Scientometric indicators are nowadays an almost mandatory element in assessing the scientific activity of a scientist or an academic organization, and scientometric methods are actively used in various studies in the field of science studies, including bibliometric studies. The article analyses the three largest citation systems. The Belarusian publications on agriculture selected from Web of Science, Scopus and RSCI scientometric databases for the period 1991 –2021 have been studied in detail. Articles were analyzed by subject, publishing organizations, authors, year of publication, types of publications, and other parameters. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the number of publications and the number of their citations is growing every year. This indicates the growing publication activity of the authors. However, Belarusian authors prefer to publish in Russian-language editions that are not included.

A qualitative assessment of the development of the journal in retrospect was given on the basis of bibliometric analysis on various parameters: topics, geography of research, citation rate, number of articles per issue. The main subject of the study was electronic versions of the journal in the electronic repository of the university. As a result of the analysis, a characteristic of the “scientific identity” of the journal was compiled, expressed in the scientific interests of the authors in the fields of reforestation, forest taxation, forest pyrology, and the study of individual forest crops, more commonly, of Scots pine. Based on the data obtained, the dependence of citation on correctly presented metadata was revealed. The positive dynamics of citation of works over time indicates the relevance of the subject in the scientific community. At the same time, on the basis of data on the absence of positive dynamics in the expansion of the geography of research in publications it is concluded that it is necessary to change the editorial policy to attract authors from other regions for further qualitative growth of the journal. 

The results of scientific work for updating of the polythematic Information and Search Thesaurus on Agriculture and Foods (IST) developed in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Central Scientific Agricultural Library» (FSNSI CSAL) are presented. The work is carried out to accurately represent the content of documents in the process of indexing, providing the unified data presentation, adequately describing subject domains and increasing the searching possibilities of the thesaurus. The main functions of the IST, which is a complex terminological system with different kinds of semantic relationships between its elements (lexical units (LU)), are considered. The role of the IST as a branch reference of scientific vocabulary is particularly noted. During the investigation the IST content has been essentially enriched with new lexis in the following subject domains: plant protection, zoology, microbiology, botany, forest husbandry, agronomy The result of the research work on updating is a new version of the IST containing 62682 LU. More than 27 600 LU are scientific (Latin) names of organisms (of which 1 782 are new). In total, nearly 2 700 LU have been corrected (added, changed, deleted). More than 2 800 links between terms (hierarchic, synonymic and associative) have been added. The updated version of the thesaurus, which includes new terminology, enables adequate description of the subject areas, accurate disclosure of the content of a document during its scientific processing. It is an effective tool for indexing and thematic search. The creation and development of IST of the FSNSI CSAL is in line with the current level of thesaurus development. The scope of the IST, the development of its vocabulary items and the semantic relationships of the terms represented in it make it possible to describe the subject areas related to agriculture, the food industry and related disciplines quite comprehensively. 

The article is devoted to the consideration of the architecture and capabilities of a complex of information technology systems developed at the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for automating scientific and scientific and technical libraries on a new software and information platform based on cloud web technologies (KITS BIT WEB). 

The process of moving from traditional forms of reader service to new ones begins with an analysis of the current state of library services, determining the degree of relevance of the services provided against the backdrop of changing tasks and responsibilities that librarians face in connection with new roles. The purpose of this study was to study the real state of library, information, methodological services, which are carried out by the departments of the network of the Library for Natural Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located in research institutes. Based on the results of the survey, a range of services has been identified that has already been introduced into work (access to local and remote electronic resources, workstations, electronic document delivery, bibliometric research, etc.) and is planned to be included in the future (organization of virtual exhibitions, checking scientific papers for correctness), borrowings in the Anti-Plagiarism system, provision of patent information, translation services, etc.). The employees themselves attribute the slow introduction of new forms of service to the lack of material, technical and human resources in the departments of the Network, the lack of skills to work with new technologies; and they see further development in improving the material base of the library, expanding services due to customer focus, establishing feedback with readers, and improving their own skills. 

In the modern world, the unity of formal, nonformal and informal education affects the success of professional activities of library staff. Informal education plays a significant role in the society, as it includes all possible branches of knowledge and provides an opportunity for the full development of a person and a specialist. The essential characteristic of informal education is the individual cognitive activity of a person. The article actualizes the problem of implementing informal education in the context of continuing education of library specialists. The pros and cons of informal education are considered, the psychological features of informal education and methods of overcoming emerging psychological barriers in its implementation are described. Social media is one of the methods of obtaining informal education, which allows users to get the necessary information in an accessible, capacious and clear form. The Instagram profile «Library Journalism» is an example of the informal education of library specialists through social media. It is noted that such online assistants for library specialists contribute to the development of multi-level education, which leads to the creative self-realization of librarians, their professional, intellectual and cultural improvement. The results of the study can find practical application in the implementation of informal education using an online methodological resource both in relation to the training of students of the library specialty and in relation to improving the competence of library practitioners. 

The article considers the activity of the Belorussian Republic Scientific Agricultural Library (BRSAL) in 1960-s - first half of 1970-s aimed at improving services to the readers, who have no an immediate opportunity to use its library loan and reading-room, through the provision of various forms of non-stationary services: mobile libraries, library branches, service points of literature. The definitions and the essence of such concepts as "branch library", "mobile library", and "library service point" as applied to the historical realities of the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s are revealed. The forms of non-stationary service which were used in BRSAL during the investigated period have been identified on the basis of the documents from the current archive of I.S. Lupinovich Belarus Agricultural Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The number and location (names) of each form of non-stationary work by year has been established. Statistical indicators of the forms of nonstationary service of BRSAL on readers' record, lending, reference, bibliographic and informational work have been given.