Features of Reading Research in the Library Sphere: The 21st Century

The article provides a general description of research in the library sphere that touches on reading issues, including encyclopedic publications, dissertations, monographs and thematic articles, as well as publications of the results of sociological surveys. At the same time, a number of poorly studied issues and problems are highlighted: determining the prospects for the development of reading science; the specifics of publications in the library press by representatives of other specialties; weak use of the works of literary scholars; reading competence of librarians; ignoring the phenomenon of the popularity of individual books and their authors; insufficient study of reading practices on the Internet. It is concluded that a full-scale study of the phenomenon of reading is hampered by several factors, including a small number of specialists, passivity of the library community, as well as an increasingly noticeable shortage of works devoted to reading and reading communities on the Internet.