Creation of document insurance stock
Microfilming is the oldest library method for making insurance copies. However, our experience of microfilming even of small size atlases showed that readers do not like working with micro-films. The high reduction of images during copying publications of large size creates difficulties in getting high-quality, legible copies.
At present, the program of electronic copy making is being developed. In the first place, we in St. Petersburg will scan the engraved maps of the first quarter of the 18th century (the period of mass publication of Russian maps) and the maps of St. Petersburg from the time of its founda-tion.

Subprogram of the Book Monuments of Russian Federation
The first stage of this subprogram intends to create a union list of Russian maps and atlases published before 1830. It will be the united data bank containing bibliographical descriptions of the collections dispersed over the whole country. The Division of Rare Books of the Russian State Library is responsible for the completion of this subprogram. In the field of cartographic publications, the creation of the union list will be based upon the system of the joint catalogues of Russian maps and atlases, on which the divisions of cartography in Moscow and St. Peters-burg have been working since 1990.

Collection preservation through specifying usage conditions
Although any library deals with replicated documents and facsimiles, they are not the same in their value as the original. Two characteristics are picked out as differentiating parameters: uniqueness and physical condition. The range of characteristics for the first parameter is from a unique copy, the replacement of which is impossible, to a modern mass publication, the replace-ment of which through a new copy is more sensible than its restoration. The second parameter allows the recording of those items requiring special attention, such as publications made on acid-paper (i.e., the vast majority of maps and atlases of the 19-20th centuries), or publications vulnerable to damage by virtue of printing features, and this group includes all the maps pub-lished in single sheets. Thus, three classes of document usage conditions were developed:

• The first class includes the maps and atlases of the 16-18th centuries. The special use conditions are established for them: they are lent out to readers only for research work, which is confirmed by the proper documents. Lending of the publication and work with it are performed under the supervision of the responsible keeper of the collection. These publications are usually not copied.
• The second class includes the majority of cartographic publications. There are no limitations in lending them out to the readers, but limitations in copying remain (for technical reasons).
• The third class of preservation includes the publications of mass type. There are no additional use limitations for the publications of this class.

Together with the task of ensuring the preservation of cartographic publications, the problem of ensuring of the accessibility of unique cartographic collections is urgent, remote users having re-quirements, too. There are several possibilities here.

The divisions of cartography have some experience in publishing facsimile editions of rare at-lases. Thus, the facsimile publication of the unique monument of Russian cartography of the 17th century - the hand-written atlas of Drawing Book of Siberia by Semen Remezov with scientific comments prepared by the specialists of the Russian State Library - is being pre-pared for printing in Moscow. The Spanish Publishing House of M.Moleiro has published the facsimile reproduction of hand-written Portuguese atlas of the world of Diego Homem, which is kept and described in St. Petersburg.

However, the creation of electronic catalogues and electronic libraries is of paramount impor-tance for ensuring the accessibility of cartographic publications. The web-sites of libraries allow access to the databases of new arrivals of maps and atlases. Plans for the retro-conversion of old catalogues at the initial stage propose the scanning of the card catalogue to allow images of the cards to be viewed. The joint electronic retrospective catalogues of Russian maps and atlases of the 18th and 19th centuries are in development.
Building electronic libraries can develop in several ways. As stated above, systematic scanning of the certain parts of collections is carried out. Furthermore, several subject projects are devel-oped. For instance, we can mention the Meeting the Frontiers Russian-American project, the first stage of which we already told at the previous conference. This is devoted to the Russian exploration of Siberia and western coast of America as well as American exploration of western areas of America. At present, the Russian part presents … maps and atlases on the web-site. We in the National Library of Russia plan to open the site of Multi-faceted St. Petersburg devoted to the forthcoming anniversary of the city. We will also publish the CD-ROM of St. Petersburg: 300 years on maps.

Naturally, the completion of the program and the specific actions arising out of it requires con-siderable financial expenditure. It should be noted with satisfaction that for the first time the government financially supports a number of actions of this program. Certainly, this support does not always seem to be sufficient, but we hope for the best.