ОБЩЕСТВЕНИТЕ БИБЛИОТЕКИ В БЪЛГАРИЯ: ВЪЗМОЖНОСТИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ
PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN BULGARIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND PERSPECTIVES

Summary/Abstract: In the present digital age, the public libraries are more than mere book depositories but a unique type of database. Changes in the public and cultural life are influenced by globalisation, the Internet and technological progress. But libraries fulfil a traditional role - the retention and accumulation of internation and national literary wealth , the discovery and preservation of documents with regional importance and the improvement of its users' interaction. But the most important task of modern day libraries is providing open and unlimited access to information and the safeguarding of its sources for the use of future generations. The new mission contemporary libraries face as a public information centre requires a shift in the methodology and practices of library services. Library documents are also undergoing transformation - from traditional paper form towards digital and online formats. In order to participate in the paradigm of lifelong learning, libraries aim to stay up to date with technology. Changing their social roles , modern libraries take part in the dynamic process of forming digital literacy skills in their users. As a part of the digital world, librarians understand that information management is one of the new forces influencing and guiding the world. The focus of this article is on the feasibility of regional libraries in Bulgaria to use Open Access. The object of this research is to discover the potential benefits Open Access can bring to the new library practices. The presentation of the results of the questionnaire of regional Bulgarian libraries underlines the goal of this report. To achieve this goal, the following steps are undertaken. - Analysis of the results of the questionnaire answered by librarians of regional Bulgarian libraries . - Proposition of perspectives for the development of libraries through Open Access practices and digital literacy education , with regard to the results of the analysis. The methodology of the research uses sociological and structural-functional approaches. The results and analysis of the questionnaire accentuate the potential of regional libraries to utilise Open Access , despite potential existing difficulties.

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