Original scientific paper

Multicultural library services : research into information needs and behaviour of linguistic minorities in Osijek-Baranya County

Sanjica Faletar Tanacković orcid.org/0000-0001-7387-6458
Darko Lacović orcid.org/0000-0001-7276-9757
Snježana Stanarević orcid.org/0000-0001-5413-3261

Abstract

According to Croatian and international laws, existing cultural strategies, and professional documents and guidelines, public libraries should strive to meet the needs of all their users (including minority groups). These were the reasons for the research and analysis of the information needs and behavior of three biggest linguistic minorities in Osijek-Baranya county. Special emphasis is put on the level of their satisfaction with library services.
The authors of the paper start with the hypothesis that minority members, although living in Croatia for many generations now, still have the need for information, newspapers and other publications in their mother tongues. The authors also believe that the participants of the study (the members of Hungarian, Slovak and Serbian minorities) use libraries insufficiently, while fulfilling their information needs elsewhere.
The results of this research can help public libraries in designing their collection development policies, with special emphasis on acquiring publications in minority languages and scripts, and also in planning services and programmes which will meet the needs of minority groups.

Keywords

multiculturalism; linguistic minority; information needs; information behavior; public libraries; minority libraries; Osijek-Baranya county

Hrčak ID:

80041

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/80041

Publication date:

1.5.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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