Pastushenko O. Theses on book and periodical in the independent Ukraine. Social communication aspect

The author defines the stages, subject range and trends of the investigation into book and periodical, and tracks down forming of a new scientific field of "social communications". The researcher argues that during the period of Ukrainian independence marked for informational development of the society, various profound studies on history, theory and practice, as well as structure and functions of the national book and periodical as a knowledge-bearing system have been carried out. They represented a new scientific field and provided a solid source and bibliographical basis for developing fundamental history of book and periodical in Ukraine. The research on book and periodical is viewed methodologically as a dynamic documental system, a social-communicational way of passing and deepening knowledge and cultural heritage, a constituent of social communications, of a modern global information space of science. Solving the problem of boosting development and forecasting of science, highlighting the role it plays in information-communication processes can be made possible by formation of an information-analytical expert system of traditional and electronic resources. Its theoretical model, structure and functions are outlined.