Import substitution: Regulative acts and library reality

Abstract

Various aspects of import substitution strategy introduced in Russia in response to the Western sanctions are examined. The aim was to analyze regulative and legislative acts related to the library policy and activities. The key documents are named; the principles of import substitution are reviewed: the registers of software and databases of the Eurasian Economic Union member states are listed; the alternatives to blocked Internet-based resources and services are suggested. The libraries encounter certain difficulties in their transferring to domestic software. The reason is that there is the vast array of programs for MS Windows and the lack of the similar national software. You cannot replace MS Windows in all library computers in the single step, so for some time you will have to use diverse OS. The author suggests and examines four options to solve the problem: through designing crossplatform software; platform-independent software, WINE compatibility layer to run existing Windows programs in domestic OS, or using terminal access to the software. The majority of specialized library software, in particular automated information library systems (ALIS) designed by Russian providers are either the client-server software for MS Windows or domestic OS via WINE compatibility layer, or the platform-independent software. The author concludes that designing platform-independent software based on web-technologies and cloud software, in particular, is the most promising vector of development.