The cartography departments of the leading Soviet libraries--the Lenin State Library of the USSR, the Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library, and the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences--perform a wide range of operations on cartographic works for reader service and for the development of reference tools and techniques to be used by other Soviet libraries. Planning in cartography departments is based on the tasks facing library science and cartography and the ten-to fifteen-year plans for a concrete library. The department plans are usually drawn up for a term of five years, with shorter times for the monitoring of specific projects, and reflect the key tasks of department development. With centralized guidance, planning is carried out by department members, by library specialists, and by expert cartographers. Plans are coordinated between departments, between libraries, and between libraries and country's cartographic institutions. This cooperation has resulted in progress toward the standardization of the bibliographic control of cartographic works. Despite this progress, a vast potential still remains for deepened specialization and coordination to optimize service to all users. (Author/SL)