Advances in sustainable development of Croatian public and school libraries network
On 21 September 2026, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted this year’s third meeting of the representatives of the Central County Offices Committee for Public and School Libraries and the directors of central public libraries at county level.
Held as part of the activities of the Croatian Institute for Librarianship and Libraries and Librarianship Development Centre, both operating as part of NSK, the meeting was organised by the NSK Library Adviser for Public Libraries Dunja Maria Gabriel and NSK Library Adviser for School Libraries Dr Kristina Romić.
Cooperation aimed at gearing library services to the requirements of all user groups
The meeting participants, which were welcomed to the Library by the NSK Director General Dr Ivanka Stričević, included the Croatian Minister of Culture and Media Dr Nina Obuljen Koržinek, State Secretary at the Ministry Dražena Vrselja, Head of the Ministry’s Directorate for Archives, Libraries and Museums Anuška Deranja Crnokić, Head of the Ministry’s Archives, Libraries and Museums Office Dr Ivona Despot, President of the Croatian Library Council Niko Cvjetković and Senior Expert Adviser at the Early, Pre-School and Primary Education Office of the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Youth Katarina Bandalo.
In the discussion on the plans for ensuring a sustainable development of Croatia’s national public and school libraries network, Minister Obuljen Koržinek emphasised the importance of the institutional and financial stability of public libraries, related up-to-date legislation and the work of central library development offices, as well as of the awareness that the expansion of the national library network and the scope of library services needs to be geared to the requirements of all groups of library users.
Other topics included the implementation of the new acquisition model for collection development in public libraries, projects aimed at increasing the visibility of library collections and services and the latest major investments in Croatia’s library infrastructure resulting in the opening of new libraries and numerous library renovation projects.
Taking further steps towards bringing library services to everyone
The meeting’s programme also included a brief overview of the results of investments of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media in the development of mobile library services. Focusing on making culture-related content and library services as available as possible to everyone, in particular to the members of inclusion-challenged social groups, promoting reading and fostering the development of reading skills and making library services accessible regardless of geographically-conditioned user circumstance, these investments are also expected to support further efforts to improve the cooperation between public and school libraries.
Dr Marica Šapro-Ficović presented the activities of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County branch of the Central County Office for Public and School Libraries, NSK Adviser Gabriel gave an overview of the results of a project aimed at the development of mobile library services in Croatia (Praćenje i vrednovanje Programa razvoja mreže pokretnih knjižnica u Republici Hrvatskoj) and Dina Kraljić brought the attention of the meeting participants to an Erasmus+ reading promotion-oriented project targeting senior citizens (Treća priča – program razvoja čitateljske kulture i uključivanja osoba starije životne dobi).
The meeting closed with the announcement of the upcoming activities of the Committee and other bodies responsible for the development and upgrading of the Croatian national library system.
Photo: © NSK