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The Japanese describe themselves as a “nation of readers”. This is not incorrect if you look at the history of reading in Japan, which dates back to the 5th century, when the Chinese writing system arrived in this country. The Japanese gradually adapted it to their own language. The creation of the kana syllabic alphabet enabled the flourishing of literature, and thus the copying activities, especially at the Japanese imperial court. The monks in the temples were also engaged in copying Buddhist texts, but they were the first to accept printing with wooden blocks, which arrived from China. Over time, the printing of books of various genres began. Itinerant merchants and numerous bookstores where books were also rented, tried to satisfy the hunger for reading of all social classes. The book market grew more and more, and the real reading revolution came with the period of intensive modernization of the country in the second half of the 19th century, when Japan made all its efforts to reach and overtake Western models. Publishing, as well as the developed library activity of modern society, rest on such foundations. The reading culture of today’s Japan is reflected in the number of published books, but also in the steady growth of the number of libraries, both public and special, as well as libraries within the educational system in Japan. Today, all segments that form that culture, such as education, printing, publishing and library activities, etc., adapt to the new era defined by globalization and digitalization progress. Although the impressive growth of the figures, which illustrate the size of the book and magazine market, has stopped in recent years, they still prove the fact that the Japanese are truly the “nation of readers”. Libraries also manage to keep up with new trends, so digital libraries appear on the Internet, while all others have available digital catalogs and reading materials. If we look back at the centuries-old attachment of the Japanese to books and reading, and if we look at the technologies we are surrounded by, it is clear to us that librarians are constantly faced with new challenges. Just as the copyist at the Japanese court supplied court ladies with the latest readings, the traveling merchant did his best to make the book reach the most remote mountain villages, the modern librarian also does his best to overcome all obstacles and meet the expectations of increasingly demanding library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a reflection of the subculture, amateurs, and fans of comics, punk music, science fiction, film, sports, etc., independently create, publish, and distribute shorter publications. These are zine publications. Photocopiers play a big role in their production, and their authors follow do-it-yourself philosophy. Applications for creating e-zines are available on the Internet. As for the shape, they may be the handmade accordion-shaped leaflets, publications in the form of short newspapers resembling A5 notebooks with collages on the cover, as well as small publications placed in a matchbox, large poster-sized zines, etc., or digital zines that quickly take primacy over paper forms. The goal of making such alternative publications is to emphasize the values of socially marginalized groups (dark-skinned people, women, immigrants, LGBTQ + people), activists, music lovers, fans, etc. Unlike publishing houses, zines are not focused on profit but more on creative expression in limited editions and emphasizing togetherness. The paper presents examples of good practice from several renowned American libraries that preserve this type of material, provide services for their use and work on their popularization. The Library of Congress and the Los Angeles Public Library organize zine festivals, which include workshops for making zine publications, as well as exhibitions and sales. The New York Public Library encourages users to write creatively and create a common zine for all age groups, and the Barnard College Library affirms the use of zine in teaching and learning. The cultural and academic value of zine publications is confirmed in all the above ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the Public Library of Budva decided to start building a digital library with the desire to expand the existing offer of online services and meet the needs of the modern audience that is increasingly using digital content. Sometime after launching the Digital Library of Budva (DLB) in November 2019, two issues naturally have raised, asking for evidence-based answers: the effectiveness of invested resources and the direction of the further development. Although the content is locally oriented, the hypothesis was that this new channel of presentation would attract audiences from a far wider geographical area. This hypothesis is confirmed, as well as the empirical observations that there is a direct and high correlation between the number of sessions and presence at social and other media, and that users are inclined to access the DLB via mobile devices, behaving more like sightseers than attentive readers. The analysis of web traffic during one year was performed using Google Analytics. The main aim of the analysis was to get a clear insight into the structure, interests, and behavior of users. It was supposed to be a base for achieving all the defined goals – increasing the number of users, acquiring regular users, extending sessions, and increasing the number of digital unit downloads. Despite limitations in the author’s specific knowledge of webometrics and the possibilities of Google Analytics, and the short period that was being analyzed, the results and conclusions are valuable for determining the main directions of the future DLB development policy. The analysis has shown three main areas as the most important to pay attention to – expanding the offer of digital content with visual materials, a greater presence in the media and on social networks, and popularization of DLB in places of professional and scientific communication. Achieving better results in these three areas would help justify all the mentioned reasons for creating the Digital Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of libraries in the lives of users changes depending on the trends encouraged by information technologies. Through cultural and professional development policies, many factors cause the status of public libraries to change, both in relation to normative instances and in relation to the community they serve. Dealing with the opinion of users is the first step in the professionalization of library activities. This paper analyzes the results of the survey Libraries through the Eyes of Users conducted among the users of the public libraries of