LitRes Comes to Blokhinka

The virtual fund, while still small, is open on LitRes for all adult readers of our Institute - such an announcement was recently published by the JINR Universal Library. LitRes is the largest representative of the market of electronic and audio books in Russia and the CIS countries. To get access to its resources for scientists and all those interested is a great opportunity to broaden their horizons, enjoy literary creativity, get acquainted with the contents of the book before buying its paper version. And if the expansion of the list of available publications depends on the activity of users, it makes sense to tell more about this news. To do this, we asked library Director Maria PILIPENKO.

Maria, the message states that "thanks to the readers of the AYSS, over the past year we have accumulated a fund of 344 selected electronic and audio books." How did it happen?

The point is that the Association of Young Scientists and Specialists of JINR paid for the subscription for its members. They got free access to the LitRes electronic library, and the D.I.Blokhintsev Universal Library acts as an operator of this access: we maintain a file of readers, approve or reject requests for the purchase of books.

The LitRes.Library service works on the principle of a regular library dealing with paper books: the library buys books for its fund and gives them to readers, but all this is in electronic or audio form. Users get access to the electronic books or audio books they need for two weeks. Then, the books are returned to the library, where other readers can also "take" them. For AYSS members, we buy books upon their request, after which they are available for other readers to read or listen to 25 times at no additional charge. Then, the books are "written off" from the fund, as is the case with a paper book in a regular library. After that, the library can buy another "copy". And this is often more profitable than purchasing paper books: unfortunately, they are often not returned on time or not returned at all.

Are these just popular science books?

Not really. Our young scientists and specialists take books on psychology, self-development, soft-skills, and fiction, in electronic and audio formats. But this concerns just our small Blokhinka fund. On LitRes one can find books of any genres and subjects.

Why is it necessary to visit the library in person for registration, since the resource is on the Internet?

Members of the JINR AYSS have the opportunity to register as our readers themselves. The need for the rest to register in person is dictated by the fact that we need to separate these two groups of readers, and we do this manually.

How do users benefit from this registration?

This is a legal free access to electronic and audio books - to those that are already in the LitRes fund of Blokhinka. If the book you need is not available, you can buy it using a regular LitRes subscription. In addition to getting free access to a part of the LitRes database, a visit to the library familiarizes one with our library: its space, the schedule of clubs and events, the quality of the paper book collection, and our wonderful book exhibitions. LitRes has its own system of preferential service ("Abonement"), but it is still a paid service. In contrast, the service through the library is free.

How can one "take" and "return" books, and how long can one read them?

If a copy of the book you are interested in is already "on the shelf" in the section called "V Biblioteke" and is not occupied by anyone, you can immediately take it and read it or listen to it. If a copy is already in the fund, but so far it is "on hand" (that is, someone else is reading it), you "stand in line" for the book. If you don't want to wait, you can buy a personal book with your own money by clicking "Kupit' I skachat'" (i.e. buy and download), but then this is no longer a library service. The same is true for the option "Vzyat' po abonementu" (i.e. take by subscription). You can have three books on hand at the same time. The book will automatically be returned to the library fund in two weeks. If you haven't had enough time to read it, take it again. But, if someone was in line for the book, it goes to that user first.

What do you think of this opportunity - will it compete with your library? Or, maybe, on the contrary, it should be developed?

We regard this opportunity very well! The main thing is that people have a possibility to read books for free and legally. And what kind of books they read - paper or electronic - doesn't really matter.

Are there any chances to expand this opportunity to all the books available on LitRes?

To date, opportunities to order books from the general LitRes catalog (section "Vse knigi") are available only to JINR AYSS members. Other readers can take books from among those already purchased (and this is approximately 350 selected electronic and audio books). And this fund is constantly growing.