Young Adult Department – Research of the Current Situation in Croatia

U radu su predstavljeni rezultati istraživanja čija je svrha bila ispitati zastupljenost odjela za mlade u hrvatskim narodnim knjižnicama velikih gradova, saznati na koje se načine nastoje zadovoljiti potrebe mladih kao zasebne korisničke skupine u narodnim knjižnicama velikih gradova i pronaći novije primjere dobre prakse. Istraživanje se provodilo od travnja do lipnja 2020. godine online anketnim upitnikom. Prigodni uzorak činile su narodne knjižnice iz ukupno 24 velika hrvatska grada. Pristiglo je 20 odgovora iz knjižnica 16 gradova. Utvrđeno je da mnoge knjižnice u Hrvatskoj nemaju posebno izdvojene odjele za mlade i da još uvijek prevladava koncept odjela za djecu i mlade. Tri hrvatske knjižnice koje imaju posebne odjele za mlade svoje su raznovrsne programe, aktivnosti i usluge usmjerile na slobodno vrijeme i interese mladih nudeći građu koja bi ih mogla najviše zainteresirati za čitanje i posudbu, uređenjem prostora koji odudara od ostatka knjižnice, kao i opremljenošću novim tehnologijama. Najveći problem s kojim se knjižničari susreću u radu s mladima njihova je nezainteresiranost za kulturna događanja. Rad daje pregled trenutačne situacije u radu s mladima u hrvatskim narodnim knjižnicama, čime popunjava prazninu koja na ovom području postoji u literaturi i pridonosi praćenju razvoja knjižničarske struke.The paper presents results of a research whose purpose was to find out the number of Young Adult Departments in public libraries in Croatian large cities, to examine in what ways public libraries of large cities try to meet the needs of young people and to find contemporary examples of good practice. The survey research was conducted from April to June 2020 through an online questionnaire. The appropriate sample consisted of public libraries from a total of 24 large Croatian cities. There were 20 responses received from libraries in 16 cities. It was found that many libraries in Croatia do not have separate departments for young people and that the concept of a combined Department for Children and Youth still prevails. The three Croatian libraries that have Young Adult Departments have focused their various programs, activities and services on the free time and interests of young people, offering materials that are most likely to interest them for reading and lending, arranging spaces that stand out from the rest of the library and equipping them with new technologies. The biggest issue librarians face in working with young people is their lack of interest in cultural events. The paper provides an overview of the current situation in working with young people in Croatian public libraries, which fills the gap that exists in the literature in this area and contributes to monitoring the development of the library profession