The thesis is a comprehensive study of the features of digitization of the library collections of Ukraine. Strategic directions and basic organizational and methodological bases for improving the organization of digitization and formation of digital collections in libraries of Ukraine were proposed. Innovative models of digitization organization of the documentary heritage of Ukraine had been developed. A comparative analysis of foreign and Ukrainian experience in implementation of projects for digitization of the documentary heritage was carried out. Current global trends in digitization of the documentary heritage were clarified. Common and different approaches to digitizing documents from foreign and Ukrainian libraries were revealed. The main reasons and factors that directly affect the efficiency of digitization implementation in Ukraine were identified. Recommendations were given and key directions for further organization of digitization in Ukraine were identified.
The thesis presents the phenomenon of digitization of the documentary heritage as an integral component of library and information production, which produces digital objects and forms an important part of digital cultural heritage. It is proved that digitization of documentary heritage and formation of digital collections provide the following opportunities: preservation of fragile originals of rare and valuable publications, unique copies through their withdrawal from active circulation and use of digital copies; access to the contents of large-format documents or documents of outdated formats; online cross-border access to digital copies to the general public, including people with disabilities, to quickly and fully meet their educational, scientific and other information needs; popularization of historical and cultural achievements of Ukraine; long-term digital preservation of the documentary heritage for future generations, etc.
6 main groups were identified in the flow of scientific Ukrainian and foreign works, which: 1) form a general theoretical and methodological basis for the transformation of library institutions and their activities in the context of digitalization of society; 2) are devoted to digitization technology, which ensures the safety of original documents and wide and free access to digital copies; 3) study various kinds and types of documents as
unique historical sources of information; 4) reveal the features of digitization of various kinds and types of documents; 5) describe the practical experience of digitization of documents by Ukrainian and foreign libraries; 6) study certain aspects and processes of digitization (selection criteria; copyright; technical and technological aspects; formation of corporate projects; participation in international projects; innovative technologies in
the context of library activities, namely outsourcing, crowdsourcing). A set of scientific approaches (socio-communicative, systemic, structuralfunctional, socio-cultural, axiological, comparative) and research methods (source analysis, terminological analysis, modelling method, content analysis, statistical method, sociological methods, etc.) was applied to achieve the goal of the thesis research and to perform tasks. The content and scope of the following concepts have been clarified: “digitization”, “digitalization”, “digital restitution”, “digital repatriation”. Digitization is defined as a set of sequentially performed processes (operations) for converting analogue (physical)
documents (paper, audio and video documents, etc.) to digital format. Digitalization is an attraction, implementation and use of digital technologies to optimize the execution of a number of operations and processes, emergence of new models, directions and types of
activities that are completely based on digital technologies.
It was proposed to use the term “digital restitution” to refer to the process of returning digital copies of documents that were moved, illegally exported or stolen from the territory of the state under various conditions, and “digital repatriation” — the return of digital copies of documents that were taken out during military operations.
International, European and national regulatory legal acts regulating the digitization of the documentary heritage were analysed. It was found out that international organizations (UNESCO, IFLA, etc.) actively advocate digitization of the documentary heritage in order to preserve it and to ensure free access to it. It is established that digitization of the documentary heritage in the European Union has a significant regulatory framework: strategies, declarations and recommendations that should be implemented by all member states in national legislation.
