The purpose of the article is to present a new approach to building a competency model for a specialist in library and information activities. Methods used in the work: analysis and generalization of the content of domestic and foreign sources on the problem of professional education.The article presents an analysis of the lists of competencies of the Federal State Educational Standard, opinions of specialists in the field of library and information activities, an approximate list of the scientific (academic) library specialist’s competencies, prepared in 2017 by employees of SPSL SB RAS at the request of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture representatives.It is concluded that, taking into account numerous discussions about FSES and the professional standard of a specialist in library and information activities, it is necessary to combine the efforts of representatives of the professional community for to achieve consensus in this area and update the existing regulatory framework. It is also advisable to consider the possibility of creating competency profiles that would form the basis for the above-mentioned documents and ensure interests of organizations providing training in the field of library and information activities and institutions-employers.Novelty. Complex approach is proposed to build a competency model for a specialist in library and information activities, based on integration of approved regulatory documents and employers’ requests: for each group of competencies the basic minimum should be determined (approved by the federal authorities responsible for the state supervision and ensuring compliance of requirements in composition of labor functions, knowledge and skills in approved documents) and the variable part, ensuring compliance of competencies being formed with particularities of libraries of various types (public, academic, special).This requires development of a regulatory framework in the field of library and information activities (updating existing and developing new documents). The proposed competency model correlates with regulatory documents.Practical significance: a competency model is proposed, within which educational organizations, institutions of the library and information sphere can jointly form an effective process for training specialists.

The lag of Russia in the development of the fifth technological order has had a dramatic impact on research and technological libraries. Until the early 1990s, they were rightfully considered unique access points to relevant scientific knowledge, and now they are experiencing an acute crisis, looking for their place in the radically changed landscape of scholarly communicationsThe article identifies the main challenges that led to the crisis. The aim of the study is to find answers to these challenges, namely: new tasks that libraries can take on and that will be in demand by the scientific community. However, their solution is possible only after mastering new competencies and providing necessary resources. To systematize this picture, a matrix of tasks, resources and competencies is constructed.

The issues of library specialists’ competencies in the aspect of Federal State Educational Standards (GEF) are examined, the problems of determining competencies and their composition taking into account the requirements of the digital economy and the professional standard are identified. It is stated, that at present only lists of competencies of the Federal State Educational Standard are to be considered as the basic model of library specialists’ competencies. It is proposed to implement a number of special measures for to form the professional community’ consolidated position concerning the competences and their determination due to the type of the library and workers’ professional status.

The article is devoted to the history of the study, there are determined the criteria and approaches to identification of the scientific schools in the area of library and information science, bibliography science and bibliology. There are presented scientific schools, established by now at the SPSTL SB RAS.