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Paper pages library collections all rapidly becoming electronic. What awaits the library in the future, if the Internet today makes visiting the reading rooms optional? How will shape the fate of the paper book in the digital age? Discuss the topic with the Director of the State Public Historical Library of Russia Mikhail Afanasyev.

How much is your library items?

Mikhail Afanasyev nearly six million, including three million books. This, together with our branch - the Centre for Socio-Political History. Three million books from six million units - a very high quality display.

There are rarities?

Mikhail Afanasyev: Yes. We kept Russian and Western manuscripts and early printed books Ivan Fedorov. We have one of the best book collections of the XVIII century, lifetime editions of Russian writers of the XIX century. Look at the catalog and see, for example, it presents Pushkin. "Ruslan and Ludmila", the first edition - two copies. "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai" - three copies. "Prisoner of the Caucasus", second edition - two copies. "Eugene Onegin", the first edition, in notebooks - six copies. Come to us from the experts "Christy" and other auction houses, because we can see at the same time and place next to several instances of the same edition. When is your instance and a few others, you can clearly see - the fiber paper, other details, 'These books such as this a little bit different. Even if a book published today on the old paper, you praised her experienced eye, you can say: this is not original.

What literature you prevail - historical, scientific, educational?

Mikhail Afanasyev: To study the history of the "non-fiction" - the term is not very correct. In our library, any book can be considered as a source for stories. Imagine coming out statistical compilation. Relating to it like the economy or, for example, state-building. And for us it is a historical source. In the catalog, this book will be reflected in the "History of the 2010s." And in a hundred years, someone will look at it as a historical source. Thus, any book, including fiction, if it can be considered as a source for the history of the era, which inevitably will be in our collection. A memoir for us all mandatory thing.

You switched to an electronic catalog?

Mikhail Afanasyev: Yes. Virtually the entire card catalog, which means that all funds are reflected in the electronic catalog.

You have completely given up the card catalog or it exists in parallel with electronic?

Mikhail Afanasyev 2000 We do not replenish reader card catalogs. They are readers, especially the older generation, love them, but those directories are not replenished. Literature last fourteen years is only in the electronic catalog. We have a general directory service destination. He replenished as performs a control function. And he - the card. We are now doing a very interesting thing - to attach electronic bibliographic record card image for this book. Because the translation catalog in digital form does not fit all the information, from any part of it for various reasons, have to give. In addition, it is expensive: cards - five million, and for every line they have to pay. We tried to make the reader see the electronic description of the book, could click on the image and paper cards. So many more convenient.

And online order you can make?

Mikhail Afanasyev: Yes. The reader can through our website to create your cabinet and put the book back from the electronic catalog. Then come and take these books.

What's going on with your reading rooms? Why they became less?

Mikhail Afanasyev: Our library is being renovated, so the number of reading rooms has decreased dramatically. We had five rooms: a common and areas of historical scholarship. When the repair is completed, reading rooms will again be five, but for now there are two - Periodicals reading room and a single reading room. To this, however, you need to add and reading room of our branch - Center for Social and political history, but it's not near - The center is located in the metro area "Botanical Garden".

In the reading room can come with your laptop?

Mikhail Afanasyev course. Ten years ago it was the subject of controversy. Some readers did not like the clicking of the keys, but now the keys do not click.

In Remote Access, you can get the book?

Mikhail Afanasyev: Yes. We have an electronic library. In her book, we felt it was important to digitize. These are the basic sources for the study of Russian history. Namely - the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, "Military Statistical Review," "Picturesque Russia", "Full geographic description of our fatherland" PP Semenov-Tyan-Shan, the major genealogical publications, e-calendars, directories ... The possibilities for digitization, including financial, is today.

How to digitize a book copyrighted? In fact there are heirs who usually prevent this.

Our legislation makes the library reserve primitive technology

Mikhail Afanasyev: We - Historical Library. Besides that our opinion is addressed to the past, a feature and advantage of our library - that people come here especially for the old book. We are expected to book a humanitarian, which was released one hundred and more years ago. Our program aims digitizing primarily on this area, and in it the question of copyright is not necessary. From my point of view, the desire today to digitize a new book lacked a real need. If we talk about fiction, which wants to read on planshetnike or any mobile device, its digitization - is not the case for libraries. If we bear in mind the literature on the science, the latest technology, the kind of literature can be obtained using the so-called "firms aggregators". Is a company that negotiates with publishers acquire their right to electronic access and sells it right library. We, in turn, pay the money and buy for our readers the opportunity to watch a thousand different magazines, tens of thousands of books. Generally, in the field of electronic copies of paper books, electronic distribution of publications for future large-scale commercial projects. One touch Google is able to digitize millions of books - what the state requires for decades. Although it is not the business of the state. Business of the state - to support the digitization of cultural heritage, as did France. They have a wonderful program "Gallica". I go into "Gallica" or to the website of the National Library - and it makes me see any notable book of the French cultural heritage, including the recent publication of the XX century. If access to any book is limited, they provide a link, yes, this book is in digital form, contact a certain organization, she says, on what terms you can read it or how much it costs.

A number of artists have turned to the deputies of the State Duma with an open letter in which the requested amendments to the fourth part of the Civil Code. According to these amendments, scientific and educational literature library can be digitized without permission of the authors. For your library it would be important to confirm this order?

Mikhail Afanasyev: I think there are more important things. Our legislation makes the library reserve primitive technology. Today, people use electronic texts everywhere. But then he went to the library - and under our laws we can not make an electronic copy. He took the book home, turn on the scanner, digitized. For themselves or, as it is written, "for non-commercial use." For commercial vehicles can not, and for a permitted.

You can not come to the reading room and make an electronic copy?

Mikhail Afanasyev: It is impossible, prohibited by law. It is recorded that the books of copyright we can only copy on the paper and an electronic copy - just read from the screen. Our capabilities are limited. And so we say: I'm sorry, dear reader, take a pen and rewrites.

Subject to the Director of the State Public Historical Library of Russia, Mikhail Afanasyev