In 2001 the Ministry of culture of the RF together with the Russian state library of the RF and National library of the RK started the implementation of Russian-Kazakhstani project “Meetings at the boundaries” by the programme of Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia in humanitarian sphere which is by itself the creation of the joint Russian-Kazakhstani electronic library.
The purpose of the project is the formation of a single resource through the libraries by collecting, storing and wide-spreading of information, provision of network services for users, creation and placing in the Internet for free access of electronic collections, disclosing the cultural-historical links of the peoples of Russia and Kazakhstan. Implementation of the project has culturological, enlightening and educational significance which is conducive to the solution of the issues of inter-national mutual understanding and mutual enrichment of cultures and helps thus the integration processes happening between the two states.
There are elaborated and approved the Conception of Russian-Kazakhstani project, the plans of activities for implementation of the given project, the feasibility study of the project, including the carrying out of the working seminars-councils. There between the sides –participants of the project is concluded the Agreement on cooperation for implementation of Russian-Kazakhstani project “Meetings at the boundaries”. The conception of the project presupposes the widening of cooperation within the framework of the library belt “Europe-Asia” of the frontier Russian and Kazakhstani libraries.
Participants of the project:
From the Russian Federation: the Ministry of culture of the RF, Russian State Library (RSL),
The Kemerovo state university of culture and art, the Omsk regional universal scientific library, the Astrakhan regional scientific library after N.K.Krupskaya, the Novosibirsk state regional scientific library, the Orenburg regional universal library after N.K.Krupskaya, the Chelyabinsk regional universal scientific library (RUSL), the Kurgan regional universal library after A.K.Yugov, the Troyitsk city library, the Centre of national cultures of the Republic of Altai in Kosh-Agach city.
From the Republic of Kazakhstan: the Ministry of culture and information of the RK, National library of the RK, the Northern-Kazakhstani RUSL after S.Mukanov, the Eastern-Kazakhstani regional library after A.S.Pushkin, the Western-Kazakhstani RUSL after Zh.Moldagaliyev, the Pavlodar regional scientific library after S.Toraigyrov, the Kpstanai RUSL after L.N.Tolstoi, the Atyrau RUSL after G.Slanov.
The important stages in the implementation of the project are:
^ 2002 – International conference “Eurasianism – integration of cultures and library resources” (Uralsk city). In the course of the conference they managed to consider and approve the main trends of development of the joint Russian-Kazakhstani project included into the plan of the Ministry of culture of the RF for 2002-205;
^2002 – The Kazakhstani-Russian seminar-council “Eurasianism in the XXI-st century.
East-West: electronic cooperation of libraries” (Petropavlovsk city); the Seminar-council gave the start to practical realization of the Project. There were determined the concrete terms and plans for its development, there was chosen the base for creation of joint electronic library – the Northern-Kazakhstani RUSL after S.Mukanov (the RK) and the Omsk regional universal scientific library after A.S.Pushkin (the RF);
^2003 - the Days of UNESCO Programme “Information for all” in Kuzbass (Kemerovo city); This year there was created the joint electronic library at National library of the RK, the Northern-Kazakhstani and Omsk regional libraries; For the implementation of the tasks of the Project there in the Northern-Kazakhstani RUSL after S.Mukanov in the first decade of February, 2003 is organized the specialized department. Its goal: is to provide the accumulation, preservation and effective use of the electronic and informational resources, to disclose the richness of the library’s fonds. The tasks are: the acquisition of electronic fonds; development of electronic documents’ delivery; establishment of “feedback” with users; strengthening of relations with informational, educational and cultural centres of the regions.
The department has the newest computers on the basis of the latest models of processors and also the equipment for scanning and digitization of texts, positives, video- and audio- documents.
The staff of the department has qualified specialists, including the programmer and operator of the electronic-calculating machine. The department interacts with all structural departments of the RUSL and the club “Regional-study specialist” in the informational-bibliographical department, with the Kazakhstani centre of corporate cataloguing of National library of the RK, the department of informational-computer systems of the RSL.
^2006 – The Seminar-council “Kazakhstan – Russia: dialogue of cultures” (Almaty city);
At the seminar-council in Almaty city the project “Meetings at the boundaries” grew into the mega-project “Caravan-sarai on the Great Silk way”, the linking part of which is the informational highway “Moscow-Almaty-Delhi”, it is open for partnership participation not only for the libraries of Russia and Kazakhstan but also in Central and Middle Asia regardless of their departmental belonging and who are ready to assist for the strengthening and development of inter-national dialogue. There at the given seminar were signed the Agreements (the protocol) on joining of the frontier libraries to the Agreement of the project “Meetings at the boundaries”, there are collected the materials by the project in Omsk city, Petropavlovsk city and NLRK;
^2008 – the Republican seminar “Electronic library – international partnership. Russian-Kazakhstani project “Meetings at the boundaries” (Kostanai city). Within the framework of the republican seminar there were approved recommendations about the widening of the circle of participants of the project due to joining of the Kostanai RUSL after L.N.Tolstoi, the Kurgan regional scientific library after A.G.Yugov, the Chelyabinsk regional scientific library, the Troyitsk city library (the RF).
In accordance with the plans of activities for the implementation of the project “Meetings at the boundaries” the Russian State Library gave over to the NLRK 13 discs with the digitized books and abstracts of theses, altogether 232 titles. In 2007 there was opened the web-page on the site of National library of the RK (www.nlrk.kz) where there is information about the project, the participants, the documents, activities and the full-text electronic library. There are in the electronic library of the RK “Meetings at the boundaries” the full-text 315 documents.
^2009 – the Government of the RK adopted the Conception of formation of information-library space on the basis of the frontier libraries of the state-participants of the CIS. The purpose of the Conception is the elaboration of agreed positions, strategy and determination of the main trends in practical activity for the formation of the informational-library space on the basis of the frontier libraries of the states-participants of the CIS. There is compiled the further Plan of activities for the implementation of the Conception of formation of informational-library space on the basis of the frontier libraries of the states-participants of the CIS fro 2009-2010.
There in the project “Meetings at the boundaries” are interested Russia and Kazakhstan which have in many instances the common historical fate. Further within the framework of the project there is planned the joining of other frontier libraries of the two countries.
The project is open for the partnership participation of all the libraries of Russia and Kazakhstan, who are ready to assist the strengthening and development if the inter-national dialogue and who are interested in the development of the bilateral relations and the creation of the electronic collections which are within the context of the given project.