Readers' Awareness of Scientific Achievements and Demand for Popular Science Journals in the Public Library

The significant role of science in the development of all spheres of society is undeniable, it ensures progress and improvement of the quality of life, promotes the introduction of innovative technologies in all areas of human activity. Today, the issue of popularization of scientific achievements is on the agenda, as well as the development of information channels that will allow the society better understand the importance of scientific discoveries and their impact on culture, identity, values and human behavior. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the level of readers’ information awareness of the latest scientific achievements and the library role in it.
The article examines the place of the library in the system of relations between scientists and the general public. It records that journals that regularly publish fresh and relevant materials are an effective means of popularizing science. The awareness of readers of public libraries about scientific achievements is analyzed and the demand for popular science journals available in the collections of the State Scientific Technological Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPSTL SB RAS) is studied.
The authors conclude that: 1) popular science journals for library users are not the main source of knowledge about the development of science and technology, but there is a steady demand for them, and there is also a tendency to expand the names of the requested journals, accompanied by a simultaneous increase in their issuance; 2) requests for popular science journals,  with a few exceptions, do not depend on gender indicators; 3) people over the age of 60 constitute the bulk of readers of popular science periodicals; 4) more often, popular science journals from the SPSTL SB RAS collections are requested by specialists with higher education. It is noted that the level of education of library users becomes one of the main factors determining the demand for popular science journals. 
The list of journals from the SPSTL SB RAS collections, which are in the greatest demand, has been determined. Thus, the library, not being a direct scientific communicator, but having popular science journals in its collections, performs an important intermediary function in popularization of science.

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