Professional paper
Reorganisation of Children’s Non-Fiction Collection and the Contemporary Role of the Librarian
Viktorija Slatina
orcid.org/0009-0004-4583-4321
; Gradska knjižnica „Franjo Marković“ Križevci
Abstract
Nowadays, the professional identity of librarian is shaped at the intersection of traditional library practices and contemporary user needs. This is particularly evident in the children’s departments of public libraries, including the Children's Section of the Franjo Marković City Library in Križevci, where formal classifi cation systems often fail to align with the way children search for, comprehend, and retain information. This paper outlines the process of reorganising the children’s non-fi ction collection in the aforementioned library, starting from a user-oriented
perspective and focusing on the needs of children aged 4 to 12. The methodological framework of the paper includes an analysis of the collection’s initial state and the identified organisational challenges, the results of a survey conducted among child users, and a detailed description of
the reorganisation process. The reorganisation is based on the professional principles of the UDC system, which were reinterpreted and adapted to children’s cognitive patterns by developing a thematic, visually distinct, and intuitive structure. The paper places emphasis on the role of the librarian as an intermediary between classifi cation systems and users, as well as on involving children in the process of conceptualising and shaping the collection.
The findings demonstrate that reorganising the children’s non-fi ction collection extends beyond the rearrangement of materials. It becomes an expression of the contemporary librarian’s role, wherein tradition is not abandoned but reinterpreted in response to children’s developmental and information-seeking needs.
Keywords
children’s non-fi ction collection; children’s section of the Franjo Marković City Library in Križevci; collection reorganisation; contemporary role of the librarian; user-oriented approach
Hrčak ID:
347846
URI
Publication date:
29.5.2026.
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