The information support of scientific research, creation and development of own information resources, control over these resources, support of the use of information resources provided by the Internet, dissemination of own achievements in the form of digital collections, atlases and information systems as well as publications and bibliographic resources are a vital part of the information environment of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science.

Under modern circumstances of society development and sophistication of technical and social infrastructure, information becomes a strategic resource similar to material and energy resources. Modern information technologies make it possible to create, store, process, and ensure effective methods of providing the user with information resources. They become a vital factor of society existence and a means for improving control over all spheres of social activity. The informatisation level becomes an essential factors for successful economic development and integration of a region in both internal and external markets. Network information technologies are used for supporting multi-discipline studies carried out in the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences solving various scientific and applied problems: from search for required information to adaptation of managerial decisions and information support of joint studies performed by Russian and foreign organisations.

The project of creating a digital library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science implies development of distributed information systems making it possible to process, to analyse, and to disseminate information, as well as to organise search in various collections of digital documents (text, graphics, audio, video, etc.) over global data transmission networks and consists of the following interrelated subprojects (see http://www-sbras.nsc.ru/win/elbib/):

1. Information and telecommunication environment of the Siberian Branch - "Internet network of the Novosibirsk Scientific Centre" - an integration project intended to develop information and telecommunication environment of the Branch and to co-ordinate activities aimed at creating information resources.
2. Methodological groundwork for the development of the normative basis regulating relations within a digital libraries system (development of standardisation and legal basis for employing the Branch information resources).
3. Theoretical substantiation and realisation of efficient and provably safe information protection methods for full-text databases in the Internet environment (development of information safety system for full-text databases in the Internet environment).
4. Development of a digital library of the MPSTL of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
5. Electronic mathematical journals of the Siberian Branch (automation and development of full-text databases for given scientific publications).
6. Digital library "Digital atlas 'Biological Diversity of Flora and Fauna of Siberia'".
7. Integral digital library on spatial structures of DNA, RNA and proteins.
8. Development of an integrated information system on geosciences of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
9. Integrated information system on chemical sciences of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
10. Electronic resources of Siberian and world archaeology and ethnography.
11. Ensuring uniform access to various collections and information resources on the basis of the CORBA technology.
12. Information system for support of mathematical studies.

The above projects are a joint product of their authors and present the first stage of the development of an integrated information system of the Siberian Branch.