The issues of meaningfulness and efficiency of libraries’ blogging and presence in social networks are explored. The need for law regulation of libraries’ activities in social media is justified. The author concludes that the libraries activities in social media have to be well-aimed and systematic to bring positive results.

The paper presents a vision of the problem of changing modern libraries and defining their mission under the influence of the requirements of the emerging in-formation society. The main provisions of legislative acts in the field of culture, education, and librarianship in recent years allow us to assert that the mission of libraries is humanistic. However, the purpose of libraries is very vague in these documents. This leads to a discussion in the environment of the library community. Increasingly, there is a shift in library activity towards over-activation of cultural and leisure activities or digitalization. College libraries usually focus on the introduction of computer and telecommunication technologies, networking between libraries, the replenishment of electronic resources for information support of science and education, with-out paying due attention to the promotion and education process, which is humanistic in nature and is a part of education.It is emphasized that the radical transformation of libraries' activities proposed by V. K. Stepanov will lead to their disappearance. For further successful development of libraries, it is necessary to modernize, modernize, based on the understanding of the humanistic mission of the library. The list of priority measures that will help to increase the role of libraries in society and implement their humanistic mission is given.

The potential of university library websites for library humanistic mission realization is examined. The Internet-activities of Central Chernozemny Regional Methdological Amalgamation are discussed. The author concludes on the necessity to increase humanistic content of the university library websites.

The topical issues of activity of libraries of higher educational institutions in the conditions of transition to information society and reform of education system are considered. There are reflected special features of humanistic trend in libraries activity in the normative acts in the field of education and librarianship. There is highlighted that library experts focus attention on the need to define the mission of library based on the principles of humanism.

The total digitalization of every sphere calls for changing libraries as information and sociocultural centers, ways to fulfill their humanistic mission of harmonious development of individuals. New forms of generation, distribution and providing access to information on the Internet give boost to using podcasts as instruments of communication with library existing and potential users. Podcasting is widely used in broadcasting, journalism, business, culture and education for it enables to communicate reliable information to customers. Though this technology is new to the libraries, podcasts have become increasingly popular in library practice. There are just few case studies on these library activities. The authors examine different approaches to podcast classification; options for their use by the libraries to promote books and reading, as an educational resource, and as an instrument to advocate libraries and improve librarians image. They substantiate the need to implement podcasting technology supporting the libraries’ humanistic mission. They also point to the need to expand the studies on the details of podcasting adaptation to library practice, as well as experience systematization, development of detailed recommendations on creating, using, promoting podcasts in the library sphere.