The conference was given a start by the director general of the RSL Vadim V. Duda who tuned the event and shaped the main streams for the discussions. According to Vadim Valeriyevich, "Digital business based on knowledge could be characterized by expressively outlined positive feedback". Besides, Mr Duda advised the specialists in information technologies for library sphere to train in team-work, for he saw only large infrastructure projects to have a chance to become efficient.

The next person to speak was the director of the Russian Association of Digital Libraries and IT director of the RSL Igor A. Gruzdev who congratulated the participants on the beginning of the conference meeting.

In her greeting speech, the IT director of the Russian Association of Digital Libraries, head of the Administrative Department of Management and Monitoring Service for Clients of the RSL Nina V. Avdeeva pointed out that the modern tendencies of development of information technologies in libraries possessing multi-functional infrastructure were eliminating boarders and shortening distances. Still the developers of the so-called "libraries without walls and boarders" were facing the tasks demanding technologically advanced and economically safe decisions which could turn information processing and data storage more efficient while making the information itself more accessible and better protected.

The opening ceremony was delimited from the reports by the speech of the director general of the RNPLS&T, president of National Library Association "Libraries of the Future" (NABB) Yakov L. Shraiberg. He greeted the participants and gave a report on the history of development of national digital libraries, as well as on their problems and prospects. Yakov Leonidovich saw the future of digital libraries in integration and collective usage of the national digital resources of all the participants. Still each of the libraries as viewed by the speaker had to remain autonomous in using the unique collections of their own.

Differences in electronic resources of Digital Library Systems and of digital libraries as they existed within our nation were demonstrated and described by the director general of LLC "Direct Media" Konstantin N. Kostiuk.

He was followed by the executive director of the "Antiplagiat" company Yuri V. Chekhovich. In his speech Yuri Victorovich reminded the audience that for 10 years the RSL and the "Antiplagiat" company had been cooperating for raising quality of Russian education and science. And their efficient team work fruited in the two main projects "Anti-plagiarism" and "Scientific Archives".

As for further reports of the conference, they all were devoted to more practical aspects of functioning of digital libraries. Kirill A. Kolosov, head specialist of the RNPLS&T, gave details on work organization within the digital library of the RNPLS&T. Sergey G. Ivanov, financial director of the Group of companies IPR MEDIA, informed on the development of digital information centres of educational environment. Vladimir M. Liutetsky, science director of LLC "Raduga – LIK s Vami", spoke on the "Wikidata" base of knowledge. While NPP "NEICON" expert Alexey V. Skalaban devoted his speech to work of national aggregator of open repositories of Russian universities "NORA".

President of the Russian Writers’ Union Dmitry V. Kravchuk shared the experience of development and usage of electronic system of search and selection of pieces of masterwork of the modern literature.

The director general of the "Biblio Globus" publishing house Egor G. Abramov touched upon the theme of consumer rights protection within the digital milieu. Then the same theme was continued in the report concerning citizens’ information equality problems while dealing with getting quality results of thematic search across digital catalogues presented by Olga A. Lavrionova, head of the Department of Methodological and Linguistic Support of Information Systems of the RSL.

After that Victor N. Monakhov, senior researcher of the Scientific and Methodological Center "UNESCO Chair on Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Rights" of the National Research University "Higher School of Economics", reported on the same problem in the perspective of libraries and publishers’ relationship.

The concept of open access to scientific information, as well as Copyright protection within the process of communication of that type and also the problem of "death of links" were all reported by the representatives of the Association of Internet Publishers Ivan I. Zasursky, Natalia D. Trishchenko and Vladimir V. Kharitonov.

In November 2017, Russia had joined the Marrakesh VIP Treaty (formally the "Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities"). The main provisions of the treaty which had to be minded while changing Copyright legislation of the Russian Federation and which could help libraries operate with the norms of the Marrakesh VIP Treaty efficiently and enforce the related rights were highlighted by head of the Automation Department of St. Petersburg State Library for the Blind Saniya S. Battalova.

The speeches to conclude the conference were devoted to inter – regional and international cooperation of digital libraries (Sergey V. Sokolov, researcher of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and collaboration of digital libraries and mass media in attracting readers (Vladimir A. Dvorianov, head of the PR Service of LLC "Inter-Regional Subscription Agency").

The results of the 12^th Research and Practical Conference of the Russian Association of Digital Libraries were summed up by Nina V. Avdeeva. The speaker marked the exclusive significance of the themes raised by the conference speeches and invited the members of the association to sustain cooperation and to support it within the framework of the digital environment of website http://www.aselibrary.ru. Ms Avdeeva concluded by wishing the audience creative well – being and professional success.