Modern Library Potential as Science Popularizer: Inquiry Results of SB RAS Scientists

The objective of the article is to present the results of a study of scientists’ attitude to communication between science and society by means of libraries. The working method of the study was an online questionnaire of academic specialists of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS) research institutes. Data collection took place in early 2023. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, divided into four thematic blocks: 1) the main science popularizers in Russia (researchers’ opinion); 2) participation of SB RAS research institutes in communication with society and the most important directions of this activity; 3) attitude of scientists to necessity of interaction with society aimed at popularization of science; 4) attitude of scientists to libraries as science and society communication participants including science popularization. Basing on the data obtained, Siberian scientists appear to be, in general, positive about libraries as popularizers of domestic science and technology achievements. However, they consider scientists themselves and media the main actors in this field, as well as scientific societies, research and educational institutions, museums and professional science communicators. A number of respondents noted low attendance of libraries, their archaic and closed nature, and lack of sufficient competence of library specialists to promote science at a high level. Nevertheless, most of the researchers highly appreciated library as a full-fledged science and society communication participant. Many SB RAS scientists have experience of cooperation with libraries, such as, for example, reading popular science lectures and preparing exhibitions. The survey showed that researchers are not well aware of the activities and opportunities of modern libraries, therefore library institutions are invited to be active in building effective interaction with science and society.

1. Volodarskaya YeA (2020) "Open" science as a new form of interaction with society. Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii 7: 42–48. DOI: 10.13187/vfp.2020.1.42. (In Russ.).

2. Danilina YaV (2022) Science popularization as an element of innovative communications. Nauchno-tekhnicheskaya informatsiya. Seriya 1: Organizatsiya i metodika informatsionnoy raboty 2: 1–9. DOI: 10.36535/0548-0019-2022-02-1. (In Russ.).

3. Maslanov YeV (2022) Science as an institution and popularization of scientific knowledge. Tsifrovoy ucheny: laboratoriya filosofa 4: 33–51. DOI: 10.32326/2618-9267-2022-5-4-33-51. (In Russ.).

4. Pokotylo MV (2018) The specificity of development science communication as applied branches of knowledge in Russia. Trudy Rostovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta putey soobshcheniiya 1: 70–77. (In Russ.).

5. Rysakova PI (2022) Strategies for scientific popularization in the digital media environment. Medialingvistika 4: 309–329. DOI: 10.21638/spbu22.2022.402. (In Russ.).

6. Sukhenko NV (2016) Specifics of science popularization in Russia. Vestnik NGTU im. R. Ye. Alekseyeva. Seriya: Upravleniye v sotsial'nykh sistemakh. Kommunikativnyye tekhnologii 4: 18–22. (In Russ.).

7. Yudina IG, Lavrik OL (2022) Russian and English terms development on the theme of society’s relationship with science. Sotsiologiya nauki i tekhnologiy 3: 89–117. DOI: 10.24412/2079-0910-2022-3-89-117. (In Russ.).

8. Shrayberg YaL, Taran YeN, Khoroshavina YeV (2023) “The kids Nobel” project as the platform for scientific knowledge popularization at modern scientific libraries. Nauchnye i tekhnicheskiye biblioteki 4: 96–106. DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2023-4-96-106. (In Russ.).

9. Kupreeva IV (2022) Realization of the project "Days of Scientific Cinema of the Festival of Actual Scientific Cinema" by the Scientific Library of the North Caucasus Federal University. Sotsial'no-kul'turnyye i istoricheskiye aspekty razvitiya regiona: istoriya i sovremennost' : Materialy konkursa, priurochennogo k Mezhdunarodnomu dnyu tolerantnosti, Stavropol', 01 yanvarya – 31 dekabrya 2022 g. 19, 1 51–63. (In Russ.).

10. Sokolova IS (2016) Non-fiction popular Nauchka Library: traditional and innovative trends. Nauchnye i tekhnicheskiye biblioteki 9: 55–63. (In Russ.).

11. Korotkevitch AV (2018) "Scientific Cafe" promotion of the library in the modern information space. Bibliotechnoye delo 7: 13–16. (In Russ.).

12. Varganova GV, Plavko IA (2015) Science popularization in public libraries. Trudy GPNTB SO RAN 8: 288–293. (In Russ.).

13. Pleshakova MA, Kalyuzhnaya TA (2023) Popularization of scientific knowledge: event formats in libraries of the Novosibirsk region. Bibliotekovedeniye 2: 179–191. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2023-72-2-179-191. (In Russ.).

14. Pleshkevich YeA (2023) The state-oriented soviet model of library support for communication between science and society. Bibliosfera 1: 7–13. DOI: 10.20913/1815-3186-2023-1-7-13. (In Russ.).

15. Lavrik OL, Kurmysheva LK (2023) Library: scientific knowledge promotion and other points of intersection. Idei i idealy 1–2: 291–311. DOI: 10.17212/2075-0862-2023-15.1.2-291-311. (In Russ.).

16. Elepov BS, Lavrik OL (2005) Library in the scientific communications system. Bibliosfera 1: 5–13. (In Russ.).

17.