Montenegro at the end of 2018. The survey is an integral part of the doctoral dissertation New Communication Paradigm in the Network of Public Libraries in Montenegro. According to the available documentation, this is the first survey of this kind conducted among the users of public libraries in Montenegro. The results of the survey indicate clearly that the situation in the public librarianship of the country can be changed only by introducing a new communication paradigm based on the use of modern media and technological achievements. The digital environment has a direct impact on the organization of work in public libraries and the development of new customer services. The aim of the survey is to determine the current situation and give suggestions for improving and affirming the work of public libraries, based on the specific attitude of users about library products. Guidelines for the introduction and integration of modern technological innovations in the work of public libraries must be based on examples of good practice in library and information systems of more developed European countries. The aim of the survey was to measure the level of satisfaction of the users of Montenegrin public libraries with the quality of customer services. By summarizing the results of the research, for the first time, the professional public has gained accurate insight into the views of users on library products, as well as on the infrastructural, personal, and informative qualities of the libraries. The social goal of the research is that the National Library Đurđe Crnojević, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, local governments, cultural representatives, and the professional public use its results in order to implement specific activities in the process of providing conditions for modern functioning of all public libraries in Montenegro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing library and information services to persons with disabilities has always been an extremely important segment of work in libraries, and it is especially challenging nowadays, in the digital age. This paper describes the process of introducing services for blind and visually impaired users at the University Library Nikola Tesla in Niš, which improves their studying conditions. By joining the TEMPUS project entitled Equal Access for All: Strengthening the Social Dimension for a Stronger European Higher Education Area in 2013, during which the University Library was equipped with the assistive technology for visually impaired students of the Niš University (Braille printer, magnifying glass, computers and corresponding software), it started to deal with the needs of this category of users in an organized manner and developed specialized library and information services to meet their requirements. This goal was reached by analyzing their needs, gaining knowledge in the field of legal regulations such as international and Serbian copyright laws and treaties, establishing cooperation with other institutions with experience in providing such services, composing necessary instruction manuals, and training of the library staff. Since then, the services for blind and visually impaired students, among which the most important one is producing specially-adapted books in accessible formats, which are hosted at the University Library local repository, have become a part of the standard library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the contemporary meaning of the term reference work in libraries. The purpose of reference work in libraries is to assist users in finding information contained in a variety of sources, and enable efficient use of available library resources. Although the scope and level of complexity of reference work varies in international frameworks, it is possible to identify its three essential functions - informative, advisory and instructive. Domination of one of these approaches in the reference service in contemporary librarianship generally depends on the type of a specific library and its tasks. Reference librarians are members of public services in libraries, engaged in providing reference services that range from providing factual and bibliographic information, through advising students and researchers in the realization of various projects and giving instructions on library programs, to the active participation and assistance in the process of scientific research performed by library users. Although the organized provision of reference services differs both in different countries, and in various types of libraries and particular institutions, there is a general opinion that the work of reference librarians contributes greatly to the users' satisfaction with the library services. Summing up the definitions and theoretical considerations of reference work created in different periods, this paper attempts to show the continuity of the same main idea of reference work. The paper is based on the widest concept of the reference work, describes its components and outlines the main requirements of the contemporary reference service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of this work is independent motion of users through the holdings of public libraries. The fact is that the mass media have established a new way of thinking in humans, the consequence of which is a new kind of orientation in space, which relies on different visual resources. We anticipate the application of these resources in work with users in public libraries, too. The model that we describe here, provides an optimal time utilization and increased involvement of a library user during his free motion and research of the desired contents, as well as his more active approach to information, without the mediating role of a professional person. Starting from the idea that librarians are designers who make decision about choosing the form of user interaction with the library, the model predicts the use of resources whose range goes from pictograms (iconic concept) to the visual metaphors and visual organization of space. The visualization should help users to search contents of the library holdings quite independently, but also to enable them to access the material easier then before. The solution of this problem, as we see it, lies in the graphic communication panels that are now becoming the bearers of the visual messages, and no longer textual or numeric. Primarily visual, and then the physical organization of the space, as well as of the library material which is in it, placed on shelves, provide a significant contribution to the realization of this goal. The model requires that their position and size respect anthropometric standards, in accordance with the logic of the library materials in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]