RSLYA was one of the first libraries in Russia to recognize the opportunities of using e-books, as a specific type of content, in library services, as well as the possible use of mobile e-readers in public libraries.
Since 2008, RSLYA staff maintain a popular blog, E-book Planet, dedicated to e-books in libraries.
In 2010, an experiment, initiated by RSLYA and the Ministry of Culture of Russia, was conducted in 5 libraries on different administrative levels to research the perspectives of using mobile reading devices. The results of the experiment were published in the University Book Journal.
Based on the results, RSLYA staff have developed a detailed practical guide to optimisation of e-library use on all mobile devices. The guide stresses in particular the creation of a platform where registered library users can download and store materials from the e-library on their mobile devices free of charge, while the library pays for access to the items chosen by the users, not the whole database.
The idea was implemented by RSLYA and LitRes, a popular e-book retailer, in 2012-2013 for the first time in Russia.
RSLYA is now working on an E-book History Museum.
