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One of the ways of present-day library development is its activities associated with implementation of projects. Their range and contents much depend on the status of the library, socio-cultural situation around it and the level of information culture achieved by the society. The acceleration of computer technology introduction in everyday life leads to realising a need in modification of the system of services in libraries at the interdepartmental and interdisciplinary level. Today readers of the libraries who become users can read different machine-readable materials using direct and remote access and thus omit usual ways of obtaining information. By UNESCO definition, information megapolises and information isolation zones are globally formed where library systems outside electronic environment cannot provide the conditions necessary for realising the right to information. This makes the starting positions in education, formation of personality, professional activity and self-realisation unequal for the rich and the poor from the information point of view. The development of the information retrieval space includes harmonisation of its components. Computer technologies make both the contents of individual library collections and outside navigation aids accessible. While maintaining traditional library collections, such as documents on paper, filmstrips, slides, records, video cassettes, compact discs, and developing the system of catalogues and card indices, the Children’s Library creates in the course of informatisation “bridges” for new features of library activities in the electronic environment. Therein lies a prerequisite for creating topical information complexes containing electronic resources for children. The most difficult in creating problem-oriented databases which allow to give access to cultural heritage, along with acquiring habits in information and library culture, is elaboration of the position on their linguistic support. The multi-vector cultural space can be indexed by different methods: Classification and standardisation of the library collection components is based on standards and rules. With the advance of the electronic environment, the standards and rules are supplemented with the requirements for formats, protocols and profiles for meta-data flow control in access to information. Users have to study how to orient themselves in diversity of information systems, not all of which are library systems but they provide efficient search mechanisms based on classical and today’s scientific disciplines. The gap between user’s linguistic support in library systems and other components of cybernetic space exists objectively and will not be eliminated in future. Always important for children readers will be the work on their adaptation to the conditions of the information retrieval environment, provision of their right to information and protection against excessive, incomplete and unreliable information. Information behaviour modelling is based on use of access systems through the system of knowledge. Referred to specifics of children’s library activities is a necessity to develop procedures for simultaneous maintenance of local data bases and their reflection on web-sites with electronic library components. It is advisable that the work be done by addressing electronic resources to different categories in a uniform and organic indexing system. In view of the lack of the national system of authority/normative files, library information systems can be built in children’s libraries only at a model level with big losses and simplifications. The adopted methodical decisions will have to be revised many times in future with labour-consuming updating of the existing bases. With that in view, the Leningrad Children’s Regional Library (LODB) uses in the course of informatisation possibilities to get methodical assistance in the leading libraries of the country, the library participates in subject conferences and seminars held at different levels. LODB participation in the ADIT Fifth Conference this year made a start for study of experience and achievements in the sphere of providing services in the museum industry, for which the system of requirements for adherence to the data formats and maintenance of authority/normative files approved in the field of culture, common with that for libraries, is valid. The practice of including new resources in the library collections (from CD-ROM purchase to creation of developed systems of problem-oriented databases) leads to understanding of the effectiveness to mutually use the multi-layer telecommunication system resources. Work on informatisation is being under way in different cultural and educational institutions, part of the work being addressed to children. Therein lies a prerequisite for creating topical information complexes, e.g. co-operation in creating electronic resources for children. Solving of such problem suggests a systematic approach based on the integrated project activities. For children’s libraries their specifics are reflected in the work, namely: support of a child in his reading development and search of the ways to solve childhood problems in co-operation with specialists in other fields. “What will children of the XXI century read?’ was the name of the conference of children’s libraries of Russia and CIS countries, held in St. Petersburg in June 2001 within the frames of the International Book Fair “FOLIO – WHITE NIGHTS”. Together with librarians, writers, publishers, scientists participated in the conference. In their presentation they did not oppose electronic and paper versions to accustom children to reading. The participants of the conference recognised the importance of the task of multi-version presentation of literature in different environments for extending data access arrangements for the readers. The activities of the children’s libraries in conditions of informatisation result in familiarisation with such areas as theory and practice in the fields of information ecology, legal culture, copyright and intellectual property rights protection. The stocks of these libraries are collected also with the aim of solving pedagogical problems, and therefore work on interpreting book collections contributes to humanisation of electronic resources of the libraries and cybernetic space as a whole. Children socialisation problems in Internet development environment are only under study, the ways to solve them are searched experimentally and in parallel with expansion of the whole variety of the electronic products and services industry addressed to children. Openness of information flows for a non-protected user contains a threat of manipulation with consciousness. Opposite to it, positive children-addressed activities of various institutions in intercommunicated and mutually complementary system allows to create “areas of information ecology”. Such complexes of machine-readable materials can be local for use in the pre-school and school education system. They can be combined with reflection of specialists’ professional activities in the materials for remote access via Internet access points. LODB practical experience includes giving electronic resources to users through local and remote access. Several libraries of the Leningrad Region and St. Petersburg use databases developed by LODB in their wok and provide access of their readers thereto. There exist experience of including machine-readable materials of the libraries into training courses for specialists and school informatics course. The transferred materials are updated and supplemented within the system of practical seminars held by LODB for participants of the regional projects on informatisation of children’s libraries. The pilot project that preceded the work was supported in the RF Ministry of Culture in 1997. For remote access to machine-readable resources of librarian nature the Regional site of children’s libraries is maintained by LODB in co-operation with JSC “Rusnet” from 1998. In 2000, upon completion of library connection to fiber-optic telecommunication channel (participation in the Russian Project “Internet” of SOROS Fund), site upgrading became possible. It allowed to organise indexing of database items in the on-line mode within the common system with linguistic support of the LODB Electronic Catalogue. The work was commenced at the end of 2000 and included in innovation projects of Russian libraries (RF Ministry of Culture support in 2000-2001). Based on computer technologies, the library provides services not only to readers but also to non-bookish children. Initially their interests are connected with CD-ROM and Internet games, printing-out of the text, figure, photograph from the diskette, search of information on non-library sites. Children need to have access to e-mail, scanning, sound digitisation services, etc. In the library they first meet with readers’ creative work in electronic environment. Rapid information interesting to children and given on the site can be called for by remote users of different categories anonymously without official registration of the reader’s card. Simultaneously with formation of the prior-to-registration servicing zone of the users free flow that includes adults, harmony of the library space in servicing readers in their access to library electronic resources is preserved. Such practice allows to a greater extent to familiarise visitors of the library with its possibilities, to attract children to co-operation with librarians, to make them interested in obtaining new knowledge. New features of children’s library activities under conditions of familiarisation with electronic environment increase significantly work load of specialists, make a risk of transformation of the library into an entertainment institution and substitution of the contents of its activities with all-purpose servicing for access to remote databases much higher. The today’s social status level of a children’s and school librarian often leads to loss of specialists who mastered new technologies and can work outside the state-owned sector, using their professional knowledge. But in spite of all that, a children’s library today can and must be a point of access to the reading and information world through the system of knowledge that is formed by its information retrieval space. Legal use of programs and program products, provision of information ecology conditions in creating and giving information, responsibility regarding copyright, intellectual property protection of librarians and readers can become important factors in improvement of information culture in the society and a prerequisite of supporting interest to reading, whatever form sources may be. Strelkova E. Manager of DB System in Leningrad Regional Children’s Library