New Realities: Libraries in Post-Soviet Russia

The transition away from communism toward a more democratic society and the move to a market economy had profound effects on Russian libraries. Using the main public library in Bryansk, the Bryansk Region Scientific Library, as a case study, this article examines the changes in library service, including information access and the opening of previously closed collections, funding issues, the library's relationship with the government, changes in the professional mindset of librarians, and the information needs of library users in this period of transition.