of on-line tables are discribed in detail. This online project is the first step to publish the consolidated statistics of the Russian Empire foreign trade. These statistics were published annually and their study involves time series analysis. In 1902 a book of collected statisctics was published, but it requires substantial amendments which haven't been done since. Now this work is planned to be completed and data tables are already available on the project website.  

Keywords: historical statistics, the Russian Empire, Internet resource, economic history, exports and imports, historical time series, Russian history, source studies, historical information science, foreign trade